Montréal Port receives CAD$35 million to modernise cruise facilities

Officials from Québec and Montréal in Canada have pledged CAD$35 million to help Montréal Port Authority modernise Alexandra Pier and Iberville Passenger Terminal in time for the start of its 2017 cruise season.

The Government of Quebec will allocate CAD$20 million through its Maritime Strategy – Tourism Component, while the City of Montreal will provide US$15 million to help fund the CAD$78 million renovation project.

“I am very pleased that the City of Montreal is joining with the Government of Quebec and the Montreal Port Authority to launch this structuring project that will enable us to welcome a greater number of cruise passengers and by doing so, make the most of the ensuing economic benefits,” said Montreal’s mayor Denis Coderre. “The restored facilities of Alexandra Pier and Iberville Passenger Terminal will let us extend a magnificent welcome to the tourists and visitors who will come celebrate Montreal’s 375th anniversary with us in 2017.”

As part of the project, Montreal Port Authority will restore its existing Alexandra Pier, which is more than 100 years old, as well as the Iberville Passenger Terminal, which was last extensively remodelled for Expo 1967. Both infrastructures welcome international cruise vessels and their passengers and are located in the Old Port, a tourist zone visited by around seven million tourists annually.

“The Montreal Port Authority wishes to express its deepest gratitude to its financial partners, the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal, without whom this project would not have been possible,” said Sylvie Vachon, Montreal Port Authority’s president and CEO. “These improved infrastructures will meet clients’ needs and give Montrealers renewed access to our majestic St. Lawrence River for 2017, a year brimming with symbols and festivities for Montreal.”