"I raised my eyebrows": The Côte-Nord business community was taken by surprise by the possibility of an oil pipeline project to Sept-Îles

Business people on the North Shore said they were "surprised" by statements made by Premier François Legault on Thursday, who raised the possibility of an oil pipeline project that would cross Canada and end up in the port of Sept-Îles.

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"I raised my eyebrows because we are not working on any pipeline projects to Sept-Îles," Paul Lavoie, director of Sept-Îles Economic Development, told TVA Nouvelles.

Although he claims to be "surprised," Mr. Lavoie is delighted that the Prime Minister is referring to this strategic port on the North Shore as a place for economic development.

"Now, we at Développement économique Sept-Îles, or even with our partners in the industrial port zone of Port-Cartier, Sept-Îles and Uashat Mak Mani-utenam, are not in that. We are currently working much more on issues related to the transformation of natural resources and also the decarbonization of industry," he explained.

Prime Minister François Legault mentioned greater social acceptability among Quebecers regarding a new pipeline project.

"Is it conceivable to have an oil pipeline that runs through northern Quebec? One that could end up, for example, in the port of Sept-Îles? There are projects like these that were unthinkable before Trump, but now Quebecers are saying to themselves, it's not true that Trump is going to control the oil we produce in Alberta," he mentioned in a podcast episode "Contact" by host Stéphan Bureau broadcast Thursday morning.

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Mr. Legault was also visiting Alma on Thursday where he was questioned by journalists about the feasibility of such a project.

"If there's a serious project on the table, well-funded by the private sector, we're open to looking at it," he said. "Then I've noticed since the crisis with Donald Trump that there's more openness because I said: 'It takes social acceptability.'"

Capture/TVA News

And the Prime Minister knows that it will also be necessary to take the pulse of the indigenous communities who live in the area.

"First, we need to look at the exact route, and whether it's gas or oil, and what benefits it will bring, whether for the Indigenous people or the citizens who are affected. We're a long way from a concrete project, but I think there's an opening," he said. "Obviously, we need to evaluate the project, we need to evaluate the environmental impacts [...] and we need to look at the benefits."

-With information from Alexandre Cantin