A new pavilion is emerging from co-creation at the Port of Sept-Îles

The Port of Sept-Îles has announced the construction of a new permanent pavilion to welcome cruise passengers. Set to open in the Spring of 2025, the pavilion will have an architectural concept and exterior design inspired by Innu culture.

Development plans were conceived using an innovative co-creation process launched in the Autumn of 2022. The collaborative approach, involving Monseigneur-Blanche districtrepresentatives and multiple stakeholders from the local tourism sector, made it possible to establish the main elements integrated into the project.

“We must underline the contribution of all the players who participated in the co-creation process and who permitted us today to unveil a unique and representative concept or the only stopover in the St. Lawrence having as its appeal the discovery of Innu culture,” emphasizes Pierre D. Gagnon, the president and CEO at the Port of Sept-îles.

Green Marine’s community relations performance indicator encourages ports that wish to meet the higher Level 5 criteria to use the innovative co-creation approach to undertake and complete a project. When implementing its new indicator in 2021, Green Marine sought a co-creation pilot project to refine its guidelines and the Port of Sept-Îles answered the call! « The Port of Sept-îles project serves as an example that we hope will also inspire others interested in trying the co-creation process,” adds Véronique Trudeau, a Green Marine program manager. (See Green Marine’s Magazine’s article on this subject.)

Along with the areas for hosting stopovers, which includes space dedicated to artists and artisans, the building will house the offices of Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu, the organization responsible for coordinating the reception of cruise passengers. The hope by the partners is that this place of welcome and exchange will also host various activities that bring together and relate local and regional cultures year-round.

The $6.9-million project is being realized thanks to the financial contribution of a number of partners that include Canada Economic Development, the Société du Plan Nord, Tourisme Québec, Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-utenam, along with the municipality, and the Port of Sept-îles.