The four ports of the Société portuaire du Bas-Saint-Laurent et de la Gaspésie will be Green Marine certified

Matane, QC, February 15, 2022 – The Société portuaire du Bas-Saint-Laurent et de la Gaspésie (SPBSG), which administers four ports in Quebec’s Lower St. Lawrence and Gaspé region, has enrolled all of them in Green Marine, the leading voluntary environmental certification program for North America’s maritime industry.

« We are so pleased to welcome these four ports, » said David Bolduc, Green Marine’s executive director. « Their membership reflects a strong environmental commitment by SPBSG, which only undertook their management from the Quebec government two years ago.”

« We want to be proactive and believe that Green Marine will be able to guide us toward continual improvement in the environmental performance of each of our ports through its program’s detailed framework, » said Anne Dupéré, SPBSG’s president and CEO. « It is important to us that our ports operate in a sustainable manner to ensure their long-term strategic role in the commercial and economic development of our region. »

The ports of Gros-Cacouna, Rimouski, Matane and Gaspé are a significant addition to the Green Marine program in the Lower St. Lawrence and Gaspé areas, almost doubling the number of participants in these regions.

To achieve Green Marine certification, the SPBSG ports will assess their environmental performance through indicators that address such issues as greenhouse gases, underwater noise, spill prevention, harmonization of uses, community relations, waste management and environmental leadership. The certification process is rigorous and transparent, with results independently audited every two years and each participant’s individual performance made public annually. The first results by the SPBSG ports will cover their 2022 environmental performance and be published in 2023.

About the Société portuaire du Bas-Saint-Laurent et de la Gaspésie
The Government of Quebec owns the ports of Gros-Cacouna, Rimouski, Matane and Gaspé. Each of these ports fills a strategic role in regional commercial and economic development. Quebec’s Transport Ministry has given the Société portuaire du Bas-Saint-Laurent et de la Gaspésie the mandate to ensure, on its behalf, the operation, maintenance, capital works and development of these ports.

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