SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Sustainable Development Policy

This policy is effective May 12, 2021, when it is adopted by the general management and the presidency of the board of directors of the Port of Saguenay, by resolution # 2021/05 / 12-6.2.

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Mission
A leading player in the regional economy, the Port of Saguenay provides services and infrastructures that promote trade and industrial development, while respecting the environment and its communities.
 

Vision
A hub of the national economy, at the heart of transport logistics, structuring projects and sustainable development, the Port of Saguenay is the pride of its region.
 

Values

  • Commitment
  • Partnership
  • Development
  • Security
  • Efficiency
     

Guiding principles

  • Protect the long-term operation and viability of marine transportation as a building block of Canada's national transportation infrastructure by ensuring the efficient movement of people and goods;
  • Guarantee respect for the environment through environmental assessment and environmental planning processes during operations and development decisions;
  • Foster the development of human resources, user participation and collaboration with communities.
     

Sustainable development strategic orientations
In compliance with the laws, policies, regulations and according to the financial and human resources available, and within the limits of the operational control of the organization, the strategic orientations of sustainable development of this Port of Saguenay's Policy  guide its activities, both internally and externally. This is how all future decisions will be taken according to the following orientations:

  1. Port of Saguenay is committed, first of all, to minimizing its negative impacts and maximizing its positive impacts on the environment, the community and its stakeholders.
  2. Port of Saguenay undertakes, secondly, to equip itself in order to have in hand all the necessary mechanisms and instruments to ensure its sustainability.
  3. Port of Saguenay is committed, third, to maintain high standards in governance, communication, consultation, ethics and accountability in all of its activities.
  4. Port of Saguenay is committed to ensuring that all of its practices and activities are carried out with a view to continuous improvement.
     

Scope
Port of Saguenay undertakes to apply this Sustainable Development Policy to all of its activities, operations and decisions. It will do everything in its power to share the company's SD approach with its stakeholders. Any new development and any new project will also be subject to this Policy.
 

Implementation
The implementation of this Sustainable Development Policy will be ensured by:

  • Appointing the Director of Sustainable Development responsible for its application;
  • Disseminating this Policy to employees, customers and the public;
  • Ensuring consistency and harmonious integration with planning strategic;
  • Incorporating the SD strategic orientations and objectives of this Policy in the organization's action plans;
  • Equipping itself with tools for monitoring and steering the sustainable development approach including specific indicators;
  • Reviewing this Policy every 5 years or if there are major changes.

 

Certification

The Port of Saguenay is committed to conducting its operations in a sustainable manner. The Port has been a Green Marine certified participant since 2009, and steadily improved its environmental performance since joining the program, even reaching the higher level of performance for the spill and prevention indicator. Results are based on a scale of 1 to 5, where Level 1 represents the monitoring of regulations and 5, leadership and excellence. 

Founded in 2007, Green Marine is a North American environmental certification program that stems from a voluntary initiative by the maritime industry to exceed regulatory requirements. Green Marine is a rigorous, transparent and inclusive program that targets prioritized environmental issues such as greenhouse gases, community impacts, and water and land pollution. To date, more than 145 ship owners, port authorities, terminals and shipyards from one ocean to the other in Canada and the United States participate in the program. The Green Marine program derives its uniqueness from the support it receives from environmental organizations and government agencies. These approximately 75 supporters contribute to shaping and revising the program.

The cornerstone of the Green Marine initiative is its far-reaching environmental program, which makes it possible for any marine company operating in Canada or the U.S. to reduce its environmental footprint by undertaking concrete and measurable actions.

To receive their certification, participants must benchmark their annual environmental performance through the program’s exhaustive self-evaluation guides, have their results verified by an accredited external verifier and agree to publication of their individual results.

The annual results are published in Green Marine’s Annual performance report, at the beginning of June every year, and posted on Green Marine website.

Green Marine web site: https://www.green-marine.org/certification/results/

 

  

 

Underwater noise

Maritime activities, including port activities, are sources of underwater noise. It is recognized that these can have impacts on marine mammals. As such, the Saguenay Port Authority favors a collaborative and concerted approach, we work with the tenants and users of the port as well as with the entire maritime community to increase awareness of underwater noise and help each actor to take concrete action to reduce it.

The Port of Saguenay invites the Master and crew members to use the Whale Alert app (http://www.whalealert.org/). With the Whale Alert app, mariners and members of the public are provided with a user-friendly tool directly on their cell phone or tablet that displays whale "safety zones". The Port of Saguenay invites users to respect voluntary and regulatory speed limit zones.  The app also allows the user to report any live, dead, or distressed whale sightings to the appropriate response agency; thus, making this app an important tool for reducing ship strike threat to all whale species worldwide.