While major industrial projects are pouring into Manicouagan, small businesses are being called upon to renew themselves. Closures and openings have been frequent in the past year, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Manicouagan (CCIM).
A new commercial and economic reality has taken hold since the COVID-19 pandemic, observes CCIM General Manager Jeff Dufour Tremblay. The rise of online commerce, among other things, is hurting long-established businesses.
This is the first real year after the pandemic. For everything related to retail, we need to find customers again, get back into the swing of things. It’s about ensuring that retail can provide supplies
, he explains.
We have also seen restaurants disappear, others appear. […] I think it is a balance at the moment. When one disappears, another appears. A quote fromJeff Dufour Tremblay, General Manager of the CCIM.
That is why the CCIM is taking steps to encourage its members to consolidate their online presence. In Manicouagan, we have very few businesses that have online stores, but we have strong potential. We have companies that do high-end retail sales and that would benefit from being online
, according to Jeff Dufour Tremblay.
Large-scale industry takes root in Manicouagan
If the Manicouagan region and its capital, Baie-Comeau, have long hoped for an industrial revival, the announcements of the last few months have something to satisfy appetites.
The allocation of a block of electricity to Hy2Gen to build a green ammonia and hydrogen plant in Baie-Comeau had particularly pleased Mayor Michel Desbiens.
The 300-megawatt wind farm project in Manicouagan, selected by Hydro-Québec this spring, is also a breath of fresh air for the region, according to the prefect of the MRC of Manicouagan, Marcel Furlong.
Moreover, the MRC was betting big on this project last fall, being ready to borrow up to $166.5 million to take part in it alongside the Innu community of Pessamit and the company Innergex.
The region’s strengths, according to Marcel Furlong, remain natural resources and large industry. He believes that Manicouagan has everything to gain by focusing on this sector and participating in the energy transition.
In search of housing and daycare
However, the arrival of large companies in Manicouagan could harm the rental market, which is already under pressure, acknowledges Marcel Furlong.
Already, 56 housing units are being built in Baie-Comeau, but 600 would be needed to meet current demand, according to the City.
There are many people who are ready to come and settle in Manicouagan, but we currently have few vacant housing units to offer them. A quote from Marcel Furlong, prefect of the MRC of Manicouagan
The lack of daycare spaces is also a cause for concern for the MRC prefect. It’s great to have young workers who come and settle down. There is a good quality of life in Manicouagan, but if we don’t have a daycare to allow young children to be looked after, it means that parents can’t go to work
, emphasizes Mr. Furlong.
Nevertheless, the region is on the road to revitalization, according to him. For good reason, the Cégep de Baie-Comeau is expanding its ranks year after year, a sign, according to the prefect, of a promising future. I think we are heading towards a really great period for Manicouagan as a whole.
Source: ICI Radio-Canada