Québec Cartier Mining Company

Québec Cartier Mining Company is one of the leading producers of iron ore products in North America.

The company was founded in the late 50's by multiple Canadian and American investors. The first open pit mine was located in Lac Jeanine. The company then built the town of Gagnon in 1963 to accommodate workers and families. Eighteen years later, the company extended its operations seventy miles north to Fire Lake. In 1973, they started operating in Mont Wright, Quebec, where they created the town of Fermont, Quebec.

At their Mont Wright plant, the company operates an open pit mine and a crusher/concentrator facility capable of producing eighteen million metric tonnes of iron ore concentrates annually. The company also operates a pellet plant with an annual production capacity of some nine million metric tonnes of iron ore pellets at Port Cartier.

The falling market forced Quebec Cartier to shut down its Fire Lake and Lac Jeanine plants in the mid 80's. The town of Gagnon was closed and its population moved to Fermont and Port-Cartier.

Nearly bankrupt in 2002 due to falling price of iron ore and increasing price of production, Quebec Cartier's financial situation has since improved.

Quebec Cartier also owns Cartier Railway, one of the biggest private railroads in Canada. Iron ore is sent from Fermont to Port-Cartier by train on a 400 km railroad. The company owns about fifteen locomotives and about 500 open-deck cars.

A new ownership

In 2007, Dofasco, the major shareholder of Quebec Cartier as been bought by Arcelor Mittal. This make Quebec Cartier one of the leading mining facilities of the world biggest steel producer.

On may 29 2008, Francois Pelletier, president of Quebec Cartier had a speech in front of his employees and press in Port-Cartier and Fermont to announce the re-name of Quebec Cartier to Arcelor Mittal Mines of Canada "After 51 years of existence, Quebec Cartier, proud of its heritage now look at the future under its new name, with its new family with optimism" Pelletier said in his speech.

References

fr icon Compagnie minière Québec Cartier. (1976). La Compagnie minière QuébecCartier = Quebec Cartier Mining Company. [Port-Cartier?] : La Compagnie.(Worldcat link: [http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/oclc/49105360] )