Québec Cartier Mining Company
Encyclopedia
Québec Cartier Mining Company was one of the leading producers of iron ore products in North America
, now part of ArcelorMittal.
The company was founded in the late 1950s by multiple Canadian and American investors, based in Quebec
, Canada
. The first open pit mine was located in Lac-Jeanine, Quebec. 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
.
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 Québec 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, Québec Cartier's financial situation has since improved.
Québec Cartier also owned Cartier Railway
, one of the biggest private railways in Canada. Iron ore is sent from Fermont to Port-Cartier by train on a 400 kilometres (248.5 mi) railway. The company owns about fifteen locomotives and about 500 open-deck cars.
, the major shareholder of Québec Cartier, was bought by ArcelorMittal. This made Québec Cartier one of the leading mining facilities of the world biggest steel producer.
On May 29, 2008, Francois Pelletier, president of Québec Cartier had a speech in front of his employees and press in Port-Cartier and Fermont to announce the renaming of Québec Cartier to Arcelor Mittal Mines of Canada. Pelletier said in his speech: "After 51 years of existence, Québec Cartier, proud of its heritage, now look at the future under its new name, with its new family with optimism."
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, now part of ArcelorMittal.
The company was founded in the late 1950s by multiple Canadian and American investors, based in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The first open pit mine was located in Lac-Jeanine, Quebec. The company then built the town of Gagnon
Gagnon, Quebec
Gagnon, Quebec is a ghost town on Barbel Lake, formerly a mining town, in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. Formerly an incorporated municipality, it is now part of the unorganized territory of Rivière-Mouchalagane....
, 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
Mont Wright, Quebec
Mont Wright is a mountain in Fermont, Quebec, a site of major iron ore mining operations since the 1970s by Québec Cartier Mining Company. It is located in Caniapiscau Regional County Municipality....
, where they created the town of Fermont
Fermont, Quebec
Fermont is a town in northeastern Quebec, Canada, near the Quebec-Labrador border about from Labrador City on Route 389, which connects to the Trans-Labrador Highway...
.
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
Port-Cartier, Quebec
Port-Cartier is a town in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Rochers River, exactly southwest of Sept-Îles, Quebec....
.
The falling market forced Québec 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, Québec Cartier's financial situation has since improved.
Québec Cartier also owned Cartier Railway
Cartier Railway
The Cartier Railway is a privately owned railway that operates 260 miles of track in the Canadian province of Québec. It is operated by the Cartier Railway Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arcelor Mittal, formerly Québec Cartier Mining Company...
, one of the biggest private railways in Canada. Iron ore is sent from Fermont to Port-Cartier by train on a 400 kilometres (248.5 mi) railway. The company owns about fifteen locomotives and about 500 open-deck cars.
New ownership
In 2007, DofascoDofasco
Dofasco is a steel company based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, which is also home to longtime Canadian rival Stelco. Dofasco is currently a standalone subsidiary of ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel producer. Previously ordered by the U.S...
, the major shareholder of Québec Cartier, was bought by ArcelorMittal. This made Québec Cartier one of the leading mining facilities of the world biggest steel producer.
On May 29, 2008, Francois Pelletier, president of Québec Cartier had a speech in front of his employees and press in Port-Cartier and Fermont to announce the renaming of Québec Cartier to Arcelor Mittal Mines of Canada. Pelletier said in his speech: "After 51 years of existence, Québec Cartier, proud of its heritage, now look at the future under its new name, with its new family with optimism."