Release of the study Metal Processing and Greater Montréal: A Sustainable and Promising Alliance by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal

MONTREAL, Feb. 7, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Today the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is releasing the results of its study Metal Processing and Greater Montréal: A Sustainable and Promising Alliance. The study shows that the economic spinoffs of metal processing for the Montréal metropolitan area are in the order of $1.8 billion per year, maintaining 19,000 direct and indirect jobs.

"The study we are releasing today furthers the analysis that began in 2012 about the spinoffs of natural resource exploitation for the metropolitan area," said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. "The Government of Quebec announced its intention to hold consultations on the royalty regime and will soon propose new legislation on mining. Given this, it is important that we base our debate on facts and dispel any myths. The Board of Trade study clearly shows that Quebec already processes a significant portion of the metal extracted in the province, contrary to what is widely believed. This is in addition to processing ore from abroad."

"The fact that we process a significant share of metals doesn't mean there's no room for improvement," Michel Leblanc said. "To take full advantage of business opportunities in natural resource exploitation, we can increase the spill-over effects upstream and downstream in the value chain. That said, we have to do it intelligently, based on the particularities and challenges of each sector, from extraction to tertiary processing. The situation changes dramatically, depending on whether we're dealing with iron, copper, nickel, gold or titanium."

"The city has definite assets to take advantage of the dynamic metal processing sector, along with all of Quebec's regions," Michel Leblanc said. "With 46% of Quebec's primary processing businesses and 42% of its secondary processing businesses located in the metropolitan area, an increase in activity in this sector would benefit the city's manufacturing industry. Our knowledge economy would also benefit from stimulating the metal processing sector, particularly professional services and university research centres."

"At the heart of its strategy to develop the natural resources sector, the Board of Trade proposes creating more contact between major order givers, suppliers, users and qualified workers to create the synergy we need to maximize spinoffs for the city," Mr. Leblanc said. "We are holding a Strategic Forum that will bring together over 400 participants and the Natural Resources Trade Show on February 8 and 9 to make these meetings possible and help mobilize the sector."

"The responsible and sustainable exploitation of our natural resources, at every stage in the value chain, is a unique opportunity to participate in global growth, stimulate our manufacturing sector and create wealth in the metropolitan area," Michel Leblanc said.

A five-part strategy to maximize spinoffs:

1. Understand the specifics of processing for each resource.
2. Promote the emergence of a "metal culture."
3. Create a business environment conducive to local processing.
4. Encourage innovation and productivity among processing companies.
5. Bank on emerging metals to develop a new processing industrial cluster.

Hyperlink to the study: www.ccmm.qc.ca/transformationmetalliquemetropole
(in French only, English to come).

The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity, and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.

SOURCE: Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal

Sylvie Paquette
Advisor, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: [phone], ext. 4015
[email protected]

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