A first sustainable industrial zone being developed in Jonquière

The pilot project received initial financial support to develop the ravine that crosses the industrial park.

The idea behind it is to leave our children an industrial park in a better state than the one in which we found it.says Félix Daviault-Ford, founding member and brewer at Microbrasserie Pie Braque.

When they settled in the Jonquière industrial park five years ago, the founders of the Pie Braque microbrewery dreamed of a place where sustainable development and the circular economy would bring entrepreneurs together.

We went to meet the companies in the industrial park, we did characterization work. Imagine that before it was not even known exactly which companies in the park exactly were and what each of them didhe recalls.

A study by Promotion Saguenay

The business survey was conducted in the industrial park by Promotion Saguenay, which supports entrepreneurs.

It’s to adapt sustainable development concepts to a particular area, says Nicolas Maltais, industrial development advisor at Promotion Saguenay. […] So, it is to work, among other things, on companies to encourage them to adopt sustainable development approaches, but also to adopt them for the area, whether we are talking about sustainable development, whether we are talking about spatial planning green, let’s talk about waste recovery, synergy between companies.

Promotion Saguenay has been working on the project for about a year with the contractors. After the characterization study carried out to get to know the companies and identify the synergies, a master plan was drawn up.

The project has two committees: a steering committee, which includes Promotion Saguenay, elected officials and partners, as well as an implementation committee, on which a dozen entrepreneurs sit to propose their ideas.

Synergy between companies

When they work together, one company’s waste can become a valuable resource for another.

Now, we are talking about valuation of business outputs. We are no longer talking about waste. So the outputs of one can become the inputs of the other, or be reusedillustrates Claude Bouchard, Director of Industrial, Commercial and Corporate Affairs Development at Promotion Saguenay.

The Pie Braque microbrewery has already implemented several sustainable development and sharing initiatives with other companies in the industrial park, such as with the Kingdom Bakery.

We collect downgraded breads from the Boulangerie du Royaume, which is next door, breads that would go to the landfill. We value them, we include them in beer recipes that we make with this breademphasizes Félix Daviault-Ford.

A possible sharing of employees

The pooling of resources also involves the sharing of employees, which could be a solution to the labor shortage.

I have specialties here that could perhaps be useful to other SMEs, then there are other SMEs too, who also have specialties that I don’t need full-time, but that I may have to use, says Gaétan Tremblay, general manager of Voltam. This company is an electrical manufacturer that specializes in the design of prefabricated electrical rooms.

Become a green space

Entrepreneurs also want their employees and the population to take ownership of the industrial park. They want to transform a ravine where waste is often thrown into a green space.

The city council granted $100,000 in April to study its development.

It’s to create a gathering place, a common place and actually to exploit the path aspect. Instead of seeing it simply as a ravine between two parts of our park, picture District 4 Councilman Kevin Armstrong.

The ravine extends for 1.2 km. The study will take place this summer and will identify the fauna and flora found in the ravine.

It is also to use the park itself to be able to provide more services to our employees as well. Then someone who wants to go for a walk, maybe have a place where we can run, snowshoe during our break, during lunch or after work, continues Gaétan Tremblay.

Different ideas have been floated to develop the ravine: walking and biking trails, interpretive panels on businesses, beehives, picnic tables, etc. Everything would be accessible to the population and it is hoped that the daycare center located opposite, Le Monde de l’Énergie, will be able to benefit from it.

The facilities will then be determined in the winter of 2023 and we hope to do the work in the summer of 2023.

Some forty companies in the industrial park are now involved in various ways in the pilot project. In total, the industrial park has about 120 companies and 4,000 jobs. About 50% of them have 10 employees or less.

An idea that could extend

Promotion Saguenay wants all of its industrial parks to become sustainable areas. Interest has already been shown by entrepreneurs in the Chicoutimi industrial park. If enough companies are interested, discussions will begin this year, and in La Baie as well.

Large businesses on René-Lévesque Boulevard have also expressed interest in participating in the pilot project.

Based on a report by Myriam Gauthier