Ontario Construction News staff writer
IROQUOIS FALLS – A ribbon will be cut today in Iroquois Falls to mark the official launch of Abitibi Connex, a newly redeveloped logistics hub that will play a critical role in supporting the $1.8-billion Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) Redevelopment Project in Ontario’s Far North.
Pomerleau selected Abitibi Connex to serve as the central logistics point for delivering construction materials to the WAHA project sites in Moosonee and Moose Factory. Pinnacle Logistics Solutions Ltd., a specialist in over-dimensional and remote logistics, is coordinating material movement to and from the former Abitibi paper mill site, now retooled for major infrastructure deployment.
“The project includes a new hospital in Moosonee featuring 36 private inpatient beds, a 32-bed long-term Elder Care Lodge, a 24-hour emergency department, modern surgical suites and more,” said a news release this week.
The hub will be used to “co-ordinate material delivery for constructing a new regional health-care campus that will serve patients and clients living along Ontario’s James Bay and Hudson Bay coasts.”
Also, a new ambulatory care centre in Moose Factory will provide “culturally appropriate care for everyone living in the western James Bay and Hudson Bay coastal regions of Ontario,” the release said.
“This July, Pomerleau and Pinnacle Logistics Solutions Ltd. launched material transfers to Abitibi Connex, coordinating construction supplies through the former paper mill site that BMI Group and Dutch investment group Business-EQ have redeveloped,” the company wrote.
Ontario Northland Rail is upgrading 11.5 kilometres of rail spur to create a direct connection from Iroquois Falls to the Cochrane junction, where materials will be moved north to Moosonee.
The operation will handle approximately 3,000 rail cars through Abitibi Connex over three years and create an estimated 120 jobs during peak construction.
“This partnership demonstrates the complex logistics coordination needed for major northern development,” said Frank Devries, principal and general manager of Pinnacle Logistics Solutions Ltd. “And the success partnerships like this bring to them.”
The WAHA Redevelopment Project addresses long-standing gaps in northern healthcare access. Residents in remote communities often travel hundreds of kilometres for specialized care. The new facilities aim to deliver emergency, acute, and specialty services in a way that reflects local culture, traditions, and healing practices. Completion is expected in 2030.
Abitibi Connex is a joint initiative by BMI Group and Dutch investor Business-EQ, in partnership with the Town of Iroquois Falls and planning firm J.L. Richards & Associates. The site’s transformation from a shuttered pulp and paper facility into a regional logistics hub is being positioned as a model for future development in Northern Ontario.
“Abitibi Connex demonstrates how existing infrastructure can be re-tooled to catalyze major regional projects,” said John Veldman, chief operating officer of BMI Group. “Logistics infrastructure that aligns with community needs is how we, as a country, are going to realize Canada’s near-north and Arctic future.”