Dentons advises Port of Montréal in securing CA$1.16B financing from the Canada Infrastructure Bank for the Contrecœur container terminal project

Dentons, Canada’s Global Law Firm, is pleased to highlight its role in advising the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) in securing a loan of CA$1.16 billion from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) for the MPA’s expansion project in Contrecœur, which will develop an advanced new container terminal able to handle 1.15 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) by 2030. The expansion project is one of Canada’s first “major projects” of national importance that have been referred to the federal Major Projects Office, and this partnership with the CIB helps establish a solid financial foundation for the project’s construction.

Dentons has provided strategic counsel to the MPA on several critical milestones of the expansion project. These include (i) a Joint Development Agreement for the development of the land-based works for the Contrecœur container terminal expansion between the MPA and DP World in Canada (a joint venture between Dubai-based DP World and La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec), announced on September 8, 2025; and (ii) the awarding of a contract worth CA$609 million for the in-water works to the CTCGP consortium formed by Pomerleau and Aecon following the completion of a collaborative development phase between the parties, announced on October 9, 2025.

Over the years, Dentons has served as principal legal advisor to the MPA on the Contrecœur expansion project, providing comprehensive advice on the delivery model and procurement strategy, supporting the procurement process and assisting in the structuring of the project. Dentons has also prepared procurement and project documentation and agreements, negotiated with the project’s private partners, and offered guidance on governance regimes, regulatory aspects, corporate, financing and other matters.

With respect to the closing of the financing agreement with the CIB, partners Heidi Clark, Ali Amadee and Ryan Therrien co-led a multidisciplinary Dentons team which included Claude Morency, Mira Gauvin, Lampros Stougiannos, Emil Vidrascu, Sabrina Mach, Anoosh Loertscher, Justin Bracaglia, Véronique Bélair and Justin Hamzo.