Ontario Northland is upgrading 7 miles (11.5 kilometers) of rail spur to create a direct connection from Iroquois Falls to the Cochrane junction, where construction materials will be delivered north via rail to their destination in Moosonee for the C$1.8 billion Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) Redevelopment Project in Ontario, Canada.
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. An additional ambulatory care center in Moose Factory is slated to provide care for those living in the western James Bay and Hudson Bay coastal regions of Ontario. Expected to be completed in 2030, the project is said to address a service gap in northern Ontario, where residents often travel hundreds of miles for specialized care.
Pomerleau, one of Canada’s largest construction firms, has selected the Abitibi Connex logistics hub in Iroquois Falls to support the WAHA Redevelopment Project, according to real estate, business development, and infrastructure firm BMI Group, which released a project announcement on July 22. This month, BMI Group said, Pomerleau and Pinnacle Logistics Solutions Ltd., a specialty over-dimensional logistics management company, launched material transfers to Abitibi Connex, coordinating construction supplies through the former paper mill site that BMI Group and Dutch investment group Business-EQ redeveloped.
“Pinnacle Logistics Ltd. views Abitibi Connex as a key strategic partner in delivering critical infrastructure to northern Ontario,” BMI Group reported. “Coordinating material movement for a project of this scale in a remote region demands both creative logistics and strong partnerships. With a centralized, purpose-built logistics hub, Abitibi Connex enables Pinnacle and Pomerleau to efficiently move essential construction materials—ensuring healthcare infrastructure reaches northern communities where and when it’s needed most.”
According to BMI Group, the operation will handle approximately 3,000 railcars 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, and the success partnerships like this bring to them,” said Frank Devries, Principal and General Manager of Pinnacle Logistics Solutions Ltd.
“Abitibi Connex demonstrates how existing infrastructure can be re-tooled to catalyze major regional projects,” noted John Veldman, BMI Group’s Chief Operating Officer. “Logistics infrastructure that aligns with community needs is how we, as a country, are going to realize Canada’s near-north and Arctic future—supporting the WAHA Redevelopment Project is proof of it.”
According to BMI Group, the Abitibi Connex site has been redeveloped in collaboration with the town of Iroquois Falls and J.L. Richards & Associates, which led the master planning process for the former mill and surrounding lands. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the launch of Abitibi Connex will take place July 25.
