Construction of icebreakers at Davie | The construction sites of the City of Lévis

It was the news that the mayor of Lévis, Gilles Lehouillier, had been waiting for for years. Now that Davie is part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, his administration must also prepare for the changes to come. The main interested party offered an overview of what awaits him.

(Lévis) Mobility

Before starting to build icebreakers, the Davie shipyard, inaugurated in 1832, will be entitled to a major facelift of 840 million.

As the construction site is located on the outskirts of a residential area, it is necessary to have an idea if changes need to be made in the area. “There will be stock that will go there [chez Davie], says Mr. Lehouillier. Will this require modifications at certain intersections? What traffic lanes will be used? Will it take hours dedicated to transportation? How will all of this unfold? »

Providers

EBM Laser is not the only Davie shipyard subcontractor to want to get closer to its client. Listening to the mayor of the municipality, others also seem to be in this situation. Lévis wants to help this type of business. “We are in the process of completing the inventory of what we could look for as interesting places near Davie’s,” said the mayor. Of course, we will not force anyone to sell, but we are watching. Suppliers are what create a lot of added value. »

Industrial land

“Currently, we have 5,100 places of business and it was 4,600 a year ago, proudly launches Mr. Lehouillier. As soon as you open an industrial street, it’s sold. We are going to need land to be serviced. This trend is likely to continue thanks to the benefits anticipated at Chantier Davie. The mayor of Lévis affirms that the City has just granted itself the right of “first buyer” when, for example, a business decides to put itself up for sale. “We want to redevelop our existing industrial parks. We will evaluate our regulations. Can we go up [construire] higher up? According to the Ville de Lévis website, there are currently ten industrial and technological parks on its territory.

Housing

With an expected increase in the workforce at Davie and its suppliers, we can expect to welcome newcomers, says Mr. Lehouillier. The challenge will be to house them. “We drive 3,200 housing units a year,” he explains. Housing stock fell from 3% to 1%. This sector [la construction navale] will become so important that it is no longer the business of Lévis. It is a regional affair. We want to make a presentation to the Regional Table of Municipal Elected Officials of Chaudière-Appalaches. We want to tell them “take a good look at the potential”. »