Saint-Étienne-des-Grès— The government of Canada and the government of Quebec have announced $26,448,693 in joint financial assistance to support Énercycle, the Régie de gestion des matières résiduelles de la Mauricie, for its project to develop a new organic waste recovery centre using biomethanization and composting. In addition to diverting approximately 35,000 tonnes of organic matter from disposal per year, this project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3,286 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.
This was announced today by the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Sean Fraser, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, the Minister of Environment, Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks and Minister responsible for the Laurentides region, Benoit Charrette, and the Minister of Labour and Minister responsible for the Mauricie region, the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region and the Nord-du-Québec region and Member of the National Assembly for Trois-Rivières, Jean-Boulet.
The Member of the National Assembly for Champlain, Minister responsible for Government Administration, President of the Treasury, Sonia LeBel, and the Member of the National Assembly for Maskinongé, Simon Allaire, and Member of the National Assembly for Laviolette–Saint-Maurice, Marie-Louise Tardif, were present at this announcement.
These investments will support the construction and operation of Énercycle’s new biomethanization and composting facilities, which will be built on the landfill in Saint-Étienne-des-Grès. The funds will be used to construct buildings, develop composting treatment areas, install a digester and other related equipment. The new Énercycle organic waste recovery centre will serve a significant portion of the population in the Mauricie region, including the urban agglomerations of Trois-Rivières and Shawinigan, as well as the RCMs of Mékinac, Maskinongé and Des Chenaux. The project will also make it possible to collect organic waste from industrial, commercial and institutional sources in the region.
The project, with an estimated total cost of over $75.7 million, also includes a connection to the biogas treatment and purification system, which will enable biomethane to be injected into the gas network. A wastewater treatment plant will also be installed. The facility, which is scheduled for commissioning in autumn 2026, will eventually produce over 1.2 million cubic metres of biomethane for injection into the Énergir network.
“By supporting projects like this one, the Government of Canada is strengthening the ability of communities to deal with climate challenges. With the construction of this organics processing center, we are making progress towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating healthier, greener environments.” – Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
“By investing in the construction of organic waste processing centre in the Mauricie region, the Government of Canada is helping to improve the resilience of communities in the face of climate change. Our investments in this infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions demonstrate our commitment to creating healthy, green and self-sufficient communities.” – François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and Member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice ̶ Champlain