N.L. and Quebec to co-operate on Labrador Trough, highway development

Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec will be working together to develop the area along the border of the two provinces, their premiers announced Wednesday.

Premier Dwight Ball, along with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, made the announcement at the Council of the Federation meeting in Edmonton.

It's important we actually streamline those processes and cut out unnecessary duplication.- Premier Dwight Ball

The provinces have agreed to "explore opportunities that support greater economic and community development" along the shared border of Labrador and Quebec.

Two key components are development of the Labrador Trough, a 1,000-kilometre landformthat includes numerous iron ore deposits, as well as the extension of Highway 138 on Quebec's Lower North Shore.

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Both Quebec and N.L. have a shared interest in the development of the Labrador Trough, given the mining projects located along the border.

"We currently have mining operations that will actually straddle the boundaries of Labrador and Quebec, so we see there's some room there to share services," said Ball.

"It could be things like geotechnical, as an example, training all these are great examples of where we see provinces come together and strengthen the relationships we have."

No talk on Churchill Falls

Working together on sharing costs is a way for both provinces to save money, said Couillard.

"We have different companies doing different projects and that's going to stay the same, but putting things in common at the early stages is going to make iteasier down the line," said Couillard.

This formal agreement would also get rid of an unnecessary duplication of costs, Ball said.

"We know that this is a very competitive market right now and as we go and attract capitalit's important we actually streamline those processes and cut out unnecessary duplication of expenses," he said.

The two premiers said they did not discuss the Churchill Falls agreement, since that is a process going through the court system and does not impact a working relationship going forward.