Port-Cartier, Quebec, August 22, 2007 – On August 17, representatives of the charitable organization Centraide Duplessis received their largest donation in twenty five years of existence, as Québec Cartier President and Chief Executive Officer François Pelletier handed them a cheque for $80,535, topping the previous record by $17,000.

The substantial donation was raised through the Québec Cartier President’s Golf Tournament, held by Québec Cartier at the Ste-Marguerite golf club in Sept-îles as part of the Company’s 50^th Anniversary celebrations. The tournament was a major event that brought together Québec Cartier’s management team, current employees and a number of retirees, as well as many partners from the region, other parts of Quebec and Canada, and even the US.  

As the donation was unveiled, François Pelletier explained that “the tournament provided an opportunity to celebrate the Company’s 50^th Anniversary with business partners, and at the same time to thank the communities that have opened their arms to us over the past fifty years. Profits from the tournament are being donated to Centraide Duplessis, a charitable organization selected for its humanitarian mission on the North Shore: Centraide Duplessis helps people who help people, from Port-Cartier to Blanc-Sablon, to Fermont, and all across the region. Its commitment to building a better community translates into tangible support for dozens of organizations dedicated to furthering the well-being of individuals and families in need. Québec Cartier is very proud to be a part of that.”

Isabelle Chiasson, Chair of Centraide Duplessis’ 2007-2008 fund-raising campaign, was profoundly moved by the $80,535 donation: “I would like to extend my grateful thanks to Québec Cartier Mining Company and to its partners for their tremendous generosity. This very substantial amount is an excellent start to our campaign. In practical terms, it is enough to buy a week’s worth of groceries for 461 families of four. It’s a huge amount!”

She added: “Since 1996, Centraide has raised and distributed over $1.7 million in the community through a variety of charitable organizations. Our target for 2007-2008 is $410,000. We set the target a little higher every year, and that unfortunately shows growing poverty and ever-greater need in our communities. Without the participation of major corporations like Québec Cartier, a large number of organizations in the region would no longer be able to look to Centraide Duplessis for help.”

Québec Cartier Mining Company is a leading Canadian supplier of iron ore to steel markets around the world. As both a mining and primary processing company it operates extensive facilities in Quebec, on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. At Mont-Wright, Québec Cartier operates one of the largest open-pit mines in North America, as well as an iron ore concentration plant. The site is linked by the Company’s 420-km railroad to the industrial complex of Port-Cartier, where Québec Cartier’s world class pellet plant, private port, rail workshops and head office are located.

Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Québec Cartier has built its reputation on the pursuit of excellence, quality products, the skills of its 2,000 highly talented employees and environmental leadership in the industry, as well as effective management that creates shareholder value.

Happy faces at the Québec Cartier President’s Golf Tournament as the cheque is handed over to Centraide Duplessis. From left to right:  from Centraide Duplessis, Director General Denis Miousse, 2007-2008 fundraising campaign chair Isabelle Chiasson, and Hans-Frédéric Ellefsen, Chairman of the Board of Directors. Beside them are Michel Vaillancourt of Acier Leroux (a prestige partner), François Pelletier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Québec Cartier, Donald Hargray of Hewitt Équipement, and Jean-Pierre Major of Les Entreprises de construction de Québec (also prestige partners).

Information:                            Alain Cauchon

General Manager – Human Resources,
Organizational Development and Public Relations