(Montreal) An interim president and CEO has been appointed to the Montreal Port Authority (MPA). Geneviève Deschamps, who is currently vice-president of finance, will take office next Monday.

This appointment was made necessary following the announcement of the departure of Martin Imbleau, who will take control of the VIA Rail subsidiary responsible for the high frequency train (TGF) site between Quebec and Toronto on September 8.

The changing of the guard comes at a time when federal entities are carrying out major infrastructure projects.

Ms. Deschamps will have to lead a management team that works to carry out ongoing projects, including the major expansion project of the Port of Montreal in Contrecœur, underlines the president of the board of directors of the MPA, Nathalie Pilon, in a statement.

Uncertainty still hangs over this project on the South Shore of Montreal, which was to come into service in 2027.

The project, which was expected to cost a maximum of $950 million, could cost $1.4 billion, according to two sources cited by The Globe and Mail in April. A source who could not be identified had also confirmed this figure to La Presse Canadienne.

The MPA Board of Directors is responsible for choosing the CEO, as in any Canadian Port Authority. The APM specifies that it has already launched a recruitment process by mandating a firm “which will identify, over the coming months, the best candidates to fill the position on a permanent basis”.

In a press release, Ms. Deschamps stressed that she and her team will “continue to deploy the initiatives of the Port of Montreal’s strategic plan and make it an even more sustainable, more resilient and greener public service”.

Ms. Deschamps has been employed by the Port of Montreal for two years. With a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in finance and a CPA designation, she has 25 years of experience in the infrastructure industry.