Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Pomerleau announced the selection of Abitibi Connex to support the $1.8 billion Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) Redevelopment project in Moosonee and Moose Factory. The partnership will be supported by Pinnacle Logistics Solutions Ltd. to coordinate material delivery for constructing a new regional healthcare campus that will serve patients and clients living along Ontario’s James Bay and Hudson Bay coasts.
The project includes a new hospital in Moosonee featuring 36 private inpatient beds, a 32-bed long-term Elder Care Lodge, a 24-hour emergency department, modern surgical suites, and more. An additional ambulatory care centre in Moose Factory will provide culturally-appropriate care for everyone living in the western James Bay and Hudson Bay coastal regions of Ontario.
“Abitibi Connex demonstrates how existing infrastructure can be re-tooled to catalyze major regional projects,” said John Veldman, BMI Group’s COO. “Logistics infrastructure that aligns with community needs is how we, as a country, are going to realize Canada’s near-north and Arctic future—supporting the WAHA Redevelopment project is proof of it.”
This July, Pomerleau and Pinnacle Logistics Solutions Ltd. launched material transfers to Abitibi Connex, coordinating construction supplies through the former paper mill site that BMI Group and Dutch investment group Business-EQ have redeveloped. Ontario Northland Rail is upgrading 11.5 km of rail spur to create a direct connection from Iroquois Falls to the Cochrane junction, where materials will be railed north to their destination in Moosonee.
Pinnacle Logistics Ltd. views Abitibi Connex as a key strategic partner in delivering critical infrastructure to northern Ontario. Coordinating material movement for a project of this scale in a remote region demands both creative logistics and strong partnerships. With a centralized, purpose-built logistics hub, Abitibi Connex enables Pinnacle and Pomerleau to efficiently move essential construction materials—ensuring healthcare infrastructure reaches northern communities where and when it’s needed most.
The operation will handle approximately 3,000 rail cars through Abitibi Connex over three years and create an estimated 120 jobs during peak construction.
“This partnership demonstrates the complex logistics coordination needed for major northern development, and the success partnerships like this bring to them,” said Frank Devries, principal and general manager, Pinnacle Logistics Solutions Ltd.
This project addresses a critical service gap in northern Ontario, where residents often travel hundreds of kilometers for specialized care. Once complete, these modern facilities will provide emergency, acute, and specialty healthcare in spaces that culturally reflect local traditions and healing practices.
The WAHA Redevelopment project is expected to be complete in 2030.
The Abitibi Connex site is being developed in close collaboration with the Town of Iroquois Falls and J.L. Richards & Associates, who lead the master planning process for the former mill and surrounding lands.
Featured image: Abitibi Trestle Bridge in the foreground of Abitibi Connex – formerly Abitibi Paper Mill. (CNW Group/BMI Group)
