Benjamin Segobaetso – Local Journalism Initiative
Published online October 21, 2026, at www.pontiacjournal.com
Environmental concerns were not the only issues scrutinized during the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) hearing into Samonix’s proposed aquaculture facility in Litchfield, held at the Campbell’s Bay RA on August 25 and 26. Residents also questioned a fundamental premise of the $400-million project: why raise Atlantic salmon in freshwater?
Christine Anderson challenged Samonix on why it had selected a freshwater location to raise Atlantic salmon, which will require adding salt to the water during parts of the production cycle, when Canada has extensive saltwater coastlines. She also asked why the company had not selected commercially viable freshwater species native to the region, such as trout or pickerel.
Samonix’s founder, Mathieu Farley, said modern Atlantic salmon farming increasingly uses low-salinity recirculating systems and argued that lower salinity makes fish waste easier to reuse. His colleague, Fred Briscoe, explained that salmon waste contains nitrogen and phosphorus that can be valuable as fertilizer. If the waste contains too much salt, however, it becomes unsuitable for agricultural land. Samonix proposes to send its sludge for biomethanization, producing biogas before the residual material is potentially used as fertilizer. But the company’s principal explanation for choosing Atlantic salmon was economic: consumer demand.
Quebec faces major salmon deficit
That argument received support from Quebec’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ). Ministry officials told commissioners that Quebec currently produces almost exclusively rainbow trout, Arctic char and brook trout through its aquaculture sector. There are approximately 84 permitted aquaculture businesses in Quebec, about 11 per cent of which are located in the Outaouais. Around 10 businesses already use recirculating aquaculture technology, although none operates at the scale being proposed by Samonix.
Most significantly, Quebec currently has virtually no commercial Atlantic salmon production. MAPAQ told the hearing that Quebec consumes approximately 13,500 tonnes of salmon annually. Accounting for processing losses, satisfying that consumption would require approximately 25,000 tonnes of whole fish.
Most of that demand is currently satisfied through imports. Samonix’s proposed production of approximately 10,000 tonnes annually, and authorization for as much as 12,000 tonnes, could therefore replace a significant portion of those imports. MAPAQ officials agreed that the project responds to an existing market and said it aligns with Quebec’s Biofood Policy objective of increasing provincial food self-sufficiency.
Jobs versus local costs
Samonix is also making a substantial economic argument for the project. The company estimates the investment at approximately US$300 million, or more than $400 million CDN. It predicts approximately 500 jobs during construction and around 100 permanent positions once operations begin. Samonix says it intends to make local hiring and procurement a priority and believes additional businesses could develop around the facility.
Nicole Thompson, a Portage-du-Fort councillor, questioned whether those benefits would be evenly distributed. She asked whether Pontiac municipalities could be expected to accommodate increased demand for housing, electricity, roads, food, retail and other services while Litchfield will receive the project’s direct municipal tax revenue.
She also questioned whether communities across the Ottawa River, with a greater variety of commercial services, could ultimately capture some of the project’s economic benefits.
The exchanges left commissioners weighing not only Samonix’s environmental footprint, but a broader question for Pontiac: whether the economic benefits of one of the region’s largest proposed industrial investments would outweigh its costs, and how widely those benefits would ultimately be shared.
