Ottawa contributing $14 million to $30 million Oshawa Port expansion
Published June 27, 2022 at 11:41 am
The federal government has awarded $14 million to a $30 million expansion program at the Port of Oshawa.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra was in Oshawa Monday morning for the announcement, declaring that the funding is a show of commitment from Ottawa to strengthening Canada’s trade corridors, “which support our supply chains, help grow our economy and ensure its recovery, and create good, middle-class jobs.”
The money, awarded through the National Trade Corridors Fund, will be used to modernize operations in the port’s main area and position it for growth. Other improvements planned at the port include expanded marine infrastructure, a new grain unloading station and additional storage silos, upgrading storage and container terminals, as well as extending and paving roads in the harbour. This project will also increase grain exports and improve the fluidity of deliveries.
The Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority is contributing the other $16 million.
“Today is a really big deal for the port,” Alghabra said, adding that the project will help “ease the pressure” on the supply chain. “It represents a major opportunity to increase capacity to import and export goods in and out of Ontario through the Port of Oshawa,”
“By supporting the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority, we will improve the movement of goods across Canada’s transportation networks and keep Canadian supply chains competitive.”
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Ajax MP and House Leader Mark Holland called the announcement “great news, not just for Oshawa but for Durham Region.”
“Canadians need the infrastructure investment to succeed.”
Pickering-Uxbridge MP Jennifer O’Connell said the easing of supply chain bottlenecks is the key part of the project, noting that more than 200 local farmers will now be able to access the port with their grain, “most within an hour or less.”
HOPA CEO Ian Hamilton agreed. “Facilitating trade and creating supply chain capacity is our mandate. And this project helps us do that.”
The National Trade Corridors Fund is a competitive, merit-based program designed to help infrastructure owners and users invest in the critical transportation assets that support economic activity in Canada. Under this program, a total of $4.6 billion over 11 years (2017-2028) has been announced.
Transport Canada delivers the National Trade Corridors Fund, which supports improvements to Canada’s roads, rail, air, and marine shipping routes to foster domestic and international trade.
