Ottawa Announces New Funding To Support St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
Port Colborne: Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services and Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, Vance Badawey, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, Chris Bittle, have announced an investment of up to $22.7 million to support improvements for the Welland Canal under the National Trade Corridors Fund.
This investment will have important benefits for the region, such as relieving supply chain congestion and facilitating the movement of goods at the port.
The $45.3 million project will support the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of three wharves located at the Welland Canal in Port Colborne, Ontario. The project aims to revive these wharves, which are currently out-of-service, to support operations and increase capacity of the trade corridor.
The Government of Canada is investing to help bolster Canada’s economic capacity and the opportunities for our businesses to expand into global markets. This represents a long-term commitment to work with stakeholders on strategic infrastructure projects to address transportation bottlenecks, vulnerabilities, and congestion along Canada’s trade corridors, it was stated.
Minister Omar Alghabra said: “Investing in the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure to improve the quality and the efficiency of our supply chains is crucial to Canada’s economic success and sustainable development. Our government’s investment in the Niagara region will help ensure that the supply chains here in Ontario and throughout our country remain efficient and reliable for future generations.”
Vance Badawey said: “This announcement brings the world to Port Colborne – a game changer for Niagara. The dynamic resources of the Niagara Region are being rediscovered as we chart our future economic path. New business and new opportunities are being created on once-abandoned lands along the Welland Canal and we are taking a bold step in strengthening the Niagara Ports Trade Corridor while opening the door to an expansion of a world class tourism market.”
MP Chris Bittle said: “This announcement is a good example of how the Government of Canada, along with partners such as the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, continues to improve our infrastructures while supplying Canadians and supporting businesses. The rehabilitation of the wharves will improve multimodal connectivity along trade routes by being close to railways and allowing access to international markets.”
Terence Bowles, President and CEO, The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, added: “The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation welcomes this support from the National Trade Corridors Fund. We look forward to working with all partners to bring these wharves back into service with the goal of adding more fluidity to Canada’s supply chain and strengthening our connection to global markets. Once the work is completed, capacity to handle freight will increase by a million tonnes per year and new marine shipping opportunities will be created for Canadian exporters, along with a dock for cruise ships and the possibility of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.”
• An efficient and reliable transportation network is key to Canada’s economic growth. The Government of Canada, through the National Trade Corridors Fund, is making investments that will support the flow of goods across Canada’s supply chains.
• The National Trade Corridors Fund is a competitive, merit-based program designed to help infrastructure owners and users invest in the transportation assets that support economic activity in Canada. A total of $4.7 billion over 11 years (2017-2028) has been allocated to the program.
• Through the National Trade Corridors Fund, Transport Canada is supporting improvements to Canada’s roads, rail, air, and marine shipping routes to foster domestic and international trade.
• The National Trade Corridors Fund’s Increasing the Fluidity of Canada’s Supply Chains call for proposals supports fluid and reliable trade flows between Canada and global markets, and to build internal trade corridors.