Mayor Matthew Shoemaker participated as a featured panelist at the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative’s 2026 Conference in Hamilton on May 7, joining an international panel of municipal and marine leaders to discuss how communities can leverage port developments to drive long-term economic success.
The session featured Mayor Shoemaker, Port of Milwaukee Director Benji Timm and AIVP North America Manager Caya Hein, and it provided the City with a platform to advance the case for the Port of Sault Ste. Marie – a proposed port facility that would leverage existing infrastructure and brownfield industrial land, delivering needed capacity quickly. It would link Northern Ontario’s resource-rich industries with Southern Ontario, Quebec and global markets, strengthening Canada’s supply chain resilience.
The project is being developed in partnership with the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA), Canada’s largest port authority on the Great Lakes, with a proven record of building and operating productive port facilities – including transforming the Port of Hamilton into one of Ontario’s most active industrial hubs. HOPA will serve as the project lead and main proponent on funding applications.
The business case projects nearly 2,500 direct and indirect jobs within five years of operation and $343 million in annual economic activity, while reducing heavy truck traffic across Northern Ontario by an estimated 4,450 trips per week.
“As the Federal government undertakes major nation-building projects, the timing for the Port of Sault Ste. Marie’s development could not be better,” said Mayor Shoemaker. “This project represents an important step toward a stronger, more diverse local economy. Today’s conversation makes clear that Sault Ste. Marie’s story resonates well beyond our community.”
The project has attracted growing federal interest, including a site visit earlier this year by federal Transportation Minister Steve MacKinnon and federal funding to support technical assessments and a comprehensive port development plan. Project partners are in active discussions with federal and provincial governments regarding capital funding support and opportunities to accelerate the project.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Annual Conference brings together more than 300 municipal, Indigenous, industry and environmental leaders to advance economic development and freshwater stewardship across the binational region.