Sault Ste. Marie has an opportunity to develop a project that would strengthen our local economy while helping Canada respond to the foremost challenge of economic diversification. The Port of Sault Ste. Marie proposes the creation of a new trade corridor connecting Northern Ontario with Southern Ontario, Quebec and markets beyond Canada through marine, rail and highway transportation. Led by an established operator in HOPA Ports in partnership with the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the project would build on existing industrial infrastructure.
The approximately $250 million first phase of the project is expected to generate significant new employment and economic activity. The business plan estimates that, once established, the Port could facilitate approximately 2,150 jobs (700+ direct jobs and 1,500+ indirect jobs), $134 million in annual personal income and $343 million in annual economic activity. It would also create substantial construction employment while the Port is being built. Importantly, this is not only about moving more goods. It is about creating the infrastructure needed to attract new investment, help existing businesses grow and give Northern Ontario industries better access to Canadian customers and markets.
Canada is working to strengthen its economic independence, reduce vulnerability to international trade disruptions and make it easier to produce, process and move Canadian goods within our own country. The Port of Sault Ste. Marie directly supports those goals. It would connect Northern Ontario’s natural resources and industrial capacity with manufacturers and consumers throughout Canada, reduce reliance on U.S. transportation routes and markets and make better use of the existing Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway system. By shifting more freight from long-haul trucking to marine and rail transportation, the project also has the potential to remove thousands of truck trips from Northern Ontario highways each week. The Port’s business plan specifically identifies stronger Canadian supply chains, trade diversification and making Canada “our own best customer” among the project’s national benefits.
Sault Ste. Marie is uniquely positioned to make this project happen, and happen quickly. We have the location, industrial base, skilled workforce and existing infrastructure – what is needed now is support from the federal and provincial governments to move it forward. The City has demonstrated its commitment by approving up to $15 million toward the project, contingent on the remaining funding being secured from the federal and provincial governments. You can help by sending a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier Doug Ford and federal Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon asking them to support investment in the Port of Sault Ste. Marie. A template is provided below, but personalized letters have the greatest impact. We encourage you to add your own perspective – whether you are a worker, business owner, student, retiree or resident who wants to see more opportunities created in Sault Ste. Marie and Northern Ontario.
Draft letter of support
TC.MinisterofTransport-MinistredesTransports.TC@tc.gc.ca
Dear Prime Minister Carney, Premier Ford and Minister MacKinnon:
I am writing to ask the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario to support the development of the Port of Sault Ste. Marie. At a time when Canada needs to strengthen its economy, diversify its trade relationships and invest in projects that create Canadian jobs and support Canadian industries, the Port of Sault Ste. Marie is the kind of project our country needs.
The Port would connect Northern Ontario’s steel, mining, forestry, agriculture and manufacturing sectors with customers and businesses elsewhere in Canada and beyond. It would help Canadian companies move Canadian resources and products through Canadian infrastructure, strengthen domestic supply chains and create new opportunities for investment and employment in Sault Ste. Marie and across Northern Ontario. The project is expected to facilitate approximately 2,500 jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in annual economic activity while building on infrastructure and industrial lands that already exist.
I encourage your governments to work together with the City of Sault Ste. Marie and HOPA Ports to provide the support required to make the Port a reality. This is an opportunity to invest not only in Sault Ste. Marie, but in Canada’s long-term economic resilience and our ability to build, produce and trade more within our own country.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Make it your own: Personal messages are especially valuable. Consider adding a few sentences about why economic diversification matters to you, your family or your business, your experience working in local industry, the importance of creating opportunities for young people to stay in Sault Ste. Marie or why you believe Canada should invest in Canadian infrastructure and Canadian communities.