November 13, 2018
HAMILTON, ON – Transport Minister Marc Garneau visited Hamilton to announce an investment of $17.7 million in the Port of Hamilton from the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF). The federal investment will be matched by the Hamilton Port Authority (HPA), in support of the port’s $35.45 million Westport Modernization Project.
This project will see port lands used more efficiently, and be reconfigured to create new employment land development parcels. New transportation infrastructure will improve efficiency and fluidity for port users. Perimeter areas will add landscaping to improve the port-city interface.
HPA’s plan for Westport is to create a multi-modal transportation hub. Currently, not all areas of the Westport zone are accessible by rail from other areas of the port. The improvements will also help address the challenge that the port has been facing in recent years of not having enough development-ready parcels of land to meet the demand from potential port users. HPA expects to leverage today’s investments into $80-90 million in new business attraction.
About Westport
Westport is a 115-hectare area located at the west end of the Port of Hamilton. Among the oldest industrial employment areas in the City of Hamilton, the Port’s landholdings spanning Piers 10-15 were assembled piece-by-piece over many decades. The result is a collection of uses that are not space optimized, with insufficient modal connections (gaps in rail network/no road or rail service at some piers), with infrastructure that in some cases exceeds 100 years old.
About the Modernization Plan
With the support of the NTCF, HPA will transform Westport, with modern transportation infrastructure and optimized land configurations. This plan includes four major elements:
- Marine infrastructure: New dockwall at Pier 12, one of the Port’s busiest piers.
- Rail infrastructure: Upgrades to the existing Westport rail network to provide more cargo handling capacity, and rail service to more individual development parcels. Better rail connectivity will offer all of the tenants at Westport direct access to more than one Class-1 rail provider.
- Roadways & utilities: Improved internal roadways and enhancements to a new container positioning depot will facilitate the internal movement of truck traffic on-port. Utilities and servicing will make Westport a fully networked industrial zone, and development-ready.
- Storage capacity: Grading and paving of cargo laydown areas. New warehouse building for multi-user storage.
Timelines: The primary project investments begin in 2018 and will be completed in December 2020.
This plan includes $35.45 million in transportation and port infrastructure. Funding sources: 50% HPA; 50% NTCF.
Quotes
Ian Hamilton, President & CEO, Hamilton Port Authority
“This investment recognizes what a critical trade gateway the Great Lakes are, in serving Canada’s most populated area, and the country’s industrial heartland. This project is important because the Port of Hamilton is virtually out of room to grow, yet has unmet demand from users who want to invest in trade-oriented business in Ontario. Improvements to the Westport area will optimize the port’s current footprint, create new development parcels, and help Canadian companies get their goods to global markets.”
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport
“Our government is investing in Canada’s economy by improving our trade and transportation corridors. We are supporting projects that will efficiently move commercial goods to market and people to their destinations, stimulate economic growth, create quality middle-class jobs, and ensure that Canada’s transportation networks remain competitive and efficient.”
The Honourable Filomena Tassi M.P., Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas, Minister of Seniors
“The Hamilton Port Authority is an important economic hub for our ambitious city. Our government recognizes this and I am proud of the investment announced today. It will encourage the creation of jobs and business opportunities in Hamilton and across Canada.”
Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger
“Hamilton is proud of our port. The Westport modernization is closely aligned with the city’s vision for the industrial north end. This project will increase employment, add to the municipal tax base, and green the transitional areas between the port and the surrounding neighbourhood. This investment is an example of how our port, federal government and city are working together to grow and diversify Hamilton’s economy now and for the future.”
Kevin Hagen Senior Vice President and General Manager, Fluke Transport
“By modernizing the port lands and transportation infrastructure in the Westport zone, new space will be created to allow for expansion of warehousing and logistics facilities. Numerous local consumer goods companies require this capacity. HPA’s vision to create a multimodal hub at Westport supports a diverse range of industries and businesses, including Fluke Transport. An efficient transportation system benefits Canadian business and Canadian consumers.”
Coby Bullard, Vice President, sales and marketing merchandise & energy, chemicals and plastics, Canadian Pacific
“CP is pleased with today’s strategic public investment in this key piece of freight transportation infrastructure,” said Coby Bullard, CP’s vice president, sales and marketing merchandise & energy, chemicals and plastics. “Through the improved flow of goods and commerce, this investment will create broad public benefits at the Port of Hamilton and in the greater Golden Horseshoe region.”
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BACKGROUND
About the Port of Hamilton
The Port of Hamilton is the largest port in Ontario and the primary marine gateway to the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area (GTHA). The Port of Hamilton is critical infrastructure for key Ontario industries, facilitating international trade flows and supporting domestic supply chains, including:
- Southern Ontario’s largest gateway for overseas exports of Ontario-grown corn, wheat and soybeans, handling more than a million tonnes of exports per year;
- Largest gateway for imports of crop inputs used in southern Ontario agricultural production (urea ammonium nitrate, potash);
- Essential infrastructure for raw material imports from the U.S. for steelmaking (iron ore/coal);
- Major import gateway for finished steel used in GTHA automotive manufacturing, durable goods and construction projects;
- Export gateway for large Ontario-manufactured components, factory equipment and machinery;
- Major regional import gateway from the U.S. for liquid bulk petrochemical products, such as consumer gasoline and asphalt cement used in GTHA road construction.
Close to 10 million MT of marine cargo transits the port each year, more than all other southern Ontario ports combined. This cargo has a value of $1.9 billion, with internationally-traded products representing more than half of that value total. In addition to marine cargo, the Port of Hamilton handles an increasing amount of rail traffic. In 2016, more than 6,000 rail cars transited the port, a number that has doubled in the last five years.
The Port of Hamilton operates on 630 acres (255 hectares) of land on Hamilton Harbour, and is home to 130 tenant companies in a variety of industries. These companies employ more than 2,100 people on the port lands, and the goods they handle are in turn connected to $6 billion in economic activity and 38,000 jobs in Ontario.
HPA’s vision for Westport is to be a true multimodal hub, satisfying our users’ need for choice and efficiency in transportation infrastructure, and supporting the growth of Canadian trade.
Facing a shortage of available land on which to provide multimodal services, HPA is seeking to modernize and maximize the efficiency of the property within its existing portfolio, in order to meet the demands of the many industries and users who rely on the Port of Hamilton as an essential gateway.
Track Record of Growth
HPA has consistently delivered on its mandate to support Canadian prosperity and trade by ensuring Canadian industry has the space to invest and grow. Port users have made more than $300 million in investments in the port lands within the last decade, leading to a diversification of the port’s cargo mix, and growing the number of jobs by 30 per cent.
HPA has proven experience understanding and meeting commercial demand. Our knowledge of the immediate business opportunities will ensure that this project delivers the intended return on investment, serving as a catalyst for third-party investments, increased goods-movement capacity and improved transportation system fluidity.
Project Management
HPA possesses extensive experience with on-port development, and follows a rigorous and proven development process. HPA has a thorough understanding of the site conditions that exist on the Port’s 630 acres, the environmental aspects, and in-depth knowledge and experience with respect to transportation-infrastructure construction projects.
HPA has an in-house team of qualified engineers and project managers, with expertise in a wide range of infrastructure developments. Our in-house management is complemented by qualified external engineering consultants and contractors with a solid record of delivering projects on time and on budget.
Sustainable Approach
HPA approaches day to day operations, strategic planning, and development initiatives through a lens of financial, social and environmental sustainability. This commitment to sustainability is borne out in the Westport Modernization plan, by improving the quality of the infrastructure across the Westport zone, optimizing space for industry, preserving and protecting natural spaces, and being mindful of how the port lands interact with public space.
Media Contact
Larissa Fenn
905-525-4330 ext 235
[email protected]
