February 21, 2019 – The Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities yesterday released its Interim Report on Establishing a Canadian Transportation and Logistics Strategy.
Bruce Burrows, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce, had the following comments.
“It’s heartening that the committee has recognized the value of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence navigation system and that moving more goods by ship on this waterway has the potential to alleviate the intense highway congestion in the Niagara region.
“We support the committee’s recommendation that the Government of Canada explore ways to optimize the shipping season of the St. Lawrence Seaway to transport goods within central Canada. The government needs to be part of the conversation on what additional infrastructure and ice-breaking resources would be required to make this work.
“Lengthening the shipping season on the Seaway by even a few weeks would additionally help many of our steel, mining and grain customers export more goods and/or bring efficiencies to their operations.”
As part of this study, the Committee travelled to the Niagara region, Vancouver and Seattle. Witnesses in the Niagara region indicated that the regular congestion on the Queen Elizabeth Way highway meant that an alternative must be found for transporting freight. The Committee agreed with the recommendations put forward by stakeholders and believes that the Government of Canada should support the mid-peninsula highway project and encourage increased use of the St. Lawrence Seaway for transporting freight.
The CMC is also supportive of the following recommendations in the report:
About the Chamber of Marine Commerce
The Chamber of Marine Commerce is a bi-national association that represents more than 130 marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as domestic and international ship owners. The Chamber advocates for safe, sustainable, harmonized and competitive policy and regulation that recognizes the marine transportation system’s significant advantages in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, Coastal and Arctic regions.
The Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) is a bi-national association that represents diverse marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as Canadian domestic and international ship owners. The Chamber advocates for safe, sustainable, harmonized and competitive policy and regulation that recognizes the marine transportation system's significant advantages in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, Coastal and Arctic regions.
Media Contact:
Jason Card
Chamber of Marine Commerce
jcard@cmc-ccm.com
(613) 447 5401