Federal Transport Minister says Saint John key to growing Canada’s trade

Port Saint John has completed its $247-million modernization project.

As Canada continues its push to diversify its trading partners outside of the United States, federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon assured Saint John, N.B., it has a key role to play in Ottawa’s plans.

“From the federal government’s point of view, [Saint John] occupy some of the most strategic real estate on the planet right now,” the minister said during a luncheon hosted by the Saint John Chamber of Commerce.

“That is the real estate that allows us to expand, to double our trade and our ability to trade with the rest of the world. It’s an amazing opportunity that is in front of New Brunswick and the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada.”

The minister says New Brunswick and the rest of the Maritimes are being called upon as part of the national effort to facilitate a smoother flow of goods across the country. He visited Saint John to mark the completion of Port Saint John’s $247-million west side modernization project that significantly improved infrastructure at the container terminal.

The completion of the project has allowed the port’s on-dock container throughput capacity to more than quadruple to over 800,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). It also brought on an additional berth for ships, a deepened and widen channel and several other infrastructure improvements.

MacKinnon says the Bay of Fundy port will help Canada reach markets in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, with Saint John expected to play a vital role in helping goods flow to European nations.

“I see nothing but upside for Atlantic Canada, maybe even particular for New Brunswick,” he says. “It’s going to take an act of will and people sitting down around a common objective and talking to each other about how to build.”

DP World CEO Doug Smith pointed out during his speech that the container terminal operator has signed a multi-decade lease with lots of extensions with the port.

“You’re going to see us focus on efficiency,” Smith says. “The customer needs to go, ‘Saint John is my port.’ What that means is we got to talk to the customer and know what exactly is missing, what do they need?”

Port Saint John president and CEO Craig Bell Estabrooks says with the upgrades to the port, Saint John’s trade corridor is growing, which will lead to further improvements.

“It’ll be a combination of all,” Bell Estabrooks says when asked if the upgrades will be government funded or paid for by private investments. “I think it’s too early to say where exactly the funding formulas are going to land, but the new Federal Trade Diversification fund, we’ll definitely have dollars available for some of these projects.”

The re-design of the west side intersection known as Simms Corner is high on the list of projects for Bell Estabrooks. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt met with the federal transport minister Monday to talk about several topics, including Simms Corner.

“Imagine a million TEUs going through Simms Corner and what that’s going to do to the traffic, to the quality of life of neighbors,” says Holt. “We need to do something with that intersection now.”

The premier said designs are in place, but community engagement sessions still need to be done before any decisions are finalized. She also made note to say the involved parties are in the phase of discussion over who will pay for what as part of the road’s redevelopment.

“I know we will be very interested in continuing to participate in the Simms Corner,” says MacKinnon. “Simms Corner is but one of a series of pieces of infrastructure that will continue to help this port to grow.”

Holt says plans for the project could be unveiled in the next few months.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.