The federal government says it will invest up to $254 million to upgrade New Brunswick’s biggest ocean port. Transport Canada says the cash will be spent on a series of infrastructure improvements aimed at unlocking Port Saint John’s potential. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon says these kinds of investments make it easier to move goods across Canada to international markets. The federal government says the money is coming from its 2025 budget’s $5-billion Trade Diversification Corridor Fund. A news release says the investment will include more port warehouses, a new Canada Border Services Agency container examination facility and nearby rail upgrades. The release also says the investments will enable the port to handle between 825,000 and one million shipping containers annually along the Atlantic coast. Constantine Passaris, economics professor at the University of New Brunswick, says the upgrades to Port Saint John are a vote of confidence in New Brunswick. “It is our insurance policy that if we don’t get a deal with the United States, we have a Plan B,” Passaris said by phone on Wednesday. “And that Plan B is to diversify our exports to go to foreign markets that we, up until this time, haven’t been able to reach out to.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026. Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press
