There’s been a major announcement involving Hamilton’s industrial waterfront.
The federal government announced on Tuesday morning an intention to merge the Hamilton Port Authority with the Oshawa Port Authority, creating one super-port authority for the two cities.
The two ports handle similar commodities including steel and bulk cargo such as fertilizers, asphalt and grain.
Federal Minister of Transport Marc Garneau predicts that a merged authority would be “more efficient with the supply chain” and “greater than the sum of its parts.”
Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger agrees that it’s “a wise move” that will allow the port authorities to “generate more economic uplift” and to “get the efficiencies out of the administration cost reductions” that will result from such an amalgamation.
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Ward 5 Coun. Chad Collins, during a meeting of the city’s planning and economic development committee, has voiced concerns about “competing with ourselves,” but Garneau says “we don’t view it that way.”
The transport minister says the amalgamated port authority “will be responsible for the port lands that exist in both locations,” creating an opportunity for growth in both Hamilton and Oshawa.
Hamilton is the largest port in Ontario by tonnage. More than 11.6 million metric tonnes of cargo was imported or exported through the Port of Hamilton in 2018, an 18 per cent increase over the 2017 shipping season.
The public has until March 11, 2019, to comment on the proposal.
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