Ontario
States/Provinces
0
JOBS$0
BILLION$0
BILLIONOntario Relies on Great Lakes-Seaway Shipping
Ontario's shoreline borders Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. The province's 29 ports handle more than 62 million tons of inbound and outbound cargo annually.
Great Lakes Seaway shipping provides the most cost effective mode of transport for many industries in Ontario's manufacturing center, which extends from Oshawa to the Niagara Peninsula west to Windsor and to Sarnia. Major steel producers depend on lake vessels to receive shipments of iron ore, coal and limestone at their facilities in Hamilton, Nanticoke and Sault Ste. Marie. Ontario steel products are used in the automobile, construction and consumer goods sectors. Salt mined in Goderich and Windsor is loaded onto vessels for delivery to both Canadian and U.S. communities for winter road deicing. Aggregates quarried from the north shore of Lake Huron and Manitoulin Island are transported by vessel to communities throughout the Great Lakes region and used in construction and other infrastructure projects. Farm products from western Ontario and the Canadian prairies are loaded on vessels at the Port of Thunder bay for export to overseas markets.
Economic Impacts (In 2018 USD)
| Jobs | Personal Income | Business Revenue | Local Purchases | Total Taxes Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70,647 | $2.99 billion | $6.4 billion | $2.18 billion | $1.49 billion |
Investments (In 2013 USD)
| Invested in Ontario port, terminal and waterway infrastructure |
|---|
| $996 million |
Ontario Port Activity
| Port | Major Cargoes Handled |
|---|---|
| Bath | Cement, gypsum |
| Bowmanville | Coal, salt, gypsum |
| Bruce Mines | Limestone |
| Clarkson | Limestone, coal, cement, gypsum |
| Courtright | Limestone, coal |
| Goderich | Grain, salt |
| Hamilton | Iron ore, coal, grain, general cargo, salt, gypsum |
| Heron Bay | Cement |
| Marathon | Liquid bulk |
| Meldrum Bay | Limestone |
| Michipicoten | Iron ore |
| Nanticoke | Iron ore, coal, liquid bulk |
| Oakville | Liquid bulk |
| Oshawa | General cargo, salt, cement, potash |
| Owen Sound | Grain, salt |
| Parry Sound | Salt |
| Picton | Coal, cement, gypsum |
| Port Credit | Coal |
| Port Colborne | Limestone, grain, salt |
| Port Lambton | Coal |
| Port Stanley | Grain |
| Prescott | Limestone, grain, salt |
| Sarnia | Limestone, grain, liquid bulk, potash |
| Saulte Ste. Marie | Iron ore, coal |
| Serpent Harbor | Coal |
| Thessalon | Limestone, sand/gravel |
| Thunder Bay | Coal, grain, salt, potash, sand/gravel |
| Toronto | General cargo, salt, sand/gravel |
| Windsor | Limestone, coal, grain, general cargo, salt, liquid bulk, sand/gravel |
Sources:
Economic Impacts of Maritime Shipping in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region, Martin Associates (July 2018)
Infrastructure Investment Survey of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway System, Martin Associates (January 2015)