Independent Study Highlights the Growing Positive Economic Impacts of Ontario’s Marine Industry

November 7, 2023
News

Today, during a virtual press conference, Hardeep Singh Grewal, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation, and Steve Salmons, President and CEO of Windsor Port Authority and Chair of the Ontario Marine Council (the “OMC”), announced the release of a comprehensive independent study of the economic impacts of Ontario’s marine industry in 2022.

 

Titled “Economic Impacts of Maritime Shipping in the Province of Ontario,”
the study identifies the economic impacts created by all cargo and vessel
activity in Ontario in 2022.

 

The study revealed that last year maritime commerce in Ontario:

  • supported 67,154 jobs;
  • provided $3.95 billion (CAD) in wages;
  • generated $1.95 billion (CAD) in taxes;
  • created $9.6 billion (CAD) in economic activity.

 

Being able to provide such data to the Government of Ontario will help achieve the OMC’s strategic priorities to strengthen

  • the Ontario marine industry’s competitiveness,
  • job creation and training,
  • environmental sustainability, and
  • capacity for economic development and growth,

while also supporting continued growth and success across binational and global markets.

 

The study can be accessed here.

 

The study was developed from a larger project undertaken by a public/private sector committee of American and Canadian maritime organizations. The intent with that larger project was to provide the navigation community, transportation planners, government policy makers, and the public with a credible, independent assessment of the economic contributions made by commercial maritime shipping throughout North America.

 

The industry’s vital contributions to jobs and wages, supply chain strength, business competitiveness across key commodities, and tax revenues provide strong rationale for major governmental initiatives aimed at strengthening marine’s multimodal networks, supporting infrastructure and economic development, investing in education, labour, and training, and greening marine transportation. Such initiatives include the recent release of the first ever Ontario Marine Transportation Strategy by the Government of Ontario.

Quotes

“Clearly, marine shipping on the Great Lakes – St Lawrence Seaway System drives the heartbeat of the economy in Ontario. Our industry offers the most reliable and sustainable mode of moving what matters in North America. That includes grain, salt, cement, iron ore, construction materials, petroleum, and steel products – all of which are central to our quality of life and to the needs of consumers around the world. I am eager to build on this strength and create opportunities, in partnership with the Government of Ontario, in the near future.”

– Steve Salmons, President & CEO of Windsor Port Authority and Chair of the Ontario Marine Council.

Media Contact:

Maguessa Morel-Laforce
Ontario Marine Council
mmorel-laforce@cmc-ccm.com
819 592-3757

BACKGROUNDER

Study Author: Martin Associates

Martin Associates (John C. Martin Associates, LLC) is an internationally recognized economic and transportation consulting firm. Since its founding in 1986 by Dr. John C. Martin, Martin Associates has conducted more than 1,500 economic and planning studies for nearly every port in the United States and Canada, as well as ports in China, Europe, Ireland, South America, and the Caribbean. (https://johncmartinassociates.com/)

 

Study Sponsors

Martin Associates was retained to perform a comprehensive economic analysis of the entire Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system by a coalition of U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes and St. Lawrence marine industry stakeholders. Funded by the Ontario Marine Transportation Forum and builds off of the bi-national study issued in July, 2023.

Specifically, the Ontario economic study was sponsored by:

  • The Ontario Marine Council: The Ontario Marine Council is an industry association representing the major stakeholders in Ontario’s marine sectors. Our membership includes Port Operators, Shipyards, Ship Owners, and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.