The City of Sault Ste. Marie and the Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA Ports) have announced a partnership to develop a transformative infrastructure initiative: the development of a multimodal port and trade corridor that will connect Northern Ontario to Southern Ontario and export destinations beyond.
Anchored by a newly developed port in Sault Ste. Marie, the Sault to the South Trade Corridor is a strategic national initiative that will strengthen Canada’s internal trade and export networks, unlock new economic opportunities, and build industrial capacity in key sectors, including mining, forestry, steel, advanced manufacturing, and agriculture.
“Sault Ste. Marie’s geographic location at the heart of the Great Lakes positions it as a powerful logistics gateway for North America,” said Mayor Matthew Shoemaker. “A new port in the Sault will transform an underused advantage into a national asset. This initiative is more than infrastructure; it’s a strategic investment in Canada’s supply chain resilience and industrial capacity. It will serve as a long-term economic engine for Ontario and Canada.”
Strategically located on the Great Lakes as a gateway to northern Ontario’s resource zones, the corridor will serve as a logistics and processing gateway, integrating marine, rail, and highway infrastructure to support full-season, multimodal connectivity. The initiative is aligned with the federal Canada Strong plan, the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario, and Ontario’s Critical Mineral Strategy.
“Sault Ste. Marie is a natural fit as a multimodal hub within the Great Lakes corridor,” said Ian Hamilton, President & CEO of HOPA Ports, operator of port and marine facilities on the Great Lakes. “Its geographic position connects seamlessly to industrial bases like Windsor, Port Colborne, Hamilton, and Montreal, forming powerful intra-provincial links between Northern Ontario’s resource base and Canada’s largest industrial and consumer markets.”
As part of this initiative, the partners are exploring the Algoma Steel site as a potential host location for the port facilities. The Algoma Steel site offers significant industrial land, deepwater access, and existing infrastructure that can support co-located economic activities. Positioning the port on Algoma’s footprint would create a unique multimodal hub, linking steelmaking, logistics, energy, and advanced manufacturing, and reinforcing the Sault’s role as a strategic engine of industrial growth in Northern Ontario.
“Having Algoma Steel’s site under consideration as a port location positions us as a central player in regional economic diversification, beyond steelmaking,” said Michael Garcia, CEO of Algoma Steel. “It underscores our role as an anchor in nation-building infrastructure and highlights Sault Ste. Marie’s importance as a gateway for Canadian industry.”
(Photo from HOPA Ports)