OTTAWA – Port Saint John President & CEO Craig Bell Estabrooks joined New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt and Ontario Premier Doug Ford in Ottawa today to discuss the Port’s expanding role as a vital gateway for Ontario businesses accessing global markets.
Emphasizing ongoing trade diversification and renewed efforts to remove inter-provincial trade barriers, Port Saint John has established itself as a crucial link for moving goods to and from Ontario markets and beyond. Thanks to recently modernized infrastructure and strong partnerships with world-class operators, throughput for Ontario-bound and Ontario-origin goods has surged by nearly 600 percent over the past five years.
“Today’s discussion with Premier Holt and Premier Ford reaffirmed how Port Saint John contributes to Canada’s broader nation‑building vision,” said Craig Bell Estabrooks, President & CEO of Port Saint John. “With newly modernized infrastructure and unparalleled connectivity, we’re proud to fuel job growth in Southern New Brunswick and offer all of Ontario new, reliable supply‑chain pathways.”
From 2024 to 2025 alone, Ontario exports passing through Port Saint John grew by 153 percent, highlighting the Port’s emergence as a strategic national trade gateway for Canada’s largest provincial economy, even in the face of global economic challenges.
“The Port of Saint John is Ontario’s port to the world,” said Premier Susan Holt. “New Brunswick has seen a 153 per cent increase in exports from Ontario moving through Port Saint John, and that momentum is only picking up. New Brunswick is proud to be a gateway to international markets and support free trade within Canada. This partnership strengthens Canada’s economy by connecting Ontario exporters to global markets through a modern, efficient, and reliable gateway right here in New Brunswick. It delivers economic stability today while building long-term opportunity for workers, businesses and communities across the country.”
These climbing volumes reflect the deepening collaboration between New Brunswick and Ontario to expand domestic free trade and open new pathways to global markets. The growth builds on ongoing provincial efforts to eliminate internal trade barriers, strengthen free-trade agreements, and ensure Canadian businesses have reliable access to international markets via modern infrastructure and diversified supply chains.
“The work we are doing to unlock free trade within Canada and get Canadian products to new markets around the world is at the heart of our plan to protect Ontario from tariffs and economic uncertainty,” said Premier Ford. “Ontario is proud to lead the country in tearing down barriers to interprovincial free trade, signing agreements with 10 provinces and territories, including New Brunswick. As we do so, we’re also supporting the construction and expansion of critical nation-building infrastructure such as pipelines, rail lines, highways and ports, including vital trading hubs like Port Saint John.”
The recently completed $247-million modernization of Port Saint John’s west side container terminal, undertaken in collaboration with the Governments of Canada and New Brunswick, has significantly enhanced the Port’s strategic advantages for Canadian shippers. Thanks to the announcement of this major infrastructure investment in 2015, Port Saint John successfully attracted leading global terminal operator DP World in 2016 and welcomed the return of CPKC in 2019. These partners have been critical in growing Port Saint John container volumes from less than 80,000 TEUs in 2020 to nearly 240,000 TEUs in 2025, reinforcing the Port’s status as a key New Brunswick gateway to global markets.
(Photo from Saint John Port Authority)