$463M Port of Saint John project aims to boost New Brunswick exports

Big changes are coming to the Port of Saint John.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt and federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon were in the city Wednesday to announce a $463 million project to strengthen rail, road and marine infrastructure connecting the port to national and international markets.

“Making an investment here in Saint John is an investment that pays off for not just Saint John and New Brunswick, but for the rest of Canada,” said MacKinnon.

The Saint John Trade Corridor is the first project to receive funding through the federal Trade Diversification Corridors Fund.

The federal government is providing $254 million and the province is investing $116.5 million. The remaining $92.5 million will come from partners delivering components of the project.

Those components include dredging the port’s main channel, a new 2,787-square-metre Canada Border Services Agency container examination facility and shoreline stabilization to protect rail capacity at NBSR Bayshore Rail Terminal.

More than 100 km of existing rail will also be replaced and the Simms Corner intersection will be reconstructed to improve safety and address congestion.

“Dredging is the biggest piece of the project here for us — the widening and deepening of the channel that is going to allow for two-way traffic at high tide and it’s going to increase the tidal window for all users of the port,” said Port of Saint John CEO Craig Bell Estabrooks.

Bell Estabrooks said excitement about the project is being shared by colleagues at other ports in Canada.

“We all need to be razor sharp, building bigger, and focused on infrastructure and I know they have applications that are going to get funded as well, and it’s very exciting for all of us,” he said.

For Premier Susan Holt, the funding and improvements represent a major step toward getting more New Brunswick goods to new markets.

“We have what the world wants and we are going to deliver it to them based on these investments in the port,” she said.

She referenced recent political tensions, tariffs and trade disputes with the United States — saying this was when “things got really serious.”

“Canada has long benefited from our relationship with the U.S. but it was very clear that we needed to look elsewhere for growth for New Brunswick and for our country,” she said.

She added that the announcement will help her government bring more to the table when negotiating with future trade partners, adding she’s already participated in trade missions to Belgium, France, and India.

“They’re wondering how long it takes, what’s the cost of shipment, how many hours they’re spending at sea,” she said.

“And so the fact that we can bring in products that New Brunswickers can add value to, turn them around and get them back out to customers more rapidly reduces the cost and makes us more competitive.”