Minister of Transport announces new funding to strengthen supply chains in Saint John, New Brunswick

SAINT JOHN, NB, Feb. 28, 2023 /CNW/ - An efficient and reliable transportation network is key to making life more affordable for Canadians. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring our supply chains support Canada's economic growth and create good jobs for middle-class Canadians, while maintaining their resiliency and ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change.  

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, and the Member of Parliament for Saint John—Rothesay, Wayne Long, announced over $10 million in funding for two projects under the National Trade Corridors Fund.

The Government of Canada will contribute:

• Up to $7.3 million for the remaining phases to rehabilitate the Saint John Harbour Bridge in Saint John, New Brunswick. The upgrades will extend the life of the bridge and support commercial movements. The New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is contributing up to $7.7 million, for a total investment of nearly $15 million.
• Up to $2.8 million to provide additional space for the Canada Border Services Agency to carry out its inspection activities for cargo arriving at the Port of Saint John. The project is expected to eliminate current congestion by allowing the Port of Saint John to handle the growing volume of containers. The Saint John Port Authority is contributing $2.8 million towards the project, for a total investment of $5.6 million.

The Government of Canada continues to make investments to strengthen the country's supply chains, promote economic growth and enhance the opportunities for our businesses to expand into global markets. This represents another long-term commitment to work with stakeholders on strategic infrastructure projects to address transportation bottlenecks, vulnerabilities, and congestion along Canada's trade corridors.

Quotes

"These projects represent a great opportunity to increase New Brunswick's trade capacity and alleviate the congestion issues the region is currently experiencing. By investing in infrastructure projects like these, we will improve the movement of goods through Canada's transportation networks and strengthen Canada's supply chains."

The Honourable Omar Alghabra 
Minister of Transport 

"The Saint John Harbour Bridge represents a critical piece of infrastructure along a major transportation link that is vital to the movement of goods and people through our province and beyond. We want to ensure we are doing all we can to manage our infrastructure, and that includes working in partnership with the federal government, one of our key stakeholders, on rehabilitation efforts for the bridge."

Jeff Carr
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure

"Announcements like this are driving growth in our region. Our Port is expanding faster than we could expect and so is our community. The federal government is here to continue to support the growth of our Port." 

Wayne Long
Member of Parliament for Saint John—Rothesay

"This funding announcement is a testament to the capacity for growth at the Port of Saint John, and will serve as a catalyst to bring us closer to reaching our target of 800,000 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit). Today, we are one of the fastest growing container ports on the eastern seaboard. The improvements made possible by this funding will continue to encourage private sector investment, keep the supply chain moving, and create hundreds of jobs." 

Craig Bell Estabrooks
President and CEO, Port Saint John

Quick Facts  

• The Government of Canada, through the National Trade Corridors Fund, is making investments that will support the flow of goods across Canada's supply chains.
• The National Trade Corridors Fund is a competitive, merit-based program designed to help infrastructure owners and users invest in the critical transportation assets that support economic activity in Canada. A total of $4.7 billion over 11 years (2017-2028) has been allocated to the program.
• Through the National Trade Corridors Fund, Transport Canada is supporting improvements to Canada's roads, rail, air, and marine shipping routes to foster domestic and international trade.
• The National Trade Corridors Fund's Increasing the Fluidity of Canada's Supply Chains call for proposals supports fluid and reliable trade flows between Canada and global markets, as well as internal trade corridors.

Related Product 

National Trade Corridors Fund Backgrounder 

This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons living with visual disabilities. 

SOURCE Transport Canada

Nadine Ramadan, Press Secretary and Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport, Ottawa, [email protected]; Media Relations, Transport Canada, Ottawa, 613-993-0055, [email protected]