Americold breaks ground on first Canadian import-export hub in Saint John

Americold Realty Trust has broken ground on its first Canadian import-export hub, marking a significant investment in New Brunswick’s logistics sector.

The new cold storage facility, located at Port Saint John, will be Americold’s sixth in Canada and is expected to enhance global trade routes by supporting temperature-sensitive goods flowing between Canada, Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific region.

“Developing this facility at Port Saint John marks an important step forward for Americold,” said Rob Chambers, president, Americas at Americold. “The infrastructure investments by DP World and CPKC alongside Port Saint John have attracted major global shipping lines to this location, and we are excited that our world-class cold storage facility and value-added services will support food flows between Central and Eastern Canada, Europe, South America and APAC.”

Americold is investing between $75 and $80 million in the project, which will provide 22,000 pallet positions — the equivalent of more than 800 full truckloads.

The project is expected to contribute up to $37 million to New Brunswick’s GDP, and Opportunities NB will provide up to $1.01 million in payroll rebates to help create up to 100 jobs by the end of 2029.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Americold and the opportunities it brings to create jobs on our waterfront,” said Craig Bell Estabrooks, president and CEO of Port Saint John.

Americold will work with DP World and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) to integrate maritime and rail logistics into the new facility.

“This Port Saint John facility builds on the unique ecosystem that CPKC and Americold are creating to provide our customers an unrivaled cold chain across Canada, the United States and Mexico,” said CPKC president and CEO Keith Creel.

Doug Smith, CEO of DP World Canada, said, “This investment by Americold is a significant milestone in our joint mission to create seamless, end-to-end logistics solutions.”

The facility is slated to open in 2026.