Sault Ste. Marie partners with HOPA Ports on multimodal trade corridor

The City of Sault Ste. Marie and the Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA Ports) are partnering on a plan to develop a multimodal port and trade corridor linking Northern Ontario to southern markets and global export destinations.

Anchored by a new port in Sault Ste. Marie, the “Sault to the South Trade Corridor” is billed as a strategic initiative to bolster Canada’s internal trade and export networks while building industrial capacity in 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,” Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said in a statement. “A new port in the Sault will transform an underused advantage into a national asset.”

The project would integrate marine, rail and highway infrastructure, aligning with federal and provincial economic strategies. HOPA Ports president and CEO Ian Hamilton said the Sault’s location “connects seamlessly to industrial bases like Windsor, Port Colborne, Hamilton and Montreal.”

The partners are considering Algoma Steel’s site for the port facilities, citing its deepwater access and available industrial land. Algoma CEO Michael Garcia said the move “positions us as a central player in regional economic diversification, beyond steelmaking.”

The project is expected to attract investment, create jobs in construction, marine operations and logistics and support academic collaboration with Sault College and Algoma University.