Hamilton designated as trade zone

HAMILTON, Ontario – Hamilton, Ontario, has been designated a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ). It is the third FTZ in Ontario and the 14th in Canada.

Achieving the designation is the result of two years of collaboration between local partners. HOPA Ports (Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority), the City of Hamilton’s Economic Development Department, and John C Munro Hamilton International Airport, worked together to gain the recognition.

The designation means the city can offer a combination of tax and duty relief programs. These include: the Duty Deferral Program, the Duties Relief Program, the Drawback Program, the Customs Bonded Warehouse Program and the Export Distribution Centre Program.

Hamilton’s FTZ point also provides direct contact and programs offered by the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) as well as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and various Federal and Provincial programs that may be available.

“Hamilton is an ideal spot for Ontario’s newest FTZ Point,” said Filomena Tassi, federal labour minister and member of parliament for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas.

“The city is a gateway for goods, and offers many advantages from its strong manufacturing sector to its leading-edge post-secondary institutions. This designation will build on the area’s strengths and bring new opportunities for trade.”

Cargo hub

Hamilton is a multimodal hub. CargoJet uses its airport as an aircargo hub, and the port moves 26 percent of all Canadian Great Lakes-St.Lawrence Seaway cargo.

It is located close to the U.S. border, and the Greater Toronto Area, and connected via multiple transportation routes. Both CN and CP railways serve Hamilton, with intermodal and transload facilities available as well as direct rail-to-port capabilities. Two major expressways run through Hamilton connecting to 400 series highways, the QEW and Highway 6.

“From our well-connected transportation network, to the country’s most diverse economy, the Foreign Trade Zone designation will build on Hamilton’s momentum as a goods movement leader and key trade gateway,” said Ian Hamilton, president and CEO, HOPA Ports.

“The port and our partners are proud to help Canadian businesses expand into new markets, grow our economy, and generate well-paying jobs. In Hamilton, we know that we go farther by working together, and this announcement is evidence of that fact.”