Port Saint John gets $68M from N.B. to upgrade container terminals
Funding announcement comes weeks after federal government made $68M commitment to $205M project
The provincial government has announced up to $68.3 million over seven years to help expand and modernize Port Saint John's container terminals.
Premier Brian Gallant made the announcement outside the Diamond Jubilee Cruise Terminal on Thursday morning with a large ship at work as his backdrop.
"This important strategic infrastructure investment will create jobs and long-term economic growth for the port city, the Fundy region and our entire province," Gallant told the estimated crowd of 100 people, to applause.
Nearly 2,000 jobs will be created over the seven years, with a $152-million boost to the gross domestic product, the premier said.
"The question here now is — where is the province?" Saint John MLA Trevor Holder said on July 8.
"Several months ago, I asked the premier on the floor of the legislature whether he would commit to this project, and he clearly wouldn't give me a definite answer," he said.
Asked what role pressure from the Progressive Conservatives played in the provincial government's decision, Gallant replied: "I want to be an optimist, so I'm assuming they were putting that type of pressure because they believe in this project and they too want to support job creation.
"We have to ensure we do our due diligence whenever we're making any type of investment, certainly one of this magnitude."
Regional Development Corp. Minister Victor Boudreau had previously said the government was exercising due diligence by taking the "appropriate time" to review the "large ticket item."
We now have the federal government who's committed. We have the province committed. So we have all the money lined up.- Jim Quinn, Port Saint John
Port Saint John is also contributing $68.3 million to the $205-million project, president and Jim Quinn, the chief executive officer, announced on Wednesday.
"We now have the federal government who's committed. We have the province committed. So we have all the money lined up," he said.
"I expect that toward the latter part of this year we'll be into the detailed design phase. We're really excited about that."
The overhaul will see the Rodney and Navy Island terminals on the city's west side consolidated and upgraded to be able to accommodate larger vessels, as well as an increase in container traffic.
The plan, outlined by Quinn in January, involves creating a 25-acre area for container storage, turning 10 acres into a multipurpose yard and using the other approximately 25 acres for terminal access roads, stevedoring operations, trans-loading and cargo-consolidation warehouses, and lay-down areas for break-bulk and project cargoes.
The main channel is also expected to be deepened to 10 metres at low tide, from the current 8.4 metres.
Weston has described the project as being of national significance.
Economic Development Minister Rick Doucet and Minister of Government Services Ed Doherty also attended Thursday's announcement, along with Mayor Mel Norton and port officials.