Source: The Standard
Ontario’s marine industry is an economic driver, contributing $10 billion in economic activity and $3.9 billion in annual income.
It helps the province grow and supports more than 70,000 jobs, both on ship and on shore, said Ontario Marine Council (OMC) executive director Maguessa Morel-Laforce and board of directors chair Hannah Bowlby.
The pair said the marine sector in the province handles roughly 61.3 million tonnes of cargo yearly and contributes approximately $1.9 billion in municipal, federal and provincial tax revenues.
Bringing major industry stakeholders along with them, they drove those messages home recently at OMC’s third annual Queen’s Park Day engagement session with provincial government ministers and staff.
“I think economic driver and economic growth were repeated over and over,” said Bowlby, who works for St. Catharines-based Algoma Central Corp. “The message was that marine is a kind of quiet powerhouse and how we can work together to further growth, and make sure we’re staying a resilient, reliable and sustainable sector into the future.”
There were discussions about the province’s marine transportation strategy, launched two years ago, which looks to strengthen Ontario’s position as a leader in marine transportation and create more jobs, trade and economic opportunities for the future.
The plan has four pillars, which OMC called on to be funded. One of the pillars is infrastructure.
“We need to maintain our capacity and invest regularly to maintain existing infrastructure,” said Morel-Laforce. “Hannah and I were in a delegation, including the Port of Toronto, and we kept bringing up how the docks are aging. They’re approaching the end of their lifespan.”
As examples, he said the port receives sugar, cement and (road) salt needed for the city.
“They need a lot of investment to maintain the current capacity, and that’s only one example. The province can also do targeted investment to increase capacity where needed, and make the most out of the transportation mode,” Morel-Laforce said.
Under the provincial marine strategy, an Ontario Marine Partnership and Development Office was created to oversee its implementation, develop and track key performance measures and serve as the central point of contact for the marine industry, fostering collaboration between stakeholders, partners and the government.
Morel-Laforce said progress is being made on the education, labour and training front, another key pillar, through the partnership office.
“The partnership office is engaging the bureaucracy on marine training. We are finding fertile ground for further collaboration and exploring ways to strengthen the labour force for the industry,” he said.
A Canadian Marine Industry Foundation report released three years ago estimated at least 19,000 seafarers would be needed over the next 10 years. It’s estimated 43 per cent of the marine transportation workforce — on board commercial vessels and ferries — were expected to retire over the next decade.
“The labour shortage is a problem, and the marine industry is certainly impacted as well,” said Morel-Laforce.
Alternative fuels to meet the greening of the marine industry, another pillar, is the future, said Bowlby.
Bowlby said the province can work with OMC to make alternative fuels more accessible, affordable and competitive.
Putting her Algoma hat on, she said the company has and will continue to trial biofuels for its domestic fleet.
“We know it is a viable fuel source, and it is a drop-in fuel.”
Drop-in fuels are renewable fuels which can be used in existing engines and infrastructure without requiring modification.
Last November, the federal government, City of Port Colborne and Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority announced a $33-million, eight-million-litre biofuel terminal, which will serve more than 100 vessels annually, will be built on the east pier of the Welland Canal.
Bowlby said the marine industry is looking at hydrogen and methanol as fuel sources down the road and how the province can support that innovation and availability.