Federal Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand recently announced that the Government of Canada would be investing up to $25 million in the Halifax Port Authority to improve environmental sustainability and supply chain efficiency.
Funding will also support decarbonization efforts in the transportation sector and infrastructure resiliency.
Of the $25 million, up to $22.5 million will go towards developing Halifax as a green shipping corridor. This will be done through the Green Shipping Corridor Program, which focuses on establishing green shipping corridors and decarbonizing the marine sector along the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and Canada’s East and West Coasts.
Program activities that will be implemented during this portion include the following: preparing to host and potentially refuel alternative fuel-powered vessels; establishing a hydrogen production facility; electrifying port equipment to reduce emissions; and acquiring an electric rail locomotive and launching an incentive program to shift freight traffic from road to rail.
Fulvio Fracassi, President and CEO, Halifax Port Authority, said the green corridor investment will help to position the Port of Halifax as a global competitor in the future, especially as the need to decarbonize shipping continues to grow worldwide.
“The awarded funding will help fund feasibility work, assessments, new equipment and workforce development here at the Port,” added Fracassi.
In addition, up to $2.5 million will go towards the Ship to Shore Crane Infrastructure Project to relieve supply chain congestion, expand terminal capacity, and increase speed and efficiency when servicing larger vessels at the Port of Halifax.
The project is funded under the National Trade Corridors Fund, a competitive, merit-based program which has been helping infrastructure owners and users invest in the critical transportation assets that support economic activity in Canada since 2017.
“Our ports are essential to global trade and to Canada’s economy. By investing in green shipping corridors, supply chain infrastructure and clean technologies, we’re taking decisive action to reduce emissions,” said Anand.
“Together, we’re building a sustainable future for transportation, while supporting jobs and driving economic growth in Nova Scotia and beyond.”
To facilitate a clean, resilient and sustainable future for maritime transport, Transport Canada is collaborating with industry stakeholders, coastal communities, Indigenous partners and environmental organizations. Investments will focus on clean port operations, improving terminal capacity and optimizing operations through modernized infrastructure. Through those efforts, Transport Canada aims to support economic growth and job creation within Nova Scotia’s maritime sector.
“The Port of Halifax is a powerhouse for our municipality, our province, our region and our country. This investment will help streamline operations, electrify the port to cut emissions and prepare for alternative fuel-powered vessels — ensuring the Port continues to modernize, grow and provide good jobs here at home,” stated Darren Fisher, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.
