Cargo shipments to ports on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system generate $34.6 billion of economic activity and 227,000 jobs in Canada and the U.S., according to a new study released today. That breaks down to 98,000 jobs and $15.9 billion in economic activity in Ontario and Quebec.
The study, which is the first to reveal the economic value of the entire bi-national Great Lakes-Seaway System and its more than 100 ports, was simultaneously unveiled today by the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation in Ottawa and by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari in Washington, D.C.
Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, said: “The economic benefits of Great Lakes-Seaway shipping are far-reaching. Not only is marine shipping creating jobs in Canadian communities, but marine-related industries and employees are contributing significantly to the general prosperity of Canadian society by providing $4.6 billion in personal income. In addition, North American farmers, steel producers, construction firms, food manufacturers and power generators depend on the 164 million metric tons of iron ore, coal, stone, salt, sugar, grain, steel, wind turbines and machinery that are delivered by ships every year to keep their businesses running.”
The study, which uses 2010 data, was carried out by respected economic consultants Martin Associates of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and peer reviewed by Dr. John Lawson, Research Associate of the University of British Columbia Centre for Transport Studies. The peer review process in Canada was overseen by Transport Canada. The full executive summary and study is available at www.marinedelivers.com.