City puts money towards harbour project

City council, in a unanimous recorded vote of 12-0, has approved spending $300,000 on the Sault Ste. Marie Harbour Improvement Project.

The money, from the city’s Economic Development Fund (EDF), represents the city’s share of $5.3 million in funding for the project’s first phase.

The federal and provincial governments, it was announced Friday, have each earmarked $2.1 million for the first phase, along with $800,000 from Essar Steel Algoma, and the first phase will involve planning and design of the project, environmental assessment and consultation with First Nations communities.

The Port of Algoma facility will allow Essar Steel Algoma to increase its production to 4 million tonnes annually and ship out its goods to regional and international markets.

Other private sector companies such as Tenaris will also benefit from the port once it is built and operational.

Studies have shown economic activity generated by the port could create 1700 jobs.

“Everybody sees what it can do for the region economically,” Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Debbie Amaroso told reporters after Monday’s council meeting.

“With each phase as you move forward, as the actual project begins construction you can see the construction jobs, you can start seeing how every phase will expand on the opportunities in front of us,” Amaroso said.

“This project is important because it changes our ability to compete on the global stage,” Amaroso said.

Amaroso, city CAO Joe Fratesi and city councillors each expressed their enthusiasm over the involvement of the senior levels of government in the project, and, more recently, the involvement of Essar Ports, which will enable the harbour project to be larger than originally anticipated.

It is anticipated the harbour project will cost $120 million to fully develop, and it is hoped the federal and provincial governments will each contribute a third of that, with private sector partners contributing the other third.  

“They (the senior levels of government) were put on notice four years ago and both the provincial and federal governments said to us very clearly they were willing to be at the table for large projects that impacted our region as a whole, so it became our number one priority,” Amaroso said.

“Over $2 million from each (which was announced last week) shows their commitment to the project...it is exciting to see the provincial and federal governments so interested in this project and committed.”

Meanwhile, council also voted unanimously on a motion directing the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to prepare a report that will outline in greater detail what economic opportunities the port will present for the Sault and area.

Mayor Amaroso said she hopes to see that report from the EDC presented to council at its November 10 meeting.