Expansion could boost Picton Terminals shipping in global market
Administrator | May 01, 2016 | Comments 14
From the Picton Terminals website: Our first vessel of the 2016 shipping season the Federal Caribou (FC). The FC journey originated in Korea early February and is coming to Picton Terminals (about 50 days sailing) with 5000 MT of steel beams and steel pipe for local steel distributor Kimco Steel. With the arrival of this cargo at PT, we will remove 54,000 KMs from Ontario Highways and 153.9 KGs of volatile greenhouse gases which otherwise would have transpired from heavy trucks by using previous shipping practices. – Picton Terminals photo
An expansion of the capacity at Picton Terminals could open up a cost-effective method of getting bulk goods to the global market.
Ben Doornekamp, of ABNA Investments presented the plan at the Hastings County Council meeting last week. He noted the company has invested $10 million into the project and needs an equal amount in government support as part of a bigger plan over the next several years. The funding would help to buy cranes needed for loading and unloading 100 ships per year – increasing marine port capacity of eastern Ontario by 20-30 per cent.
The port, near Picton’s harbour, was purchased by the Doornekamp family’s company in 2014 following decades of non-use. Previously, businesses had to use ports at Montreal and Hamilton and truck their goods.
Doornekamp said 100 vessels a year equates to about 350,000 km of truck traffic removed from highways and that shipping by seas is much more cost-efficient than by land. Local companies could also benefit, he said, with the ability to reach new markets.
Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus chair Peter Emon expressed support of the expansion noting it “represents an exciting economic opportunity for Eastern Ontario that would have a positive and immediate economic and environmental impact of several of our member municipalities” including the County, Hastings, Northumberland, Lennox and Addington and Frontenac.
“Furthermore, your project proposes to reduce wear on local infrastructure and reduce greenhouse gas and carbon emissions,” Emon said.
Also supporting the initiative were County Mayor Robert Quaiff and Prince Edward Hastings MP Todd Smith. Meetings to discuss support for the funding are being arranged.
Filed Under: Local News
The east coast has always been notorious for that kind of political favouritism. It’s as old as time and well entrenched everywhere, I’d bet.
You are right. I used to pick up an old gentleman who lived up the road and take him to town to cash his pension check.The Liberals were in power in Ottawa and I would ask him about that Liberal money and he would almost jump out of the truck
I am. I am sure it goes on today but not near as blatantly as the Conservatives of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. It was common knowledge then and no firm laws to prevent it. If you were not a Conservative during that era it was best to keep quiet about it.
Chuck–You sound like a good old county boy. You are right. That was the way that it was done then and I am sure it is done today. That is why we are not heard
Back in the Robarts, Davis, Tory years they controlled everything in this Conservative riding. If not a card carrying Tory you didn’t work at the LCBO or Provincial Park or any other provincial agency. All the good government jobs went to their own. They heavily funded the Conservative ridings and let the opposition ones go by the wayside.
You can’t talk nasty and expect a big gift back
There is some truth to hockeynan’s statement. Smith is working hard but he is an attack pit bull on the Liberals and unwilling to lay off for a second. That doesn’t bode well for funding coming to his riding. Political parties reward their followers, that’s how the system works. The Tories have been most effective with the pork barrel.
@hockeynan But how could they do that? It would be a fib.
Chris Maybe if our mayor and Mr Smith would say something nice about Wynne we might get some money.
@hockeyman – Indeed, that money goes to the Ontario government to maintain Ontario highways, not to the County to repair its roads. We can’t even get Queen’s Park to help fix the former Hwy 49.
Roads are made for cars,trucks .Truckers pay BIG money for licenses and that entitles them to haul whatever wherever as long as they have licence for the weight.
I trust by “government support” Mr. Doornekamp means a loan to ABNA Investments, or assistance to help the company to obtain private financing.
This is an interesting development for the County. Although the port will decrease truck traffic on roads outside the County it will most certainly add hundreds, perhaps thousands of truck journeys on our County roads each year. CR 49 if the cargo is going north or east; through Picton and along CR1 if the cargo is going west; and through Picton, up CR4 to Hwy 62 north to Belleville. Are our roads structurally capable of handling these heavy loads of truck traffic and the wear and tear they will cause?
This expansion is great news for Picton and area. If we could take it just a step further, we could get one of the Great Lakes cruise ships to come into port and allow passengers to shop in Picton & Bloomfield. It is done in a couple of other places (Owen Sound for one). Perhaps someone could research the possibilities.
keep the boats coming good work