City of Sault Ste. Marie, HOPA Ports to Develop Multimodal Port and Trade Corridor

Anchored by a newly developed port in Sault Ste. Marie, the Sault to the South Trade Corridor “is a strategic national initiative that will strengthen Canada’s internal trade and export networks, unlock new economic opportunities, and build industrial capacity in key sectors, including mining, forestry, steel, advanced manufacturing, and agriculture,” the City said.

Strategically located on the Great Lakes as a gateway to northern Ontario’s resource zones, the corridor will serve as a logistics and processing gateway, integrating marine, rail, and highway infrastructure to support full-season, multimodal connectivity. The initiative is aligned with the federal Canada Strong plan, the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario, and Ontario’s Critical Mineral Strategy.

“Sault Ste. Marie is a natural fit as a multimodal hub within the Great Lakes corridor,” said HOPA Ports President and CEO Ian Hamilton. “Its geographic position connects seamlessly to industrial bases like Windsor, Port Colborne, Hamilton, and Montreal, forming powerful intra-provincial links between Northern Ontario’s resource base and Canada’s largest industrial and consumer markets.”

As part of this initiative, the partners are exploring the Algoma Steel site as a potential host location for the port facilities. The Algoma Steel site offers significant industrial land, deepwater access, and existing infrastructure that can support co-located economic activities. Positioning the port on Algoma’s footprint would create a unique multimodal hub, linking steelmaking, logistics, energy, and advanced manufacturing, and reinforcing the Sault’s role as a strategic engine of industrial growth in Northern Ontario, the partners noted.

“Having Algoma Steel’s site under consideration as a port location positions us as a central player in regional economic diversification, beyond steelmaking,” said Algoma Steel CEO Michael Garcia. “It underscores our role as an anchor in nation-building infrastructure and highlights Sault Ste. Marie’s importance as a gateway for Canadian industry.”

Benefits of the Sault to the South Corridor include:

• Multimodal Hub: 100+ acres of industrial space with deepwater access and redevelopment potential.
• Transportation Connections: Integrated rail, highway, and marine links with extended-season service.
• Industrial Clustering: Immediate access to key sectors and co-location opportunities for logistics and energy.
• Skilled Labor Pool: Strong base of tradespeople; relationships with Sault College and Algoma University.
• Speed to Market: Base infrastructure; market connections are active and ready to scale.

The project, the partners say, will attract investment and create jobs in construction, marine operations, industrial manufacturing and processing, warehousing and logistics, while fostering academic-industry collaboration through Sault College and Algoma University.

Next steps include stakeholder engagement at provincial, federal, and Indigenous levels; infrastructure analysis; and market outreach in key sectors. The City and HOPA will continue collaborating to advance the business plan and marine/rail infrastructure strategy.