Goderich Port Management Corporation has raised $13 million of the $23.5 million it needs to expand the port which is well used by the Ontario grains and feed-milling industries.
President Rowland Howe said it is the only deep water port on the east side of Lake Huron that has the potential to develop and grow.
It added four acres of land to the port a few years ago as part of a 15-acre expansion hopes to continue that.
“Certainly shipping is about 10 times more efficient than trucking in terms of carbon footprint, so it’s good economics, it’s good business, and it’s good for the environment,” said Howe.
Howe hopes they can take advantage of the Federal National Trade Corridor Fund, which provides funding for exactly what they’re hoping to do. He said they’re hoping the federal government would put in about $23.5 million, and they would match that.
Howe said the provincial government has some programs that could help and Ontario has plans to move towards marine transportation, so he’s optimistic about port expansion.