by Emily Atkins
The Port of Toronto moved more than 2.3 million metric tonnes of cargo and welcomed a record 45 cruise ships and nearly 18,000 visitors to its Cruise Ship Terminal in 2023.
The number of cargo ships visiting the Port of Toronto remained consistent in 2023, with 189 ships visiting to deliver a range of bulk, project and general cargo products totalling 2,311,616 metric tonnes.
In addition to importing 606,060 metric tonnes of sugar from Central and South America to support Toronto’s food and beverage industry, the port moved more than 685,661 metric tonnes of salt, much of which is used for Toronto’s roads during the winter months. With construction in Toronto showing no signs of slowing down, the Port also moved 796,644 metric tonnes of cement (an 11 percent increase over 2022), 97,016 metric tonnes of aggregate, and 123,234 metric tonnes of steel products, including coil, pipe, and rebar, which transited through the Port to construction sites throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
“The Port of Toronto is part of an environmentally sustainable, marine transportation corridor through the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway and facilitates the movement of goods and people through Canada’s largest city and most populous region,” said RJ Steenstra, president and CEO, PortsToronto.
“Over and above the Port of Toronto’s significant economic impact, generating more than $460 million in economic activity in Ontario, the 2.3 million metric tonnes of cargo delivered to the Port by ship last year took approximately 57,000, 40-tonne trucks off Toronto’s congested roads and highways.”
An independent report entitled Economic Impacts of Marine Shipping in the Port of Toronto – published in September 2023 by Martin Associates confirms that marine cargo handled at the Port of Toronto generated $463.5 million in economic activity and 1,989 jobs in Ontario in 2022. This study focuses exclusively on the cargo component of the Port of Toronto’s operation and does not reflect the Port’s full diversity of uses, which includes its Cruise Ship Terminal and Marine Terminals.
“The Port of Toronto is a reliable, sustainable trade gateway that imports millions of tonnes of goods each year that our city needs to continue to thrive. From the cement needed to supply our construction industry – one of the busiest in North America – to the sugar we use to sweeten our morning coffee,” continued Steenstra.
