TORONTO — The Port of Toronto moved more than 2.3 million metric tonnes of cargo in 2022, its highest recorded cargo levels in 18 years.
This record year in marine imports and cruise ship activity highlights the important role the port plays in Toronto’s economic infrastructure for both tourism and trade, the port said.
The number of cargo ships visiting the Port of Toronto remained consistent in 2022, with 191 ships visiting and delivering a range of bulk, project and general cargo products totalling 2,346,724 metric tonnes, an 18-year high.
Along with importing 547,000 metric tonnes of sugar from Central and South America to support Toronto’s food and beverage industry, the port moved more than 750,000 metric tonnes of salt – a 29 per cent increase over 2021. The port also moved 717,855 metric tonnes of cement, 106,533 metric tonnes of aggregate, and nearly 160,000 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 a unique asset in the heart of Canada’s largest city and imports millions of tonnes of goods each year, from the cement needed for Toronto’s booming construction industry, to the sugar we put in our morning coffee,” said RJ Steenstra, president and CEO of PortsToronto. “The Port of Toronto will continue to support our city’s key economic sectors for years to come as a favourite port of call among the growing number of Great Lakes cruising enthusiasts, and home to production studios that create some of our favourite television and film moments.”
Increased imports through the Port of Toronto also have a positive impact on the environment given the 2.3 million metric tonnes of cargo delivered by ship last year took approximately 57,000, 40-tonne trucks off Toronto’s roads and highways.
In 2022, PortsToronto and the City of Toronto started a rehabilitation program to restore and revitalize the Ship Channel Lift Bridge, a piece of infrastructure supporting this supply chain.