Shipping More Goods on Great Lakes Could Mean Fewer Trucks on Ontario Roads, Expert Says

HAMILTON, ON – As political and business leaders push for more cargo movement across the Great Lakes, one expert says shifting freight from highways to waterways could ease truck congestion and lower emissions, but only if governments and industry make major investments first.

Municipal leaders from Canada and the United States attended the annual meeting of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative in Hamilton last week discussing the potential of marine shipping on the Great lakes.

“We have less than 50% of the capacity that can be handled by the St. Lawrence River,” said Jonathan Altenberg, the president and CEO of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

Mayor Andrea Horwath says Hamilton is part of the “Fresh Coast Economic Corridor,” the third-largest economic region in the world, generating $9 trillion USD in economic activity. She says strategizing with stakeholders in the region helps the city, including the possibility of relieving congestion on highways like the QEW and Highway 403.

“If we can take trucks off the roads by putting cargo into containers, and onto ships, we also increase our road capacity,” Horwath said at the conference.

But will moving to more marine shipping actually take trucks off the road? “The short answer is yes,” Elkafi Hassini, associate dean of research at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, said. But he cautioned the shift would not happen quickly.

Hassini, whose research focuses on supply chain management, said marine transport already has major advantages for bulk goods like steel, grain and sugar. A single vessel can carry the equivalent of “hundreds of truckloads,” he said, potentially removing significant freight traffic from highways. “It’s cheaper to ship on sea generally, and it definitely lowers emissions,” Hassini said.

That could matter in Hamilton, where truck congestion has become a growing concern for residents and city officials.

Ian Borsuk, executive director of Environment Hamilton, said heavy truck traffic reshaped parts of the city over decades. “People often forget Hamilton was not a one-way street city for a very long time,” Borsuk said. “A lot of those changes were implemented to accommodate truck traffic.”

He pointed to the city’s recent truck route reboot — which restricted large trucks in some residential neighborhoods — as evidence residents want fewer heavy vehicles moving through local streets. “I think most Hamiltonians would be pretty pleased to learn there’s a possibility that at least some of that traffic is going to be diverted elsewhere,” he said.

Despite the environmental benefits, both Hassini and Borsuk said marine shipping still faces practical barriers. Hassini said companies generally choose transportation methods based on three factors: cost, reliability and speed. While shipping by water is often cheaper and produces fewer emissions than trucking, it can also be slower and less predictable.

“When you have your truck, it’s very easy — get a full track load [and] it departs,” he said. “With rail or vessel shipping, you need enough volume for it to economically move.” That means companies may have to wait longer for cargo to fill ships before they depart, Hassini said — a difficult tradeoff for businesses operating on tight delivery schedules.

Road shipping also remains more flexible, particularly for “last mile” deliveries directly to stores, warehouses or customers.

Hassini believes Hamilton’s location gives it major long-term potential as a marine shipping centre. He pointed to the city’s port, airport and highway connections, as well as its proximity to Toronto and the northeastern United States. “We have an excellent location,” he said. “Most of the population in North America is within close reach.”

One possibility, he said, would involve moving cargo arriving overnight at John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to the port, then distributing it around Lake Ontario by barge instead of trucking everything onto the QEW and 403. “If we can move even 20 per cent or a third of that through the lake, that will have an impact,” Hassini said.

But he said making that system work would require new terminals, coordinated shipping schedules and significant public and private investment. He compared the vision to European cities, particularly in the Netherlands, where barges regularly move freight between ports and urban centres. “We don’t have the infrastructure,” he said.

Borsuk said reducing truck traffic could lower noise pollution in Hamilton neighborhoods. During the pandemic, he noted, reduced vehicle traffic also noticeably improved Hamilton’s air quality. Still, Borsuk said increasing ship traffic also raises environmental concerns because the Great Lakes are both a transportation corridor and the source of drinking water for millions of people.

“Lake Ontario is where our drinking water comes from,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re not reducing one problem and creating another.”

He pointed to Hamilton Harbour’s long industrial history and ongoing cleanup efforts as a reminder of what can happen when economic growth outpaces environmental protections. “We’ve put significant time and effort to remediate the harbour,” Borsuk said. “We need to make sure we don’t undo the work.”

Still, he said the broader direction makes sense if done carefully. “If we can find sustainable ways of transporting goods that gets these high-polluting vehicles out of neighbourhoods, away from schools and parks, I think a lot of people will see that as positive,” Borsuk said.

Hassini said any major shift toward marine freight would likely take years, and depend on governments, ports and private companies working together.

But with growing congestion across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, he believes pressure is mounting to explore alternatives. “Not any one player can force modal shift,” he said. “We need to make it competitive.”

By Jeffery Tram, CBC Hamilton