The Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Annie Koutrakis, today announced an investment of up to nearly $8 million for DG CanEst Transit Inc. to update existing infrastructure and purchase new equipment for its facilities located in the Port of Montréal. The funding was provided under the National Trade Corridors Fund.
The project, worth a total of $18 million, will increase the number of containers stored onsite, improve the quality of the grain-cleaning service, optimize traffic flow in the yard, and increase capacity for loading and handling containers. This will ensure critical Canadian goods, like grain and other agriproducts, can continue to be shipped reliably for import and export.
On October 6, 2022, the Minister of Transport welcomed the final report of the Supply Chain Task Force. The Government of Canada is committed to responding with immediate action and long-term initiatives. One of the issues identified by the Task Force is that the high volume of containers arriving at Canadian ports has clogged the transportation supply chain due to insufficient warehousing and reduced transloading capacity. Today’s funding announcement is a step towards addressing capacity constraints and infrastructure pressures at the Port of Montreal.
Strengthening our transportation supply chain is part of the Government of Canada’s strategy to respond to the rising cost of living and to put money back in the pockets of Quebecers and all Canadians. An efficient and resilient transportation supply chain is key to expanding our economic capacity and productivity and will drive long-term growth.
Marc-Aurel Clapperton, General Manager of DG CanEst Transit, commented: “Today represents a significant milestone for the Canadian agri-food industry and builds upon the reputation of quality and reliability that we have worked so hard to establish with our partners. If the past two years have revealed anything to us, they have demonstrated the importance of the supply chain, which has only deepened our commitment to streamlining the export process.
“We are honoured to be entrusted with funding that will not only improve our infrastructure and capacity to serve both established and emerging markets around the globe, but will also continue to showcase Canada’s unparalleled contributions and growth to the agriculture-based economy.” (Canest photo from Port of Montreal)