Highlights: Toronto Port Authority
“Hwy H2O HIGHLIGHTS†focuses on our member ports and companies throughout the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System with stories that highlight innovative and interesting cargo movements; changes and improvements that ports and companies are making to create greater opportunity, and/or member insights on the latest market trends.
Highlights: Toronto Port Authority
Celebrating 100 years of Managing Toronto’s Harbour…
In 1911, the Toronto Harbour Commissioners (THC) was established to manage Toronto’s waterfront development, and bring order to Toronto’s burgeoning industrial landscape. Since then the city has changed, along with the Harbour’s role and the THC’s name.
In 1999, the THC became the Toronto Port Authority, responsible for what now are the Billy Bishop Airport, the Port of Toronto, and the Outer Harbour Marina.
Today, the Toronto Port Authority (TPA) is responsible for ensuring the safety and navigation of Toronto’s waterways for both recreational boating and commercial shipping to Canada’s biggest city. It is no small task to attend to nearly ten thousand recreational boaters; the largest harbour tour fleet in North America; city and airport ferries; visiting cruise ships; and 220m long lakers continuously delivering cargo throughout the year.
Last year alone, the Port of Toronto moved 1.5 million tonnes of cargo, taking 37,000 trucks off the roads. The Port also handles Special Project Cargo like windmills, power plant components and locomotives.
By keeping the Toronto Harbour clean and clear of debris through the Harbour Hotline programme the TPA keeps it safe. Every year, an average of 400 metric tonnes of floating debris are cleared from the bottom of the Don River– equivalent to the weight of 2 cars every day of the year. The TPA also dredges silt from the Don River to prevent the flooding of about 200 acres of adjoining property (the Distillery District, Film Studio and Eastern Ave/Queen St. areas). In an average year, 35,000 cubic metres of material are dredged from the Keating Channel which is equivalent to the size of 85 refrigerators every day of the year.
As the Port of Toronto celebrates its centenary, we can all look forward to another exciting chapter and the welcoming of even more of the world into the harbour.To share your story; email it to hwyh2o@seaway.ca and we will consider it for future Hwy H2O Highlights.