Badawey looking for new strengths in Niagara-Hamilton trade corridor
Standing committee on transport, infrastructure and communities tours region’s assets
Water runs through and around many parts of the Niagara region, carrying billions of dollars in trade and economic activity.
But this can be done more efficiently if transportation links like the peninsula’s border crossings and the Welland Canal can find ways to operate as close to full capacity as possible, says Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey.
Members of the House of Commons standing committee on transport, infrastructure and communities, along with representatives from the St. Lawrence Seaway and area municipalities, participated in a two-day networking session and tour of Niagara’s trade corridor to discuss opportunities to bolster commerce from the region and through to Hamilton Harbour.
The amount of commerce that travels over Niagara’s four border crossings exceeds $100 billion annually. The St. Lawrence Seaway sees more than $30 billion in trade annually, but is operating at half capacity, Badawey said in an interview Tuesday.
How to strengthen these numbers is a priority for the federal government.
“That’s the things we are talking about and looking at right now,” said Badawey.
A seamless system without “bottlenecks” and congestion that will allow trade to move more freely is a goal of the efforts he feels need to be made.
“Over time, that will strengthen our ability to create economy,” the Liberal MP said.
Meeting with Canada Border Services Agency and Peace Bridge Authority representatives in Fort Erie at the start of Tuesday’s excursion, delegates addressed matters of law enforcement and national security.
“The other aspect of crossborder trade is obviously the trade corridor, which is why we are down here,” Badawey said.
“A lot of trade corridors are not operating at full capacity or at full potential, and Niagara is no different.”
With so many major U.S. cities within driving distance from Niagara, Badawey said the region should become more of a “destination of choice for business to locate in.”
“Our location is second to none, internationally.”
Tuesday’s trip followed a day of hearings where more than 24 delegates presented accounts to help build the foundation for a national plan, which will include road, rail, air and waterways within both Niagara and Hamilton.
Badawey said a mid-peninsula corridor, a long-debated highway to link the middle of Niagara with the QEW to the east and Highway 403 to the northwest, also came up at this week’s meetings.
‘‘“A lot of trade corridors are not operating at full capacity or at full potential, and Niagara is no different.” VANCE BADAWEY Niagara Centre MP