Algoma was busy last week, advocating and collaborating with bi-national governments and industry stakeholders across Canada and across all levels of government, and this started with our President & CEO, Gregg Ruhl, along with several staff members, attending the Green Shipping Corridor Network Collaborative Forum in Montreal.
In November 2022, during the World Leaders Summit at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP27), Canada and the United States announced their joint work to facilitate the establishment of a Green Shipping Corridor Network in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway System. This forum is a result of this effort and aims to exchange ideas, strengthen connections, and build momentum towards establishing future green solutions in the Great Lakes. The forum was facilitated by the following entities:
- Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
- St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
- U.S. Department of Transporation
- Transport Canada
Green shipping corridors play a crucial role in accelerating the adoption of zero-emissions fuels and technologies to align the shipping sector with the goal of limited global temperatures rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Through the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway System Green Shopping Corridor Network Initiative, our industry can collaborate to identify solutions for greening the network sustainably. This involves drawing from global inspiration and ensuring that technologies are suitable for our unique Great Lakes environment.
As members of the Ontario Marine Council (OMC), we also participated in the OMC’s Day at Queen’s Park. This event focused on advancing the first-ever Ontario Marine Strategy, launched in fall 2023, and discussing next steps for Ontario to strengthen supply chains, reduce emissions, and raise awareness about the numerous job opportunities within Ontario’s crucial marine sector.
In 2022, the marine industry supported 67,154, provided $3.95 billion in wages, generated $1.95 billion in taxes, and created $9.6 billion in economic activity in Ontario alone. Our marine story is a green story, essential to North America’s supply chain. Therefore, we urge both federal and provincial governments to continue supporting the maritime industry’s decarbonization efforts, and continue to facilitate future discussions, coordinating actions to support development, reduce regulatory barriers, conduct research to determine the feasibility of strategies and emerging technologies, and bring together a wider audience to explore new perspectives.
