The P.E.I. government wants to explore building a new port. This expert calls it a bad idea

Thinh Nguyen · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 06, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

The P.E.I. authorities intends to research the thought of gathering a caller shipping larboard connected the Island, but an adept successful maritime and larboard systems says specified a task is not feasible and could beryllium highly costly.

The thought was raised successful the March 25 throne speech. Premier Rob Lantz's authorities said specified a larboard could link the Island's system with caller and emerging planetary markets.

In the legislature Tuesday, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Ernie Hudson addressed the taxable arsenic Summerside-Wilmot MLA Tyler Desroches lobbied for Summerside's larboard to beryllium location to immoderate caller operation.

"We person to diversify our markets," Hudson said, adding that tolls connected the Confederation Bridge and Northumberland Ferries are a large interprovincial commercialized obstruction and an unfair outgo to Island exporters.

He said a moving radical was enactment successful spot "very recently" to look astatine what benignant of infrastructure would beryllium needed to grow markets, and it would beryllium reaching retired to larboard authorities astatine each imaginable locations connected the Island, including Summerside and Georgetown. 

Greg Donald, wide manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, welcomes the idea, since determination are presently nary ports connected the Island equipped to load instrumentality ships.

Donald said galore exports successful P.E.I.'s agriculture manufacture person to permission the Island by motortruck and caput to adjacent ports successful the Maritimes, similar the Port of Halifax, which is costly. He thinks it's worthy looking into the thought of gathering a shipping larboard determination connected P.E.I.

"We're surrounded by water, and h2o tin beryllium a precise businesslike mode of transporting goods," Donald told CBC News.

"Whether it's exporting potatoes successful containers oregon interruption bulk, bringing successful products, oregon shipping different cultivation goods straight from P.E.I., avoiding costly proscription costs would surely beryllium desirable."

Donald said the state produces astir 2.5 cardinal pounds of potatoes annually, which is capable to provender 25 cardinal people, truthful improving export logistics is crucial.

He agreed a local shipping larboard could assistance diversify markets and trim commercialized uncertainties caused by the existent U.S. administration's on-and-off tariff threats.

Port not viable: expert

Claude Comtois, a University of Montreal prof emeritus successful geography who's besides the world advisor to the Port of Montreal, believes gathering a shipping larboard connected P.E.I. is highly impractical, though. He estimated specified a task would outgo astir fractional a cardinal dollars, and would instrumentality 7 to 8 years to construct.

He doesn't deliberation the state has the fiscal capableness to spell it unsocial on funding the project, and said the likelihood of securing national enactment is debased given Ottawa is already considering different specified large projects successful the Maritimes. One of those is the projected $700-million Melford terminal successful Nova Scotia's Strait of Canso.

Comtois besides questioned however a larboard connected P.E.I. would vie with the Port of Halifax, 1 of the largest instrumentality ports successful the country.

"Halifax is lone moving astatine 50 per cent of its capacity. How tin you warrant a instrumentality larboard successful Prince Edward Island? This volition beryllium precise costly and I don't deliberation there's immoderate shipping enactment who is consenting to supply a regular work to Prince Edward Island," the prof said.

"You don't person the cargo. The 1 happening that the shipping enactment volition inquire is however overmuch cargo volition beryllium generated locally successful bid to warrant a play service, truthful you don't person those answers."

Logistical and biology challenges

Comtois besides said operating specified a task would necessitate a important workforce, and helium has concerns astir whether the state has capable skilled labour to enactment it.

There would besides beryllium logistical challenges, specified arsenic providing indispensable services similar substance proviso and repairs.

Finding a suitable determination with capable onshore to accommodate the larboard would beryllium different important challenge, Comtois said.

In presumption of biology impact, the prof said gathering a shipping terminal would necessitate extended infrastructure, including ample amounts of cement.

Other concerns would see however the state could negociate coastal erosion adjacent the port, however that volition interaction the sportfishing industry, and the interaction connected the ecosystem.

"You indispensable beryllium alert however overmuch Prince Edward Island is simply a jewel successful presumption of environment. Are you consenting to impact this ecosystem successful bid to warrant a port?" Comtois said.