Ontario to invest CA$2.8M for upgrades to Lake Superior ports

[Editor's note: This article has been updated to correctly identify Canadian Pacific Railway/CPKC as the railroad that the Marathon terminal previously connected to, not CN.]

 Ontario is investing CA$2.8 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) for infrastructure upgrades at the Port of Thunder Bay and the Peninsula Harbour Port Authority in the town of Marathon.

Both terminals are key gateways in northwestern Ontario for expanding east-west trade in Canada, strengthening domestic supply chains and creating good-paying jobs in the North, while reducing reliance on U.S. customers, province officials said in a press release.

The Thunder Bay Port Authority (TBPA) is receiving CA$804,955 in NOHFC funding to expand staging and storage at its Keefer Terminal by 10 acres. 

"Strategically located as the furthest inland port in Canada, this premier intermodal facility is a vital supply chain link serving western Canada and Northern Ontario," said Chris Heikkinen, CEO of the Port of Thunder Bay. "Expanding laydown capacity will enhance our ability to handle increased and more diversified cargo, supporting inbound opportunities and improving vessel availability for bulk exports."

The port is located at the western end of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System and has on-dock connections to CN and CPKC. Over 10.7 million metric tons of cargo moved through Thunder Bay in 2025.

In addition, the Peninsula Harbour Port Authority (PHPA) will receive CA$2 million in NOHFC funding to repurpose unused commercial docks in Marathon to create a marine terminal. The PHPA was incorporated in November 2020 through a partnership between the Town of Marathon and Biigtigong Nishnaabeg First Nation.

The terminal is expected to be operational by late 2027. Restoring the 0.3-mile rail spur that once connected the property to a Canadian Pacific Railway, now CPKC, mainline is not part of the project’s initial planning, according to a recent report in Northern Ontario Business. 

With an annual budget of CA$110 million, the NOHFC supports public and private sector economic development projects across northern Ontario.