Port of Oshawa recently welcomed members of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce to its first Port Day, an opportunity for the local business community to get a first-hand glimpse of the inner workings of our national-deep sea port.
“Not everyone is aware that the port is such a huge economic driver,” said Nancy Shaw, CEO & General Manager of the local chamber. “This was a great way to educate our members about how the port serves industry and the millions of dollars in cargo that’s shipped through here each year.”
As official tour guide, Donna Taylor, President and CEO of Oshawa Port Authority provided the commentary, explaining how the port came to the rescue with green road salt during a sudden snow storm one St. Paddy’s day, and how the port plans to get back into the “green business” and support the farming community through the installation of a special conveyor belt to move grain.
“The tour was a chance for us to show local chamber members the sheer size and scope of our port operations,” said Gary Valcour, Chair of the Port Authority. “Many were taken by the range of industry the port supports from steel and potash to salt and liquid asphalt.”
Chamber members also gained a greater appreciation of the port’s international reach. The bus wheeled past delicate specialty piping that arrived from Turkey for local building construction and massive windmill blades made in Portugal for a German company, shipped on a Dutch vessel, destined for regional wind farms to be assembled by Canadian crews.