Too many boats, not enough parking: Calls for expansion of Goderich port

A ship from Italy is in Goderich's port, ready to take Ontario grown beans, to Europe.

"I am personally fielding calls on a weekly basis for use of additional space that we just don't have here now," said Frank Hurkmans, president of Goderich's Port Management Corporation.

Hurkmans added, there’s more ships just like it with no place to go.

He is lobbying for a $50-million expansion of Goderich's port, that would see 11 acres of Lake Huron infilled with rock and stone, allowing for new docks, and landing spots for goods from around the world.

Four acres was added to Goderich's port in 2018, and Hurkmans said they've already outgrown that expansion.

"We've got a commitment for about $10 million from some of our private, interested parties. And basically, the balance of that $50 million would need to come from grants from both the federal and provincial governments," he said.

Hurkmans said the port expansion would see a lot more than just the traditional salt, grain, and aggregate, going in and out.

A drawing of the proposed 11 acres of Lake Huron to be filled in for a $50-million expansion of Goderich’s Port. Oct. 24, 2024. (Source: Goderich Port Management Corporation)

He sees sea containers, liquid loads, and project materials, like for Bruce Power's nuclear reactor refurbishment project, coming through the port, if it can expand.

"Every extra ship that comes into the Port of Goderich, takes something like 600 trucks off the road. So, it's about being more efficient with moving goods around the province and around the Great Lakes," said Executive Director of the Huron Chamber of Commerce, Colin Carmichael.

For many in southwestern Ontario, Goderich's Port is where you get to come and watch big ships. It's the cute little port in the cute little town, but Goderich is really a major player in North American shipping.

"From a volume perspective, the Port of Goderich is the third largest in the province of Ontario. It's in the top 10 in the country," said Hurkmans — with opportunity to move up that list, if he can find the political will for a $50 million expansion.

"It's time to grow here in Goderich," he said.