Parrish & Heimbecker, a Canadian shipping and export company, wants to build a 38,000 tonne, high -capacity, high-throughput agricultural facility on Picton Bay.

It will be able to process 300,000 tonnes of grain a year, the equivalent of 10 lakers. 

The company uses two different kinds of vessels, lakers for travelling the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, and smaller ocean-going vessels with a capacity of 21,000 tonnes, designed to move from smaller inland ports and waterways to ocean ports.

The company will lease land from Picton Terminals for the port. It plans to build 8 concrete silos on a seven-acre site, not on the cliff, but at water level for easier loading. The silos will rise between 140 and 170 feet high, but visibility will be limited.

P & H Vice President Terminals Darryl Markle stressed that his company’s project has nothing to do with Picton Terminals’ request that the County seek an MZO from the Ontario government. The new port will not involve container shipping and does not require any new zoning.

“We are going with the terms clarified in the 2018 Ontario Superior Court decision,” said Mr. Markle. “That allows for bulk cargo transhipment at the port. Our project is completely outside any other plans Picton Terminals may have.”

P & H representatives are currently in discussions with County planning staff about building permits. The company is planning an open house later this fall, to which the media and residents will be invited to see plans and drawings, and, perhaps, one of its ships.

The port is expected to attract farmers from across the region, but Mr. Markle stressed he expects local traffic for the port. The company estimates the 300,000 tonnes of grain capacity will mean 7,000 truck loads a year, or 140 trucks a week traveling Hwy 49 to Picton Bay.

When it comes to the environmental advantages of shipping, Mr. Markle is emphatic. “They are so regulated you would not believe it. These lakers are cleaner than a 10 HP outboard motor. They are not allowed to pollute the water or the air.”

P & H employs specialized loading equipment to mitigate dust. “We have a special loading spout to move grain from the silo to the boat,” he said. “We don’t want someone who has a cottage across the Bay seeing big plumes of corn dust.” 

Loading a laker takes about two days, depending on weather. P & H ships grain across the Great Lakes, through the St. Lawrence seaway, and to Halifax, from where it is bound for Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. “Feed corn goes to our customers in Ireland and the U.K., where it goes straight into feed production for livestock. We also ship Canadian wheat to Mexico, where it is used in cookies and tortillas.”

The company expects two kinds of farmers will use the new port. Those larger farms that now must truck harvests to ports at Hamilton, Montreal, or Johnstown, will save hundreds of thousands of dollars every year with a local port allowing direct service to the coast. 

“Producers in this area have been trapped. The cost of freight has trapped them and a lack of nearby shipping options,” said Mr. Markle. His company has been planning the port for almost ten years.

Smaller farms too may well begin to truck loads to the port rather than to the P & H grain elevator and rail link at Trenton. Mr. Markle notes the high capacity of 38,000 tonnes in silos, more than a laker can hold, means there won’t be much of a wait. 

The company expects to start building later this fall. Mr. Markle notes that the new silos will be built on bedrock, not on reclaimed port lands. “That means it’s really stable for building already. In fact, it’s a really good spot for a grain terminal. Pilings are not necessary, which lowers expense and speeds up construction time.”

The new port will be ready to receive grain by the winter of 2026, and to ship in spring, when the seaway opens in late March or early April. 

“We always say we are feeding the world, and it’s true. Canada feeds the world. The County feeds the world, with top quality Canadian grain.”