North America's Central Trade Waterway - By the Numbers

Nowhere in North America is as close to the heart of the continent’s trade economy as Niagara’s Welland Canal – and the numbers bear it out.

More than $375 billion in trade has been carried through the St. Lawrence Seaway since 1959. The Canal, and Niagara in general, lie at a strategic location: With clear marine routes through to major markets across North America and the world, and with access to land infrastructure for even more transport and connection options.

How close is the Welland Canal to major cities by water? From Port Colborne in south Niagara, a ship would have to travel just over 601 kilometres (around 374 miles) to reach Montreal. That same ship would have to sail just 84 kilometres, or 52 miles, to reach Toronto from Niagara.

Ports on Lake Erie are even closer: Just 105 kilometres (65 miles) to Erie, PA, 257 kilometres (160 miles) to Cleveland, OH and 381 kilometres (237 miles) to Toledo, OH. Detroit, at 393 kilometres (244 miles) away, is a similarly short sail.

Ports in Chicago, Milwaukee, Thunder Bay and Duluth, MN are also within reach from the Welland Canal. A ship sailing from Port Colborne would cross 1,411 kilometres (877 miles) before putting in at Chicago, for instance.

How fast a trip does that translate to? The average ship can make it from Duluth to the Atlantic Ocean in about 8.5 days. That single ship can carry as much as 963 transport trucks, while producing only 15% of the emissions.

The Canal is surrounded by 400-series highways and both long and short-line railway. A land vehicle would have to travel just 350 kilometres to reach Detroit, 565 kilometres to reach Columbus, Ohio and New York City within 650 kilometres. Major cities like Ottawa, Boston, Quebec City, Washington and Indianapolis are also accessible.

Overall, the Canal puts about 130 million people within a day’s drive, or within a short-sea marine trip. From Niagara’s Welland Canal Corridor, an economic region with a total GDP of more than $5.6 trillion can be accessed with ease.

Niagara is Ontario’s historic industrial heartland and a hub of marine transportation. There’s no better place to be than the Welland Canal Corridor for companies looking to be close to the pulse of North American trade.