RC123 MarApr 2026 - Magazine - Page 42
CLOSING SHOT
REIMAGINING
TORONTO’S
WATERFRONT FOR
THE NEXT CENTURY
by RJ Steenstra
COME FROM A DUTCH FAMILY and ancestry, and perhaps that explains why
the water has always felt familiar to me. The Netherlands is a country
shaped by people who understood that prosperity 昀氀ows from moving
goods, people and ideas across the water. My father was both an avid
sailor and an airline captain, so my Canadian childhood was immersed
in transportation, movement and connection, and these concepts shaped
my worldview.
That is why leading the Toronto Port Authority—owner and operator of
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, the Port of Toronto, and other properties
and assets—feels both natural and energizing. Toronto is a global city, but
it is also a harbour city, something we sometimes forget. For 115 years,
our waterfront drove this region’s growth. It connected us to the world,
brought jobs and industry to our shores and helped shape the modern city
that rises from the lake’s edge.
Earlier this year we reintroduced the Toronto Port Authority name,
replacing PortsToronto, re昀氀ecting that history and signalling the future
we will help build: a renewed commitment to city-building, investment in
infrastructure, economic growth and a harbour ready for the next century.
But this is a change that isn’t about nostalgia. It positions us to respond
to the economic pressures and opportunities shaping Toronto and Canada
today.
The Toronto region is growing rapidly. Canada is rethinking how
we secure supply chains, diversify trade routes and modernize the
infrastructure that supports our economic sovereignty. Cities around the
world are transforming their waterfronts into places to live, work and
innovate. Toronto now has an opportunity to reimagine its harbour not as
a collection of assets, but as an integrated transportation ecosystem and
economic engine.
That vision begins with recognizing the signi昀椀cant role our assets
already play. The Port of Toronto imports the essentials that keep the
region running. Steel, cement, aggregate, sugar and road salt arrive
through the port and support construction, industry, food production
and winter safety. These supply lines stretch across Europe, Asia, Central
and South America and the South Paci昀椀c, making Toronto one of the few
Canadian gateways not reliant on U.S. imports and therefore more resilient
to tari昀昀 uncertainty. Amid geopolitical volatility, this diversi昀椀cation
matters. And as the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence trade corridor modernizes,
Toronto can play an even greater role. With targeted investments, the Port
has the potential to move signi昀椀cantly more cargo by 2030.
RJ Steenstra
is president and CEO of
the Toronto Port Authority.
42—RENEW CANADA –MARCH/APRIL 2026
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, meanwhile, is one of Canada’s
busiest airports and a major economic engine, generating $2 billion in
annual output and supporting nearly 4,500 jobs. With U.S. preclearance
now open, and as airlines expand service, Billy Bishop Airport is
entering a new era that will expand its reach and impact.
Our cruise terminal is another powerful yet quiet contributor. A few
years ago, only a handful of ships arrived each season; in 2025, nearly
50 visited, bringing nearly 20,000 passengers and injecting millions into
Toronto’s economy.
Together, these assets underline a simple truth: the harbour is not a
single-use space. The world’s great waterfront cities embrace mixeduse models where commerce, community life and recreation reinforce
one another. Toronto can do the same while re昀氀ecting our own identity
and priorities.
Looking ahead, the greatest untapped opportunity for Toronto is the
water itself. For decades we have focused on roads, subways and rail to
address congestion. Yet we have a blue highway running through the
heart of the region. Marine mobility can connect communities along the
shoreline, ease pressure on roads and transit and link directly to our
island airport. It could transform how people move across the city. As
partners explore new services, including new projects like Hoverlink,
this potential is becoming real.
We also have an opportunity to strengthen the Great Lakes by
collaborating with other Canadian inland ports, supporting short-sea
shipping and playing a broader role in national trade diversi昀椀cation.
With coordinated investment, including through the Trade
Diversi昀椀cation Corridors Fund, we can unlock capacity that bene昀椀ts
the region and the country.
Toronto’s future will depend on how well we use the assets that
de昀椀ne us. The water is one of them. It always has been. Now it is time
to embrace its full potential.
RENEWCANADA.NET
TORONTO PORT AUTHORITY
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