Thunder Bay Port Authority to expand cargo storage capacity

Port officials in Thunder Bay are looking to increase the amount of heated storage space at Keefer Terminal as part of the port's push to diversify its business.

The port authority is slated to break ground later this year on a new 3,700 square metre building at the terminal that will be able to house a variety of cargo, even when the thermometer plummets.

It will be the second heated storage facility at the terminal, port CEO Tim Heney said, after one was opened in 2005.

"Most of the buildings at Keefer are 50 years old now and were built for seasonal use so that most of them aren't heated," he said.

"We've determined that it's a good idea to continue on with heated structures, that way we can attract more storage business, more marine cargo, as well as support local industry."

The building is expected to cost between $7 million and $8 million, Heney said. $1 million in funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation was announced on Friday.

Heney said the plan is to have the facility open in 2018.

The existing heated facility has been used to house a variety of things, he said, including pulp and paper, mining equipment, and other project cargo that needs to be stored while en route to the Prairies.