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HOPA Ports reports strong first-half performance in 2023 navigation season

The Great Lakes shipping season is now at the half-way mark, and HOPA Ports is seeing positive trends in the year-to-date cargo results for its Ontario facilities. The Port of Hamilton is reporting consistent strength in steel, fertilizer and grain, while the Port of Oshawa sees steady demand for cement and asphalt, supplying local construction and urban infrastructure projects around the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area. To-date, Hamilton has handled nearly 3.8 million MT of cargo; while more than 130,000MT has transited the Port of Oshawa.

Agri-food products are leading the charge in Hamilton; close to 1 million MT of grain has transited the port this season, along with 243,000 MT of fertilizer, and 43,000 MT of raw sugar. “We have been anticipating a strong year for the agri-food sector,” said Larissa Fenn, VP of Corporate Affairs at HOPA Ports. “We continue to make investments to be able to support both grain exports as well as domestic food processing supply chains.”

HOPA is equally encouraged by year-to-date results in steel commodities at the Port of Hamilton. More than 270,000 MT of finished steel has transited the port so far this year, a 43% increase over the same period in 2022. Finished steel is processed locally for use in the auto manufacturing, major appliances, and local construction industries.

“As the largest port in Ontario, Hamilton plays a crucial role in connecting our global supply chains and we are encouraged by the cargo volumes we’re seeing at this point in the navigation season,” said Fenn.

At the Port of Oshawa, more than 62,000 MT of cement has been delivered since the beginning of the year, an increase of 27% over the same period last year. Cement is processed locally for construction projects across the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area. “Oshawa continues to serve as a highly efficient gateway to supply essential construction materials to residential and civil infrastructure projects within the GTHA,” said Fenn. Oshawa has also seen increases across the board in steel products, including beams, coils and pipe products.

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Larissa Fenn

Vice President, Corporate Affairs

Larissa Fenn is Vice President, Corporate Affairs at HOPA Ports, leading a team responsible for communications and government relations, sustainability reporting, corporate governance and corporate culture.

Previous positions included communications and public policy roles at the Canadian Bankers Association, Credit Valley Conservation Authority, and the Regional Municipality of Halton.

Larissa holds a B.A.(Hons) in Political Science from Queen’s University. She holds the APR designation from the Canadian Public Relations Society, and completed the Senior Public Sector Leaders program at the University of Western Ontario, Ivey School of Business. Larissa has served as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Royal Botanical Gardens, and as a member of the Policy Council of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.

Bill Fitzgerald

Vice President, Strategic Development

Bill assumed the role of Vice President, Strategic Development in 2024, after having served as HOPA’s Vice President, Operations since 2008.

Bill joined the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority in July 1995 as Project Engineer. He previously worked with the Regional Municipality of Ottawa’s Transportation Department, as well as for the Toronto Transit Commission and the City of Waterloo.

Bill received a Bachelor of Applied Science, civil engineering / water resources, in 1995 from the University of Waterloo and registered with the Professional Engineers of Ontario in 1997.

Jeremy Dunn

Vice President, Operations

Jeremy assumed the role of Vice President, Operations in 2024 after having served as HOPA’s Commercial Vice President since 2019. Prior to joining HOPA, Jeremy served in successive leadership roles at The Miller Group, one of Canada’s leading transportation construction and infrastructure maintenance companies. Jeremy has managed multiple business groups in the heavy construction, asphalt paving and aggregates sectors driving results through business restructuring, service improvement and strategic growth. In his most recent role, Jeremy served as General Manager of Miller Maintenance, responsible for managing and growing Miller’s highway maintenance business in Ontario.

Previous to The Miller Group, Jeremy held the position of Director of Operations for the Dunn Group of Companies.

Jeremy earned his Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) through Queen’s University. He also holds a Master’s Certificate in Project Management.

Janet Knight

Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer for the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority since 2008, Janet joined the HPA in 1998 as Accounting Supervisor and subsequently served as Controller.

Prior to joining the HPA, Janet held the position of Financial Analyst with St. Joseph’s Hospital, as well as various positions, including Marketing Communications/Research Lead with Zeneca Agro. Janet graduated from McMaster University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Commerce. She attained the professional designation of Certified Management Accountant in 1992.

Ian Hamilton

President & CEO

Ian Hamilton is President & CEO of HOPA Ports (Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority). He assumed this role in 2017, after serving as the Port Authority’s Vice President of Business Development and Real Estate since 2008. Ian has been instrumental in developing working waterfronts in Hamilton, Oshawa, and Niagara by attracting new business and private investment, and creating an integrated marine network across Southern Ontario.

Ian possesses more than 25 years of experience in international transportation and logistics in Europe and North America, and has held progressively senior positions in the liner shipping industry, including Transatlantic Trade Director (Europe) for CP Ships and Business Development Manager for Hapag-Lloyd. Ian is Chairperson of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities, and holds positions on various other boards, including: the Chamber of Marine Commerce, the Hamilton Club, and Brigs Youth Sail Training.

Ian holds an MBA from Aston University (UK) and a BSc in business administration and economics from the College of Charleston, South Carolina.

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