Economic and Environmental Issues of the Proposed Extension of the Winter Navigation Season and Improvements on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

Abstract

The Governments of the United States and Canada must decide in the near future if vessel and cargo transit on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway (GL-SLS) is to be operated at capacity or the system be improved to accommodate the projected increases. Portions of the GL-SLS could approach operating capacity in the mid-1980s and options to increase capacity include extending the present 8 1/ 2 month navigation season to 11–12 months, and/or upgrading existing facilities to accommodate larger vessels. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is one of the few groups which has examined this issue in depth, and has concluded that it is technically and economically feasible to increase the capacity. The economic and environmental issues of the Corps proposal are discussed as viewed from a Canadian perspective. Total cost of the proposed improvements is difficult to establish because some economic costs and benefits can be identified while others are less obvious, and environmental costs and benefits have not been adequately assessed to provide the basis for a rational judgment. The major economic and environmental concerns are discussed to demonstrate the need for more information that would be required by both countries to make an equitable decision. An evaluation of the proposed improvements to the GL-SLS on the environmental resources of Canada is presented. Environmentally sensitive areas such as shorelines, wetlands, and inshore and shallow areas along the interconnecting waterways have been characterised and it is evident that a large percentage of these areas occur within Canadian waters. Furthermore, most of the major capital improvements proposed for the system are in Canada. In view of this, it is suggested that the cost-sharing arrangement between the U.S. and Canada proposed by the Corps of Engineers for improvements on the GL-SLS would not be in the best interest of Canada.