The president of the Goderich Port Management Corporation says construction on the harbour expansion is now scheduled to start next spring.
The expansion was originally a $46-million partnership between the town, the province, and Compass Minerals to add 15 acres of land to the harbour. But Compass exercised its right to pull out of the agreement.
Roland Howe says provincial funding is still in place for a scaled-down expansion of four acres at a cost of about $16-million. Construction should start next spring and take about 18 months.
Howe says it's too early to say what the expansion will mean in terms of new jobs or development, but he adds as they market the new space they'll get a better idea of what can be done with it. The hope is the harbour can become the gateway to the whole area.