The head of Windsor's Port Authority believes it's time to rise to the challenge as a potential hub for the North American Midwest.
The Port Authority unveiled a new logo Wednesday morning during a media event at Sterling Fuels in Windsor, along with a new slogan, "Prosperity Flows". In addition, the authority announced a new vision as the Gordie Howe International Bridge project is underway, with the ultimate goal being to make Windsor the chief gateway for international trade in Canada.
Steve Salmons, president and CEO of the authority, was taken aback once he found out that Hamilton and the Niagara region were designated as the chief trade portal. With the Gordie Howe Bridge project, he says it's time for Windsor to get that designation.
"The port has come out of its slumber," said Salmons. "For too long, we have been a quiet economic powerhouse in this city. I don't think people realize that a thousand people work here, that there are hundreds of millions of activities, that there are millions and millions in payroll."
The port of Windsor handles over five million tons of cargo each year, yet Toronto, which is the nation's largest city, has two million tons going through its docks. Windsor handles over 600 ships a year, an average of roughly two per day.
Salmons said the region needs to make the most out of the opportunities being brought as a fully-integrated, international hub for various modes of transport, especially with the United States in the region's backyard.
"Our transportation system is connected," said Salmons. "Our rail is connected. Our transportation road system is connected, our marine system is connected. We have all these connections that communities across this province, across this country and in fact I'll tell you, across this continent, wish they had."
The logo unveiled Wednesday depicts a space going down the middle, representing the Detroit River, with the shapes on either side representing Windsor and Detroit. The wavy lines between the shapes symbolize the forms of transport moving through the port of Windsor.
Windsor Port Authority logo, May 8, 2019. Blackburn News file photo.