Concept image of Port of Johnstown Phosphate handling facility. When fully operational, the terminal is expected to handle as much as 400,000 tonnes of phosphate fertilizer annually, close to 20 per cent of Canada’s annual phosphate demand. CNW Photo
EDWARDSBURGH/CARDINAL – A new fertilizer terminal under construction at the Port of Johnstown could provide Canadian farmers with an alternative to the United States for importing a critical agricultural input, according to its developers.
Canadian farm leaders and federal officials toured the Odyssey Terminal on Aug. 13 as construction continued on the project, which is being developed by eastern Ontario-based V6 Agronomy Inc.
When fully operational, the terminal is expected to handle as much as 400,000 tonnes of phosphate fertilizer annually, close to 20 per cent of Canada’s annual phosphate demand.
The tour was hosted by Fertilizer Canada and included representatives from federal departments, national farm organizations and the transportation sector.
Phosphorus is essential to crop production, but Canada does not produce phosphate fertilizer. More than two million tonnes of commercial phosphate products are imported into Canada each year, with approximately 60 per cent moving from or through the United States before reaching Canadian farms.
V6 Agronomy says that dependence on a single major trade corridor leaves Canadian farmers vulnerable to disruptions in cross-border trade.
“Every spring, Canadian farmers depend on a fertilizer supply chain that runs through another country,” said Ryan Brophy, chief executive officer of V6 Agronomy.
“That has been true for decades, and nobody built the alternative because the infrastructure economics never worked. They work now, and we are putting it in the ground.”
Under the company’s plan, ocean vessels will unload phosphate and enhanced-efficiency fertilizers directly at Johnstown. The products can then be shipped by rail to distribution points across the Prairies, where the majority of Canada’s phosphate fertilizer is consumed.
About 85 per cent of Canada’s annual phosphate imports are used in Western Canada.
The terminal is also being designed to make use of the rail network in both directions. Rather than returning east empty after delivering fertilizer to Western Canada, railcars could transport Canadian grain back to Johnstown for export through the port’s existing facilities.
V6 Agronomy says the two-way movement of commodities is intended to improve the economics of the transportation corridor while reducing transportation costs and emissions associated with moving each tonne of product.
The project has already had an opportunity to test some of its infrastructure. The first vessel unloaded at the terminal in late 2025, providing an early test of the berth, unloading equipment and rail connection.
Construction of the permanent facility began in July, with the first building scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
While most of the fertilizer handled at the terminal is expected to move west, some will remain in eastern Ontario to supply agricultural retailers serving more than 1,600 farms within the port’s service area.
The project comes as Canada places greater emphasis on domestic food security and more resilient supply chains amid continuing uncertainty in international trade.
When the federal government’s National Food Security Strategy was launched in June, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada’s food system relies too heavily on foreign suppliers and called for “more choice, more control, and more Canada.”
Catherine King, vice-president of corporate affairs at Fertilizer Canada, said the Johnstown project illustrates the role smaller Canadian ports can play in strengthening agricultural supply chains.
“Canadian farmers depend on imports of phosphates to grow their crops,” said King. “Canada’s fertilizer industry and our farmer customers rely on Canada’s trade infrastructure to ensure the products they need get to them when they need it most.”
“It was great to see firsthand how smaller Canadian ports can play an essential role in strengthening Canada’s supply chains and diversifying our trade,” she added.
For the Port of Johnstown, the terminal represents an opportunity to make greater use of existing marine and transportation infrastructure.
“The Port of Johnstown has moved agricultural goods for decades, and this is the kind of investment that puts underused capacity to work,” said Leslie Drynan, general manager of the Port of Johnstown.
“It brings volume, it brings jobs to this township, and it gives growers a Canadian route for a product they cannot farm without.”
The municipally owned deepwater port is operated by the Township of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal and has marine, rail and highway connections. It can accommodate up to six Seawaymax vessels at a time, with individual cargoes of up to 24,000 tonnes.
For V6 Agronomy, however, the significance of the project extends beyond fertilizer storage and handling.
The company says establishing a Canadian-controlled supply route would give farmers another option at a time when international trade relationships and agricultural input costs remain uncertain.
The company, based in eastern Ontario, handles fertilizer at Johnstown, operates a distribution hub at Wilcox, Sask., and develops patented fertilizer technologies.
If successful, the Johnstown terminal could become an important link in a more diversified Canadian fertilizer supply chain, providing farmers with an alternative route for a product essential to maintaining crop production while making greater use of Canada’s own ports, railways and transportation infrastructure.
