Thunder Bay port on a five-year high.

• Position: Brief article

July proved to be another strong month for grain cargoes through the Port of Thunder Bay.

Grain shipments through the western Lake Superior port are 26 per cent higher than the five-year average and are on par with last year's pace, which was the port's strongest season since 1997.

In an Aug. 5 news release, the Thunder Bay Port Authority said this past July was the second-best July in 18 years.

It's expected that grain volume will decline this fall compared to last year's run, but should still remain strong.

There are some indicators that this year's Western Canada grain harvest won't compare with the bumper crops experienced over the last two seasons, but the port's catchment area, on the eastern end of the Prairies, has...