Like Santa Claus, the Harper Conservatives are checking their list..

As the Federal Government makes its plans to try and spend the nation out of the oncoming recession/depression (depending on which financial guru or writer you consult), Prince Rupert can take some solace in the idea that we've cracked the top twenty to do's for Mr. Harper and his Ministers.

The Daily News outlined our lofty place as number seventeen on their list of jobs to be done (pending financial abilities we assume) as the Phase Two portion of the Fairview Container Port marks its spot on the priority list for the Federal Government.

That would seem to be good news one would think, placing us on the radar as they say of federal funding, but interestingly enough at the moment its a similar project ranked as number forty that seems to be attracting the bulk of the cash flow, all be it from the Provincial government, as the Delta port expansion project picks up some 650 million dollars in support from Gordon Campbell's Liberal government.

This despite the call for the Prince Rupert option to be fast tracked as the priority project, such is the controversy of the expansion of Delta Port and its impact on the environment in the Surrey and Delta areas of Metropolitan Vancouver.

In a recent edition of the Tyee, the call to make Prince Rupert the gateway for BC over the Deltaport option was given a sounding with a prominent Delta critic outlining his thoughts on the idea.

With the Federal Government seeming to be prioritizing the Rupert option (it's expected that Phase Two will receive some 770 million dollars for the Phase Two plans in 2009) the Provincial Liberals are still apparently focusing on the cluttered Lower Mainland port, a process that is gathering critics with each day.

The Daily News article provides a good review of the Delta project and its controversial nature as well as the prospect of expansion for Fairview, providing the Campbell Liberal's share in the prioritization of the project.

Feds put phase two of port on their shortlist
By George T. Baker
The Daily News
Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Page three

The Port of Prince Rupert's Phase Two is 'number 17' on the federal government's to-do list for 2009.

North Coast MLA Gary Coons thinks the provincial government needs to see that it becomes 'number one' on its port priority list.

Coons was reacting to a joint announcement by B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Surrey this week to officially launch construction on the South Fraser Perimeter Road - a four-lane expressway that will link the Deltaport to the Trans-Canada Highway.

"It's good news that infrastructure funding is coming to B.C. but again instead of massive road and environmental degradation, I believe, as does Forestry Minister Pat Bell, any federal infrastructure spending needs to be invested in to the Port of Prince Rupert," said Coons.
In December, Bell mentioned the port as a priority for the BC Liberal government but, since then, there have been no public notices regarding promised spending from either levels of senior government.

Monday, Campbell promised $650 million toward the controversial Deltaport project that has seen a lot of local opposition, most of which stems from the possible adverse effects the expanded road service to Burns Bog, an environmentally sensitive are of Southern Surrey.

In a letter dated Aug. 20, 2008 to the Metro Vancouver Chair, council members and committee members, members of the Burns Bog Conservation Society wrote that The Conservation Covenant signed in March of 2004 by four levels of government the GVRD (Metro Vancouver), Corporation of Delta, Canada and B.C. Provincial Government states it was to protect and preserve Burns Bog, has not been respected:

"It is clear that the recent environmental assessment process has not adequately addressed the protection of Burns Bog and the flora and fauna that depend on the bog."

The BBCS said that there are three main areas of concern: Bog hydrology; geochemistry of the Bog by drift of particulate matter and chemicals onto the Bog; and risks to the wildlife associated with Burns Bog.

"The evidence is that the South Fraser Perimeter Road will have adverse impacts on Burns Bog and, as such, to proceed with the South Fraser Perimeter Road as presently configured will impair, diminish, negatively affect or alter the bog from the condition described in the Burns Bog Ecosystem Review."

Coons was far more blunt than that.

"That is a vital part of our eco-system and here we are paving it over for a parking lot," said Coons.

According to information obtained by Canwest News Services, the port should expect an infusion of cash for the $770 million project from the federal government for Phase Two in 2009.
While the story claimed that the Prince Rupert port is 'number 17', it also claimed that the Deltaport is 'number 40' on the same list.

So far, however, many critics believe the B.C. government appears more focused on the Deltaport than the Prince Rupert Port.

"British Columbians see Prince Rupert as key for infrastructure, and the federal government does but the premier is missing the boat."

Setback for Port expansion plans

The Globe and Mail is reporting on line and in print today, that the expansion plans for the Fairview Container Port have been delayed by at least eighteen months, reportedly owing to financing troubles and the current worldwide economic climate.

According to the Globe and Mail, which obtained what it describes as confidential documents, the Port Authority has hit what is called a debt wall and will not be able to seek out borrowing on the port's 200 million dollar share of the project to see it move forward. A point that is disputed by Don Krusel of the Port Authority, who is quoted in the Globe article as describing the delay of expansion plans until 2010, as more of a result of the global economic slowdown, a tidal wave of economic factors in the shipping world, than any internal financing difficulties.

The full Globe report will make for interesting reading for local residents who have been hearing much of the ports potential and the much discussed expansion as the engine for the local economy, an engine which at the moment seems to be sputtering a bit.

Also of interest is almost a throwaway line about how Chinese interests had considered building a seperate container facility in the city, which probably will have many in the community automatically thinking of the SunWave investors and their less than speedy regeneration of the Watson Island pulp mill. That bit of intrigue may cause many to wonder if the long running saga of Watson Island perhaps may have been earmarked more as the site of a potential competitive port, rather than a pulp mill.

The Globe story provides for all sorts of behind the scenes details and speculation and a fair amount of background on the high risk world of major project funding, though in the end, the anticipated official announcement of the delay, will make for a disappointing development in the much anticipate port expansion.

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It will be a delay which will no doubt have an impact on the local economy from real estate through to supplies and services, not to mention as a blow to the morale for the battered north coast economy, still suffering from the fall out of the forestry meltdown in the region and the disastrous state of the fishery.

B.C. port expansion delayed
PATRICK BRETHOUR
December 19, 2008

The port of Prince Rupert is delaying the expansion of its container terminal by at least 18 months, as the global recession and its own financing woes dash hopes of breaking ground on the $650-million project next year.

According to a confidential study commissioned by the federal government, a summary of which was obtained by The Globe and Mail, the port authority has hit the debt wall, with the decline in shipping volumes meaning it will breach federal requirements on its current loans of $22-million.

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The port authority's limited cash flow, and inability to borrow against its lands, means it cannot support an increased debt burden and will not be able to borrow the $200-million needed for its portion of the Phase 2 expansion, concludes PricewaterhouseCoopers. Prince Rupert has "little or no financial flexibility to move forward with plans for Phase 2 in the short term," says the summary, written in August, before the full force of the economic crisis swept over the global shipping industry.

The head of the Prince Rupert Port Authority confirmed in an interview with The Globe yesterday that Phase 2 has been delayed, and will likely begin in late 2010 rather than the middle of next year.

But Don Krusel, the port authority's president and chief executive officer, attributed the delay to global economic conditions, and the resulting blow to shipping volumes, rather than to the organization's finances.

Shipping volumes at the container port have fallen far short of initial expectations that capacity would be fully taken up this year.

Instead, only about a third had been used as of the end of November, and traffic dipped from the month before. The volume of shipping to Prince Rupert in November, if maintained over a full year, would mean the container port would be running at about 60-per-cent capacity, Mr. Krusel said.

The container port may not reach the full capacity of its first phase until 2010, a consequence of the severe slowdown in transpacific shipping volumes. "You cannot push back against a tidal wave," Mr. Krusel said.

The tidal wave appears to be gathering force. A Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters survey released yesterday indicates that 52 per cent of companies say their orders will likely fall between now and March, l 2009, and that more than one-third believe their inventory levels are too high. Both responses point to reduced demand for imported goods.

The decline has touched virtually every category of products shipped from Asia, including consumer goods and components used in North American manufacturing operations. But West Coast ports have seen particularly steep declines in categories of goods that don't have to be delivered quickly.

The falloff in shipping volumes has demolished one of the key arguments for expansion at Prince Rupert - namely that other ports along the West Coast of North America were running at full capacity. "It was almost like a release valve," Mr. Krusel said.

Now, Prince Rupert must win business on its competitive merits, rather than by default. Mr. Krusel said his port is faring better than rival operations further south.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers document, a confidential memorandum to former transport minister Lawrence Cannon, says Transport Canada believes the port authority should pursue an "incremental approach" to expansion rather than the Phase 2 strategy, which would quadruple the capacity of the container port.

The summary notes that the port authority had not, by August, formally requested an increase in its borrowing limit, and that port officials were still debating their preferred mix of equity, debt and private sector investment. It goes on to say that Chinese investors had expressed interest in developing a separate container terminal in the Prince Rupert area.

Discussions on how to finance Phase 2 are still going on, Mr. Krusel said, while declining to comment on the specifics of those talks. However, the PricewaterhouseCoopers summary lays out four alternatives to simply borrowing $200-million. These include: outright privatization of the port; creation of an entity that would function like an airport authority, and which could use its property to underpin new borrowing; creation of a self-financing subsidiary; and a public-private partnership.

Mr. Krusel said "all options" are being explored.

For the first phase of the container port, the port authority was not able to increase its borrowing limit; the project was eventually launched as a private-public partnership jointly funded by the port authority, Maher Terminals, Canadian National Railway Co., and the provincial and federal governments. Maher has the right of first refusal on Phase 2.

The study summary raises the question that Maher may not be expecting significant traffic increases and will pursue expansion elsewhere. Mr. Krusel, while not commenting directly on that point, said Maher is part of the ongoing discussions. Company officials did not return calls yesterday.

The Coast Tsimshian and the federal government begin port negotiations towards a summer deadline.

“…with the framework finally in place and negotiations underway we are hopeful that Ottawa will move quickly and allow us to reach a settlement that is fair and respectful for our people.”-- Lax Kw'Alaams Chief John Helin commenting on the resumption of negotiations towards a settlement on issues related to Port development in Prince Rupert.

A press release issued today announced that the First Nations of the Coast Tsimshian and the Federal Government are working towards resolving their differences on key issues related to the development of the Container Port in Prince Rupert.

With a framework on discussion in place, the opportunity to resolve the issue is once again on the table and ready to move forward. The first result of the new spirit of cooperation was the announcement today to put in abeyance the current litigation over the development of Phase one, leaving the two sides better able to reach an agreement that both will find satisfactory.

The Coast Tsimshian are hopeful that these new negotiations will help to resolve the past concerns and allow them to support further development of the Port, which has ambitious plans to expand to take advantage of the new connection to China.

The resumption of talks will prove to be a welcome move on the North Coast, which is anxious to see the Fairview Container Port move ahead, while ensuring that the concerns of the First Nations are addressed as best as they can on the many issues that have arisen from the development.

The full press release outlines their concerns of the past and points the way they hope that the negotiations will take them into the future.

Lax Kw'Alaams, Metlakatla Negotiating With Canada and the Prince Rupert Port Authority Over Port Expansion Issues; Separate Archaeological Table Also Underway

PRINCE RUPERT, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - July 2, 2008) -

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The Lax Kw'Alaams and Metlakatla First Nations, known as the Coast Tsimshian, are pleased to have taken another step towards resolution of their concerns over expansion of the Port of Prince Rupert by negotiating with the Government of Canada and the Prince Rupert Port Authority.

Negotiations between the Coast Tsimshian and the federal government are underway in Vancouver and working towards a summer deadline. Litigation by the Coast Tsimshian over lack of consultation and accommodation on Phase 1 of the Fairview Terminal Expansion is in abeyance pending the results of negotiations.

"We have had some frustrations getting to this stage with the Government of Canada," says Lax Kw'Alaams Chief John Helin, "but with the framework finally in place and negotiations underway we are hopeful that Ottawa will move quickly and allow us to reach a settlement that is fair and respectful for our people."

"Our people want to be able to support the development of the Port," says Metlakatla Chief Harold Leighton, "and we look to these negotiations to resolve our outstanding issues, and that will allow us to support the development of the Port.

"Our ancestors have lived on the very land the Port wants to develop for more than 5000 years," says Leighton. "It is important to us that the burial sites and traces of our history that are here are protected and handled with proper care and integrity."Both Chiefs want to enter into a mutually beneficial agreement with the Government of Canada to establish and maintain a relationship centered on the development of the Port and related economic benefits.

A separate table has also been established to address archaeological issues.Numerous archaeologists including Dr. George MacDonald, OC, founding Director of the Canadian Museum of Civilization and Director of the Bill Reid Centre at Simon Fraser University, says archaeological sites at Prince Rupert harbour are unique on the west coast of North America in terms of the volume of middens, cultural artifacts, and human remains that are in place.

"We have recovered hundreds of intact artifacts plus more than 5000 pieces of wood, bone, or other materials that show evidence of being worked and shaped by hand," says Dr. MacDonald. "But of more importance are the human remains to be found in thousands of square meters of shell middens that are on-site."

These sites are of worldwide archaeological interest," says Dr. MacDonald, "and losing them to reckless development would be a terrible loss to the Tsimshian people and to world history."

They will be talking about us, and maybe they have pictures!

Our ears will be burning on April 30th when Seattle’s Canada-America Society, The University of Washington Canadian Studies Center and the British American Business Council, all combine their forces to present an evening information session on what’s going on up here in Prince Rupert.

The evenings chat will be presented by discussion led by Professor Anne Goodchild of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington.

The invitation to learn more of the workings of international trade advises that the Professor will address the on-going development of the Port of Prince Rupert and how it will affect ports and trade flows in British Columbia, Washington and Alaska.

Her past studies on the issue have included such areas as the analysis of logistic systems, with an emphasis on freight transportation. Professor Goodchild has also studied our part of the world as part of her fact finding missions, having analyzed historical infrastructure failures in the Skeena River Valley leading to Prince Rupert and the logistics practices enabled by the rural port concept.

She will bring to her discussion on April 30th, her interpretations of how the Port of Prince Rupert may impact on the other main ports of the West coast, including of course the Port of Seattle.

The title of her presentation is: The New Model for Port Development
and Consequences for Regional Trade

Oh, if we could only be a fly on the wall, or close enough to spend the fifteen bucks on our own and take in the discussion on whether we are a threat, a competitor or a compliment to the current shipping pecking order.

UW students and faculty apparently can get in for free, so if there are some Podunkians currently enrolled in those hallowed halls, feel free to take in the planning session for us and send the details back here to the home office!

Their thoughts are with us, just not their wallet, just yet

The Province is still a big booster for the Port of Prince Rupert, but last weeks provincial budget didn’t include much in the way of financial assistance for the next phase of development.

That’s not a sign of any kind of trouble on the horizon, more it’s an indication that the phase two plans aren’t quite ready for prime time yet.

The Daily featured Finance Minister Carole Taylor’s observations on the development as part of a front page story in Monday’s paper.

FINANCE MINISTER STILL BIG SUPPORTER OF RUPERT PORT

By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Monday, February 25, 2008

Pages one and three

While there was not any funding commitment to Phase II of the Fairview Container Terminal in the 2008 provincial budget, that does not mean the province is not fully committed to developing Prince Rupert as part of the Asia Pacific Gateway.

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Carole Taylor, the province's Minister of Finance, said in an exclusive interview with the Prince Rupert Daily News that the reason there were no funds directed toward the development of Phase II in this year's budget was that the plans for the terminal's expansion were not far enough along to have determined specific funding amounts.

However, to show faith in the development of the Asia Pacific Gateway, the province increased that budget for the Ministry of Economic Development by $40 million.

"This will help us get going on the trade policy," said Taylor.

The province is also pursuing a number of other initiatives that will support development of the Asia Pacific Gateway in this year's budget.

Taylor noted he B.C. government will be reducing the provincial tax rate for ports, sawmills and mines and other large industry.

"We are going to reduce the rate to meet the current rate for commercial business. Right now, these big industrial properties are paying extra tax to us and we know many of them are in industries that are facing some stresses," she said.

"So to try and help them, we will reduce it. That will mean $24 million every year that our major industries will save. That is an important one for all our communities."

Another initiative that will benefit ports is the $30 million Green Port's Initiative.

"It is our plan to electrify our ports so that when ships come in, they will be able to plug in, rather than keep their engines going, which can be quite polluting," said Taylor.

The Prince Rupert Port Authority had planned to offer this service starting with Phase II of the terminal, however this funding could help them move the project forward sooner.

In addition, the province has decided to extend the Ports Property Tax Act, which caps the level of taxation by municipalities on port properties. The province in turn then compensates municipalities for some of that lost revenue.

"For the first time, it will tie it to inflation and there will be an increase every year that will go towards that," said Taylor.

For the past three years, Prince Rupert has been receiving the biggest top-up from the province of all eligible municipalities: $1.38 million.

However, North Coast MLA Gary Coons has expressed concern that although there will be an increase based on inflation, the revenues handed over to the municipalities will continue to be based on 2003 levels of assessment.

Municipalities already must manage hazardous materials and provide policing for ports.
"These costs were downloaded onto communities by the federal government, and now the provincial government is denying them the ability to leverage the revenue they need to meet these obligations," said Coons, earlier this year. "Yet, they have fewer revenue streams than senior levels of government. Really, their only tool is property taxation. The compensation being offered is insufficient. And since it is not indexed to property value, every year it becomes even less adequate. It doesn't cover even half of the potential revenue losses most municipalities are absorbing currently."

Port seeks to expand secondary services to Fairview container facilities

In what would be a major boost to the local economy, the Port of Prince Rupert is exploring possible opportunities in warehousing, container stuffing and other logistical requirements for shippers through the Port of Prince Rupert.

The ability to create a "container gateway" as Shaun Stevenson described it to a recent Chamber of Commerce function, is considered a pivotal part of the plan to make Prince Rupert’s port a major player on the world shipping scene.

That gateway would create a level of secondary employment in the Prince Rupert area that doesn’t currently exist. By developing a stuffing and re-stuffing capacity for the city, the output through the Port would increase, of particular interest to the local fishing industry is the expression of interest in a cold storage facility.

That has been a long discussed facility going back to the days that BC Packers ran the Oceanside Cannery operation on George Hills Way. Since the Canadian Fish Company consolidated most of the local fishing industry a number of years ago, the topic has repeatedly been brought up, including in any number of civic election campaigns over the last ten or fifteen years.

Little progress seems to have taken place on that file over the years, but perhaps now that the Port is openly discussing and exploring the option the prospects may be on the front burner. That would be of great benefit to the fishing industry, allowing local fish processors to tap into the world market without having to send their products through Vancouver.

The spin off to that industry could see an increase in hours for local shore workers who have suffered through the various crisis situations that the fishery has found itself in over the last few years.

Cold Storage facilities would also allow those smaller companies to be more competitive with Canadian Fish and McMillan's, as they strive to create a niche for their products harvested near Prince Rupert and then hopefully processed and shipped in an expanded fashion locally.

It would be just one side benefit of an expansion of secondary facilities for the Port and provide a larger footprint for the local seafood industry to showcase its products.

In the week prior to Stevenson’s discussions this week at a Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce function, the Port announced that Kitimat's Rio Tinto-Alcan had taken advantage of our gateway to the world by sending ingots to Prince Rupert for stuffing into containers and export shipment through Prince Rupert.

It’s an indication of what the Port hopes will be the beginning of many other projects of similar style, which will bring more attention to the advantages available through the port of Prince Rupert.

During his luncheon speech Stevenson revealed some interesting details of the container ports progress so far since its opening in October.

16 vessels have called at the Port of Prince Rupert since operations began in the fall of 2007.

Maher Terminals has averaged off-loading at 22 containers per hour, and have handled a little more than 30,000 TEUs (average-sized containers.) This works out to about 20 per cent of their total capacity per month.

There have been strong volumes of export containers through the port, with an average of 36 per cent loaded containers outbound and hitting a high of over 50 per cent loaded one week.

There are of course challenges for the port as well, including one that is beyond their control that being the slowing down of the American economy. That is a situation which has made the task of attracting other container lines to call on the Fairview port a little bit harder as the world's shipping lines try to figure out where the transportation economy is heading .

With volumes down through west coast ports for the first time in twenty years, the job of attracting traffic through the Rupert facility is a daunting one. The key will be to provide a fast efficient and reliable turnaround service for the shipping lines and the additional secondary industries for the importers and exporters that are choosing to ship through Fairview.

In Friday’s Daily News the paper featured a front page story with some background on Stevenson’s thoughts and the possibilities that may be in the works for Prince Rupert.

PORT READY TO EXPAND INTO WAREHOUSING, COLD STORAGE
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, February 22, 2008

Page one and three

The Port of Prince Rupert is turning its focus toward attracting and developing warehousing and restuffing opportunities in order to meet the needs of shippers.

Speaking at a Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce luncheon earlier this week, Shaun Stevenson, vice-president of business development and marketing for the Prince Rupert Port Authority, said that it has become apparent since the opening of the new Fairview Container Terminal in October 2007 that shippers want the flexibility that comes with having warehousing, restuffing, cold storage and logistics platforms available in Prince Rupert.

"What has become really apparent in the months since the opening is the complexity of the industry, some of the drivers to seeing traffic flow through Prince Rupert and the need to build upon that opportunity to create capacities both to maximize the economic opportunity to Prince Rupert but also to create a sustainable business model going forward as a container gateway," said Stevenson.

Since the Fairview Container Terminal opened, 16 vessels have called. Maher Terminals has averaged off-loading at 22 containers per hour, and have handled a little more than 30,000 TEUs (average-sized containers.) They are handling about 20 per cent of their total capacity per month.

"What we don't have is those next layers of service, the stuffing and reload, warehousing and cold storage that create that port load opportunity in Prince Rupert that can stimulate that export traffic and also accommodate other services associated with inbound traffic to deal with their supply chain management," said Stevenson.

Andrew Hamilton, manager of business development for the Prince Rupert Port Authority, explained that shippers want flexibility, they want to be able to reroute cargo in transit and treat their containers as moving warehouses.

Retailers face increasing pressures not to run out of stock and need to be able to respond to market changes at a moment's notice.

"We are not building a dock, we are building a supply chain. This summarizes our approach ... we should be looking at the whole system holistically if we want to meet the needs of customers," said Hamilton.

Another challenge for the port has been the slowdown of the U.S. economy, which in turn has made it difficult to attract an additional shipping line to call at Fairview.

While the fundamentals behind strong future import volumes remain, shipping lines are uncertain where they want to make future ports of call, said Stevenson.

"Obviously, this has made it very difficult to securing additional liner service to Prince Rupert when you have so much uncertainty in the industry," he said.

With only one line calling at Prince Rupert, this in turn limits the ports of call for shippers moving goods both inbound and outbound through Fairview. Currently, one service is calling at Fairview - the CKYH Alliance comprised of COSCO, K-Line, Yang Ming and Hanjin shipping lines.

"We really need to see more container lines coming in and more services being created if we are going to be successful in seeing some of the other benefits flow," said Stevenson.

However, there have been several bright points since the terminal opened. They've managed a relatively strong start, even though container volumes on the West Coast are dropping for the first time in 20 years and Maher Terminals is seeing strong levels of exports.

"One of the surprising things we've seen develop is incredibly strong volumes of export containers, average 36 per cent loaded containers outbound and hitting a high of over 50 per cent loaded one week," said Stevenson.

"There were a lot of critics out there about the port development that really believed there was going to be next to no export opportunity through Prince Rupert. I think that has been a real surprise for everyone involved, including the shipping lines who are really seeing a strong export pricing and a service that is heavily subscribed to the point where we have essentially maxed out the export allocation for Prince Rupert."

Alcan jumps aboard shipping from Fairview
February 13, 2008

The Northern View

The container port at Fairview Terminal has a new customer, and Rio Tinto-Alcan is certainly glad that the port is there.

Managing director of B.C. operations Paul Henning explained, “the sad fact is the volume of material being shipped up and down the West Coast has reduced fairly significantly.” In the past, he pointed out, shipments of metal, paper, timber and other products ensured that vessels were fully loaded on the coast run. That, however, is no longer the case and, as a result, the importance of the route was reduced as far as shipping companies were concerned.

That, in turn, had reduced Kitimat Works’ ability to leverage a ship.

“Simply put, we’ve been getting bumped,” Henning said.

On top of that, because the ships were not running full, Rio Tinto-Alcan’s costs had tripled. Those increased costs combined with no guarantee of ships coming in when RTA needed them had led to the decision to send ingots by road to Prince Rupert for containerization and shipment to Asia.

Henning admitted that the switch to road was an added cost. But “thankfully” Prince Rupert was there to handle the traffic. Otherwise the smelter’s product would have to be trucked to Vancouver, “a major headache”.

Henning also had praise for the company doing the hauling to Prince Rupert, Bandstra Transportation.

“These guys have come to the plate really well,” he said.

Ecologically speaking, Rupert seems to be the answer!

With traffic congestion in Vancouver growing daily, the Premier’s concern over green house gases now a fixation and local resistance to an expansion of the Delta Port container facility growing, North Coast MLA Gary Coons has a simple solution, increase the capacity of the Fairview Container Terminal.

Coons outlined his thoughts on the controversial issue of a highway running through an environmentally fragile area of Delta, one of the planned highway improvements suggested with the expansion of container facilities in the South Fraser area of Metropolitan Vancouver.

The expansion of the South Fraser container facilities has been a hot topic of late in the Vancouver area, with many local residents wondering why the government wishes to see increased congestion and pollution in Vancouver, when there’s no such issue in Prince Rupert which is primed for further expansion of Fairview Terminal, which is not yet working at full capacity.

Coons makes the case for Prince Rupert as the logical solution to many Lower Mainland woes, pointing to the port’s reliance on rail transportation over truck.

In the Prince Rupert set up, containers arriving at Fairview for the most part are direct loaded onto CN container trains, quickly set for transit to North American destinations.

The Fairview approach is a change in the normal routine for container traffic. The process in Prince Rupert takes out the middle man if you will, of local haulers which move containers to different staging areas in the Lower Mainland. It’s an approach that eliminates a massive flow of truck traffic that regularly in Vancouver can at times clog approach roads and add to the greenhouse gas bubble over the South Fraser area.

It will be an interesting balancing act for the Premier to walk, on one part it seems to fit in perfectly with his desires for a more pro active approach to the environment, but politically the idea of removing industry and jobs from the Lower Mainland is not one that can work for you come election day.

For the moment though, if the topic is just the environmental balance you are looking at, then the Coons suggestions indeed do seem quite logical. As an employment and industrial generator, a shift from Vancouver to Rupert would also make for a change in the North coast economic picture as well.

Monday’s Daily News featured his thoughts on Fairview expansion and how it could benefit any number of issues.

Rupert the logical solution: Coons
By LEANNE RITCHIE
The Daily News
Monday, January 28, 2008
Page one

There's no reason for the province to consider building a highway through Delta's Burns Bog when the Port of Prince Rupert is still not operating at full capacity, says North Coast MLA Gary Coons.

The government of British Columbia has already received strong opposition in response to the proposed construction of the South Fraser Perimeter Highway, a $1-billion provincial highway that would run through a rare environmental area known as Crescent Slough. The highway would be a four-lane, 40-kilometre stretch connecting Highway 1 in Surrey to Roberts Bank in Delta, something Environment Canada says would severely damage or destroy the ecologically crucial bog.

“This flies in the face of common sense,” said Coons.

“Fairview Terminals has excess capacity and the potential to expand. Scientists are saying ‘no’ to the South Fraser Perimeter road, Delta residents are saying ‘no’ to the road. Environment Canada is saying ‘no’ to the road. It’s time for the Campbell government to expand their narrow focus and look to Prince Rupert to solve our province’s transportation problems.”

Coons echoed some of the sentiments already put forth by his southern NDP colleagues, who harshly criticized the Liberal government last week for pushing the project forward without waiting for scientists to respond. The primary purpose of the proposed highway will be to handle the increased container-truck traffic from the expansion of Deltaport’s Third Berth Project, predicted to reach 2,400 trucks traveling to and from the port by the time Deltaport’s Third Berth Project is complete in 2011.

“Why pave over an ecologically sensitive reserve and jam more traffic onto an already congested area?” asked Coons. “The Lower Mainland is in the throes of a labour shortage, and the North Coast with the highest unemployment in the province, could use the economic stimulus that a port operating a full capacity would bring. Everybody wins if the province pays attention to Prince Rupert.”

He also cast a critical eye at the recently unveiled Transportation Plan unveiled by the premier, saying it does little to help communities outside of the Lower Mainland and capital regions. Coons believes if the Fairview Terminals and the northern corridor were fully utilized, provincial emissions would be reduced substantially, something he says highlights the government’s feigned interest in reducing B. C.’s carbon footprint. He points to reduced sailing times from Asia and Fairview Terminal’s on-doc rail operations as contributing to lower emissions because less fuel is needed by ocean-going vessels and the need for trucks is virtually eliminated by the efficient rail system.

“We’re more than a day’s sailing time closer to Asia than the next nearest terminal, and we are directly linked to the largest rail network in North America,” said Coons. “Rerouting ships from congested ports in the Lower Mainland to Prince Rupert makes sense socially, economically and environmentally. Why add thousands more polluting container trucks to the equation from Delta when the logical solution is Prince Rupert?

Future Port development could hinge on respect for the memories of the past

The twin themes of archaeology and development were front and centre at a recent gathering of the Allied Tribes of the Coast Tsimshian, as former Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnola moderated a three day seminar into Prince Rupert Harbour Archaeological Management Planning.

In her role as moderator, Campagnola observed that, "Our world is moving at an ever accelerating pace, which give us a real sense of urgency. The Coast Tsimshian are aware that their's is one of the great histories of North America and the World and must be protected as such."

Comments which served to provide the theme of the seminar.

During the course of the three day event held last week, James Bryant, Cultural Liaison for the Lax Kw'alaams, outlined the how the leaders of Lax Kw'alaams and Metlakatla will work together to address their interests and concerns regarding archaeology and development, particularly around the Prince Rupert Harbour portion of the Coast Tsimshian territory.

The issue has been one of the more controversial aspects of the development of the Fairview Container Port in the recent past and will surely become centre point to ongoing negotiations over plans to expand the Terminal.

Part of the concerns of the Allied Tribes is the protection and commemoration of ancient burial sites, some of which go back close to 10,000 years.

Dr. George MacDonald, a world renowned authority on the archaeology of the Prince Rupert area told the seminar that these “wet sites” have been confirmed in the Phase II area of the container port expansion which repeats the conditions of a site destroyed by the Phase I development, from which more than 600 wooden and basketry items were found before bulldozers destroyed the main part of the site.

"Wet sites provide the kind of artworks in wood that trace the emergence of the Northwest Coast art form over thousands of years. This art form has been declared as significant to the heritage of mankind. , according to MacDonald earlier sites in the area have been dated to 10,000 years, with expectation of 14,000 years once sites higher on Kaien Island have been tested.

It’s that issue which may prove to be the most cumbersome to navigate in those ongoing discussions, with the key approach being one of communication and transparency among all sides of the process.

At the seminar Bryant suggested that one of the first items to be taken care of will be the commemoration of their ancestors, many of whom have been laid to rest under the pavement of Fairview Terminal. Taking one step at a time, they are hopeful that a new level of mutual trust will be built between all participants as they prepare to look at the larger issues.

While progress is a welcome thing for the north coast, a nod to tradition and commemoration of the past is also going to be a major ingredient to whatever may come from the Prince Rupert waterfront in the years to come.

The development of the port and its impact on First Nations culture has become a rather interesting point of discussion among archeologists and sociologists, with a few press releases turning up on American and Canadian public relations sites in the last few days, as well as an entry in an environmental blog, all in a bid to address the current situation.

It makes for an interesting view on some of the situations that the potential Container Port Expansion will have to navigate in the months and years to come.

PR-USA.net--Prince Rupert Harbour development threatens Coast Tsimshian remains
Marktewire--Prince Rupert Harbour development threatens Coast Tsimshian remains