While Prince Rupert city council held a rather controversial in council meeting last week to explore the parameters of the Northern Trust funding options, Kitimat was busy preparing how best to spend their 200,000 dollar grant to study expanding the shipping options out of the Port of Kitimat.
The plan is to examine the feasibility of building a break-bulk facility in Kitimat (long time Prince Rupert Port observers will remember that term as the description of the Fairview port prior to the containerization project.)
Feeling that there is a market for that service on the North coast, Kitimat will examine whether such a facility would be sustainable and viable from an economic stand point and what benefits it could bring to that part of the Kitimat-Stikine region.
The study marks the latest move from Kitimat to give their port a higher profile not only in the region but across the province and beyond. The net result would be more jobs for the Kitimat area and a further diversification of their local economy. The aggressive approach to development that has begun to see a few results, with the proposed Enbridge Gateway gas pipeline expected to bring tankers into the Northwest through the port of Kitimat.
It will be with interest that Rupertites will wait for the finished report, while the container project locally has promised a bounty of job opportunities upon conclusion. It will be interesting to see how the numbers compare with the prospects in Kitimat, and if perhaps Rupert might have missed out on some economic opportunities for the local area.
Full information on the projected study was available in Tuesday’s edition of the Daily News.
KITIMAT IN HUNT FOR PORT FACILITIES
Northern Trust approves funds to start study of new break-bulk location.
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Page Five
The Northern Development Initiative Trust (Northern Trust) has approved $200, .000 from the cross regional account to study the feasibility of a building a break-bulk facility in Kitimat.
The study will assist in developing site engineering assessments and a business case for existing and new shippers to use improved and new port facilities in Kitimat.
The study will also examine transportation corridors required, cost/benefit analysis from both the port and shipper’s perspective along with development of an environmental and socio-economic sustainability plan.
“The Trust Board strongly supports the need for modern port facilities in the Northern Trust area. This study will determine whether a bulk products facility in Kitimat is viable,” said Northern Trust Chair Bruce Sutherland. “Efficient and cost effective transportation of bulk goods is fundamental to the success of existing and new manufacturing facilities just as the need for modern container handling facilities in Prince Rupert and elsewhere throughout the Trust area are also required. If the wood products, pipeline developments and mining and energy sectors are to grow within the Trust area, a break bulk port facility is essential”
President of the Kitamaat Port Development Society and Haisla Chief Councillor Steve Wilson noted the significance of this project and the potential magnitude of its impact.
“The Haisla have contributed to the leadership of the port development in this area and have been able to attract strong interest from companies who want to invest in regional, national, and international implications. We want the best possible success for Kitamaat and the surrounding region and we understand that a break bulk port facility in Kitamaat will bridge a gap that will further Northern B. C.’s success in international trade.”
His words were echoed by the Kitamaat Port Development Society’s vice president, Terrace Lumber Company director Gerry Martin.
“The Port of Vancouver does not work for everyone. It is too far away to be economically viable for companies in the north and has been congested in recent years.”
In addition to providing an additional gateway to global markets and addressing the business needs of northern B. C., the Kitamaat Port Development Society emphasizes that the greatest potential of this project lies in its ability to create a cascading effect of industry creation and increased economic development to the area.
The total project budget is $774,436; other funding partners include the Kitamaat Port Development Society, Kitamaat Village Council, the Kitimat-Terrace Industrial Development Society, Alcan Inc., Community Futures and the provincial government. The groups see a common carrier bulk facility in Kitimat as a complimentary to the development of the container port facilities in Prince Rupert.
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