Our news is their news, our port is their port

Prince George continues to glance in our direction, hopeful that the construction of the Fairview Container Port in Prince Rupert will have a major impact some 700 kms inland. On Monday there will be a report delivered in Prince George, about plans for an inland port to service the Container port in Prince Rupert. An issue that has some proponents and some detractors facing off, over just how much financial and employment impact it will all have there.

Regardless of the internal issues within the city, they are still quite smitten by our project on the North Coast. So impressed in it, that the Fairview Container port was name the biggest story in Prince George, named newsmaker of the year at the Prince George Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards.

Prince Rupert Port Authority CEO Don Krusel was on hand to accept the award and provided some of the background on the event for the Daily News.

RUPERT’S NEW PORT ‘BIGGEST STORY IN PRINCE GEORGE’
Container port is hailed as the year’s top story in region’s largest city
By Patrick Witwicki
The Daily News
Thursday, November 2, 2006
Page One

It may have been a chamber dinner in Prince George, celebrating the business achievements of that city during the past year, but it was the Prince Rupert Port that grabbed most of the headlines.

That’s because the port was name “Newsmaker of the Year,” the first time any business outside of Prince George has won any award at the Prince George Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards, said Port Authority President and CEO Don Krusel.

“We knew we were nominated,” he said. “That in itself, we thought, was pretty significant.”

“Clearly, (the port) is a major news item, and Prince George will benefit significantly from the terminal development.”

Krusel attended the dinner last weekend in Prince George, and was pleasantly surprised when they announced the port had won.

“We certainly are honoured to be recognized in that way by a community that’s over 700 kilometres away,” said Krusel. “It underscores the economic impact this will have on Western Canada.”

The development of Prince Rupert’s port has certainly been a hot topic around business tables throughout the past year, said Krusel.

“I think it speaks volumes that Prince Rupert is being named at a chamber dinner in Prince George,” he said.

Prince Rupert may be the new location for the “gateway” to Asia, but Krusel pointed out that once the port officially opens in the fall of 2007, he entire Northwest corridor will benefit.

“I sometimes say that the Port of Prince Rupert is a misnomer,” he said. “It really is the port of Western Canada.”

“Today, historically, and in the future, 90 to 100 per cent from Rupert is destined to, or originates in areas far away.”

Stakeholders in Prince George are currently preparing their own community to respond to the container traffic that will pass through their city, either west toward Rupert or east into Alberta, other parts of Western Canada, and central U. S. cities like Chicago.

“They’re (planning) a reload container facility in PG that will generate a lot of activity,” said Krusel.

Phase One of the port will enable the terminal to handle up to 500,000 container per year, while Phase Two is expected to at least triple that amount.

Environmental studies are currently underway regarding Phase Two.