Appointed Politicians on course to Rupert seeking knowledge

Whoo Boy! You know that you’re on the radar when the travelling road shows out of Ottawa arrive on your doorstep.

A travelling Senate committee, The Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications will arrive in town Thursday, for a look see at the Fairview Port development.

They have been in Vancouver this week examining the structure of our ports there and the fascinating world of containerization. With the world of trade revolving around containers these days, the Senators from the nation’s capital will travel to the far reaches of the West coast to learn more about what it’s all about.

Their visit might come in handy in the near future, as the Prince Rupert Port pushes for expansion of phases two and three of the Fairview project, so it probably won’t hurt to have them wandering around learning more about the port’s potential.

The Daily News provided a bit of background Monday on the committee and what it is that they are trying to discover while on their western adventure.

SENATORS WILL DOCK IN RUPERT TO STUDY NEW PORT
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Monday, March 12, 2007
Pages one and three

A senate committee studying Canada’s ability to take advantage of container freight will be visiting Prince Rupert later this week.

The Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications will visit Prince Rupert March 15 to view the Fairview Container Terminal.

Maryse Durette, communications officer for the Senate, said the visit is part of the committee’s examination of current and potential future containerized freight traffic handled at Pacific Gateway. East Coast and central container ports, and the major inbound and outbound markets served by them.

“They are coming to have a look at the facility that is being built right now,” said Durette.

“The committee is studying Canada’s capacity to respond to containerized freight, imports and exports, Canada’s port capacity… and how Canada can take most advantage of the lucrative market that has been developing for containers.”

Due to growth in global trade and advances in technology, freight is increasingly containerized. Container traffic between North America and Asia alone is expected to grow from 15.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU’s) in 2003 to 33.5 million TEU’s in 2015, she said.

By 2020, the value of this containerized trade is expected to reach $75 billion, contributing $10.5 billion to the Canadian economy each year.

As transportation is priced into goods purchased by Canadians, the committee is exploring ways to make container transport more efficient, resulting in lower costs. More efficient container transportation will also make Canadian producers more competitive in the global export market.

That market has grown 14 times more rapidly than the global economy during the last half century.

By consulting concerned parties across Canada, the committee plans to determine whether changes should be made to federal policy to improve efficiency and increase the capacity of the containerized transport system.

A more efficient system with greater capacity will not only increase the availability of container transport services to producers, but it should also reduce the cost of these services. Canadians should then benefit from lower priced goods and exporters will become even more competitive in the global marketplace, say members of the committee.

As part of its study, the committee will begin by conducting a fact-finding visit today in Vancouver, and public hearings there on March 13 and 14. On March 15, the committee will travel to Prince Rupert, where Canada’s newest container port is under construction.

As gateways into Canada, these two federal ports are well-positioned to increase their share of growing international trade and tot take full advantage of Canada’s intermodal transport system for freight.

The Fairview Container terminal is scheduled to open in October 2007. The $170 million project is a partnership between the federal and provincial governments, the Port of Prince Rupert, CN Rail and Maher Terminals. Phase One will be able to handle 500,000 TEUs per year.

The honourable members of the Senate Committee include chair Lise Bacon, (De lad Durantaye, Quebec), vice chair David Tkachuk (Saskatchewan), Willie Adams (Nunavut), Andree Champagne (Quebec), Dennis Dawson (Quebec), John Trevor Eyton (Ontario), Janis G. Johnson (Manitoba), Terry M. Mercer (Nova Scotia), Pana Merchant (Saskatchewan), Jim Munson (Ontario), Gerard A. Phalen (Nova Scotia) and Rod A. A. Zimmer (Manitoba).