Prince Rupert construction plans gain notice

The increased amount of construction around the city has been noted by a Canadian trade journal.

The Journal of Commerce, which bills itself as Western Canada's Construction Newspaper has posted a general overview story on the status of the container port project and some of the other projects underway in Prince Rupert.

Reporting on Commercial building permit activity in the first seven months of this year which stood at just over $7 million, the Journal said the city is poised for the strongest year of commercial construction in the past decade. Most of which can be directly attributed to the construction of the container terminal.

Waterfront upgrades stimulate Prince Rupert construction industry
Peter Mitham
correspondent
Journal of Commerce
August 15, 2007


Completion of a $175 million container handling facility on the Prince Rupert waterfront is just one aspect of the new construction that’s on the go in the northern B.C. city.

Commercial building permit activity in the first seven months of this year stood at just over $7 million, poising the city for the strongest year of commercial construction in the past decade. The surge reflects a handful of economic factors, largely centred around the city’s port.

The Prince Rupert Port Authority posted its first profit since 2000 last year, thanks to greater bulk shipment traffic and cruise passenger traffic that’s grown to nearly 120,000 people a year since 2004. A $9-million cruise ship berth built to accommodate the 50-plus cruise ships a year has boosted commercial activity on the downtown waterfront, stimulating new construction.

One of the new projects poised to complete this fall is the Chances Gaming Centre, which will include bingo, electronic gaming and other activities, excluding slots. The centre also includes 10,000 square feet of meeting space. Prince Rupert-based Marcan Construction Ltd. is general contractor for the $13-million facility, which is undertaken by a Prince George developer.

Plans are also afoot for new retail space. A start date hasn’t been set, but Calgary-based Royop Development Corp. has secured a 25-acre site just off the Yellowhead Highway where it hopes to develop a power centre anchored by major national brand-name retailers. The development could have up to 220,000 square feet of shops.

Meanwhile, construction of the new container port at Fairview Terminal on the south side of Prince Rupert proceeds in anticipation of a September completion date. The first container shipment is set to arrive in October.

The 50-acre project has been employing an average of 200 people a month since construction started last year. The port authority takes some pride in noting that the project has logged no casualties since construction started.

The new terminal will have a capacity of 500,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units). Since most of the containers are slated to transfer directly to rail for transport to cities elsewhere on the continent, much of the industrial development associated with the container business won’t be happening in Prince Rupert.

Administration and Canada Border Services Agency offices are slated for the site, but the real development is projected for further down the Canadian National Railway line that serves the port.

Smithers and Terrace are planning $22 million in upgrades to their rail yards in order to accommodate trains of up to 12,000 feet in length.

Similarly, Prince George and Edmonton are planning intermodal facilities to accommodate the projected increase in container traffic through Prince Rupert. In the case of Prince George, CN Rail is slated to open a $20-million intermodal container facility in October.