Unleash the legislation!

Having missed out on a previous visit due to mechanical problems, a group of Senators finally had the chance to see what all the excitement was all about at Fairview Terminal.

Senators from the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications did the Rupert tour last Saturday, as they met with local stakeholders to examine the success so far of the Fairview Container Port, and listen to some suggestions on how to make things work even better.

The Daily news provided a thumbnail guide to their tour in Tuesday’s paper.

Visiting senators eager to hear port wish-list
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Pages one and two

A group of senators visiting Prince Rupert said they would like to see the potential of Canada's West Coast ports unleashed from restrictive legislation.

Four members of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications met with stakeholders ranging from the Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce to the Prince Rupert Port Authority this Saturday.

Senator Donald Oliver (South Shore- Nova Scotia), deputy chair of the committee, said they are studying the change in transportation that has resulted during the past decade, with the vast majority of goods coming in to North America now being moved in containers instead of break bulk carriers or as air freight.

“We are looking at what new public policies are required to make Canada as a nation take advantage of this new trend in containerization; how do we have to change our laws to make sure companies and individuals can benefit from this, and what public policy initiatives do we have to take to ensure Prince Rupert, Vancouver, Halifax and other Canadian ports can become leaders in the world,” said Sen. Oliver.

One issue that the committee has heard about at each port they have visited is the need to allow port authorities to adequately fund investments in new facilities.

“The Canada Marine Act, as it is right now, does not allow governments to give subsidies and it’s very difficult for ports like Prince Rupert to access long-term capital funding for new infrastructure. All ports the committee has visited would like to have that changed,” he said.

This is the second time the delegation attempted to visit Prince Rupert They tried a few months ago, but were forced to turn back to Vancouver because of mechanical problems with their flight.
They have been working on their report for the past year and a half and have only one more port to visit, to Halifax.

“Obviously, after a few months of operations clearly, (Fairview) is a winner but there are still challenges that are faced by port authorities that the Canadian government regulation can have an affect on,” said Sen. Dennis Dawson (Lauzon-Quebec).

Another issue that has been raised by port authorities and shipping companies are regulations that place additional taxation on containers that move in multiple directions or that make multiple stops in Canada.

“As the regulations stand now, if a container does more than one movement in or out, inside a certain period, it is taxed more. It is a disincentive to use that container in the most efficient way,” said Dawson.

“It’s a rule that has to be modernized. It don’t want to presume on how the report will be finished but clearly some of these issues that have been brought up to us from western and eastern port authorities show a strong case for modernization,” he said.

The committee hopes to finish its fact-finding visits within the next few weeks and it will then settle down to finish its report.