Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond has reached across the A- B line, to provide a quick thumbnail sketch of the common ties between Prince Rupert and the member communities of the Southeast conference.
Interviewed by KRBD's Ed Schoenfeld for Alaska Public Radio, the Mayor outlined what he believes Prince Rupert can offer to southeast Alaska. From rail access to the lower 48 states of their union, to the reach of the Pacific he pushed Prince Rupert as a sensible option for businesses from Ketchikan to Anchorage.
He also gives a rundown for American listeners on the nature of our position as the southern terminus for the Alaska Marine Highway as well as how Rupert isn't a competitive threat to the Alaska cruise industry, rather our competition runs to the south from Victoria, Campbell River and other mid island communities.
The Audio Portion of the interview appears at the top of the story posted to the KBRD website....
Prince Rupert mayor stresses similarities with Southeast
KRBD FM
September 17, 2008
PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. (2008-09-17) Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond likes to joke that his coastal British Columbia city should really be part of Alaska. The punch line involves the size of this year’s PFD, and where visitors from the north should spend it.
But he quickly points out that Rupert has a marine highway terminal, a cruise ship dock, commercial fishing and a rich Native heritage. It sounds a lot like his Alaska neighbors, who are less than 100 miles away.
CoastAlaska’s Ed Schoenfeld spoke with Pond during this month’s meeting of the Southeast Conference, an organization of regional business and government leaders. They discussed transportation, tourism and common issues facing British Columbia’s North Coast and Southeast Alaska.
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