Final report - Integrated Land Management Bureau

Transportation Assessment of the Central & North Coast of BC
terminal, but this turbulence is to be expected in a complex endeavour that
involves very large capital investments and global economic linkages.
The course that the Port of Prince Rupert is on holds tremendous promise for
the whole of the Prince Rupert area based on transportation-supported
economic activity. It has led to the resurrection of the Tsimshian Access
project, bringing together leadership of the area’s Aboriginal and non-
Aboriginal communities on an unprecedented scale. It has contributed to the
City of Prince Rupert spearheading an initiative to build a multi-modal terminal
in the Fairview area, which would service a few ferries and VIA Rail. Some of
these developments could lead to an airport expansion and air freight services.
The BC Government’s Rural Development Secretariat has a manager in Prince
Rupert focused on working with local governments, First Nations and
transportation operations to anchor and enhance the Northern Gateway
concept.
The port’s success is the lynchpin to the blossoming of Prince Rupert as a
transportation hub. A focus on what the port needs to increase the number of
its facilities and financial stability should be paramount amongst all parties
that have some influence over its success (and, the flip side of the coin, lack
thereof). A Canadian Port Authority (CPA) is an unusual economic beast, lots of
potential but needs help from many external parties to achieve its strategic
objectives.
A serious concern is the competitiveness position of the port vis a vis its main
competitors and the parties that most influence that competitiveness. The Port
of Prince Rupert has several natural competitive advantages and has built
others in cooperation with partners, such as its efficiency in container
handling. But the port has serious financial disadvantages compared to
American west coast ports because of the federal government’s Canada Marine
Act. These were enumerated in the SWOT analysis. And simply getting
financial contributions on a project-by-project basis from the federal
government is an insufficient answer given that American ports obtain project
monies from their federal government too.
► Issue: Tsimshian Access Project is the North Coast’s #1 transportation
priority
At a November 2008 Community to Community Forum, representatives of Lax
Kw’alaams, Gitxaala, Metlakatla and Gitga’at First Nations, City of Prince
Rupert, District of Port Edward, and Skeena Queen Charlottes Regional District
agreed that the “Tsimshian Access” project was the primary infrastructure
priority for the region.
The project entails the following key elements:
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