July 18, 1996

Transport Canada Turns Sixty... During 1996 Transport Canada (TC) will be celebrating its diamond anniversary and unveiling its new slimmed down organization. Scheduled to be in place by Transport Canada's official birthday party on November 1, 1996, the new organization is more closely integrating its air, marine, road and railway transportation activities. The new Transport Canada will also be listening and talking more to clients.

Transportation Task Force Kicks Off Community Forums in Queen Charlotte City... Public meetings on how to maximize the economic potential of British Columbia's Northwest Transportation Corridor began this week in Queen Charlotte City... The special task force, established by Transport Minister David Anderson, is led by transportation experts Don Krusel and George Hayes. They are looking for practical solutions and will be taking a comprehensive look at the transportation networks serving the corridor that stretches across northern B.C... Over the next month the Task Force will be visiting Queen Charlotte City, Prince Rupert, Stewart, Edmonton, Prince George, Smithers, Hagwilget, Terrace and Kitimat to hear people's concerns, comments and ideas. For more information contact the Northwest Transportation Task Force Office (604) 681-3758.

Keep On Cruising... Vancouver's cruise ship industry just keeps getting bigger and bigger. The industry registered its 13th consecutive year of growth in 1995, as 25 vessels made a total of 283 voyages - an increase of 3% over 1994... Last year nearly 600,000 cruise ship revenue passengers visited Vancouver - by the year 2005 that number is expected hit one million.

Getting Busier All the Time... The air traffic Area Control Centre located at Vancouver International Airport had its busiest month ever in June. The Centre handled over 50,000 aircraft movements - a 16 per cent increase over the same month last year... The Centre cracked the 2,000 movement per day barrier for the first time on June 14.

Last Year Vancouver was Only Linked to Seven U.S. Cities by Air... Today thanks to Open Skies, the Canada-U.S. air bilateral agreement, Vancouver International Airport has flights to 23 urban centres... Open Skies will add 1.4 million new airline seats to British Columbia by the end of 1996.

Talks Begin to Transfer First B.C. Ports... Letters of intent to transfer 10 ports on the Sunshine Coast to the Sunshine Coast Regional District and two ports in Powell River to the District of Powell River were recently signed under Transport Canada's new marine policy. Those letters signal the beginning of talks to transfer the ports to local interests...
Port transfer discussion are also underway with local representatives from the Powell River Regional District, the Capital Regional District, Alert Bay, Sidney, Harrison, Kent and Victoria. A national $125-million, six-year Port Divestiture Fund has been established to ease the transition. For more information contact: Martin Swan, Regional Director Harbours and Ports, 666-2607.

TC Releases B.C. Freight Transportation System Study...This new study takes a detailed look at B.C.'s truck, rail, air cargo and seaport infrastructures. It identifies the issues, trends and legislative changes that could have an impact on B.C.'s transportation system. For more information contact: Kevin Kavanaugh, Transport Analyst, 666-0454.

Airports Transferring... Agreements to transfer Castlegar, Abbotsford, Williams Lake and Comox airports from Transport Canada to local groups were signed last month. Local officials takeover the Comox airport immediately, while the other three airports will be officially transferred after a six-month transition period. Castlegar, Abbotsford and Williams Lake are the first airports in B.C. with Transport Canada employees to be transferred. Employees will be guaranteed a minimum of two years employment with the new groups... Letters of Intent were recently signed for the transfer of Nanaimo and Penticton airports, marking the beginning of talks to transfer those airports into local hands... Since December 1995, six B.C. airports have been transferred, three are in process of being transferred and nine letters of intent to transfer have been signed. For more information contact: Larry LeGros, Regional Director Airports, 666-2387.

Asia-Pacific Transportation Ministers Meeting in Victoria... Transport Canada is hosting the second Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Transportation Ministers Conference on June 22-24, 1997. The meeting's theme is: "Transportation: Supporting Trade Growth in APEC." For more information contact: George Tyszewicz, Senior Policy Advisor, 666-0480.

Nav Canada Slated to Takeover in the Fall... The deal to transfer Transport Canada's Air Navigation System to Nav Canada for $1.5 billion became official when Bill C-20, the Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act, was passed last month... In B.C. over 600 Transport Canada employees will be moving to the not-for-profit corporation. Also included in the deal are one area control centre, nine air traffic control towers, 15 flight services stations and over 20 maintenance facilities.

Transport Trends is published by Transport Canada's Pacific Region to keep our clients and stakeholders up-to-date on transportation activities and trends in British Columbia. Questions or suggestions please phone (604) 666-1675, fax (604) 666-7255.

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