British Columbia

• British Columbia, Canada's third largest province, comprises 9.5% of the country's total land area and is home to over 3.9 million people-13% of Canada's population... The province's population grew 13.5 % between 1991 and 1996, a rate more than twice the national average...
• In 1997, B.C.'s international exports totaled $26.6 billion-a 3% increase over 1996 but a slight decrease from the record of $26.9 billion exports set in 1995. The U.S. received 56%, Japan 23%, the European Union 8% and another 11% went to Pacific Rim countries other than Japan...
• During 1996, almost $8.3 billion was spent by 21.1 million overnight visitors traveling in British Columbia. Of that amount, $2.3 billion was spent by B.C. residents traveling in B.C., $2.6 billion by other Canadians, $1.8 billion by U.S. residents and $917 million by Asia Pacific, $627 million by European visitors and $54 million by other overseas visitors...
• A total of 223,700 British Columbians are employed in tourism-related businesses. This represents one of every eight workers in the province...

Air

• In 1997, there were 1,622,543 aircraft movements in B.C., compared with 6,312,080 for all of Canada. That's 26% of the nation's total...
• In 1997, there were 227 licensed scheduled and charter commercial operators in B.C. Almost every community in the province with an airport or marine float has a small charter operator based in their area...
• There are 5,380 registered aircraft in B.C., compared with 28,038 for all of Canada. That's 19.2% of the Canadian total...
• British Columbia has 110 certified aerodromes and 244 registered aerodromes...
• Over 14.8 million passengers traveled through the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in 1997. That is a 49% increase from 1992. By the year 2005 that figure is forecast to climb to over 17 million passengers...
• In 1995, Vancouver was only linked to seven U.S. cities-in 1997, thanks to "Open Skies," the Canada-U.S. air bilateral agreement, YVR has flights to 20 U.S. urban centres...
• YVR generates direct employment for about 17,000 people-by comparison, the B.C. mining industry employs roughly 11,000. Overall, YVR generates about 39,000 jobs in B.C., including direct and indirect employment...
• Each 747 flight generates the equivalent of about a full year of employment for one person and every time a 747 takes off from YVR, it leaves behind over $68,000...
• Helijet Airways provides the only commuter service of its kind in North America, with five Sikorsky S-76s in scheduled service from Vancouver to Victoria, and from Victoria to Seattle...

Marine

• The Port of Vancouver handled a record 73.5 million tonnes of cargo in 1997, surpassing the 1996 figures of 72 million tonnes...
• Vancouver is the second largest port in North America in terms of foreign trade and is Canada's largest port. In 1997, the container volumes totaled 724,154 TEUs, up 17% from 1996...
• Vancouver ports directly generate 10,700 full-time equivalent jobs, and trading more than $30 billion in goods each year with more than 90 nations...
• Fraser Port handled 22,218,673 tonnes of cargo in 1997, up 6.5% from the year before...
• In 1997, the Prince Rupert Port shipped over 13 million tonnes of cargo, that is a 7.8% increase from 1996...
• The Port of Vancouver cruise ship industry registered its 15th consecutive year of growth in 1997. Cruise ships carried 816,537 revenue passengers on the Vancouver-Alaska trip in 1997, a 16 percent increase over 1996. The industry pumps about $180 million into the local economy yearly...
• BC Ferries, Canada's largest ferry operator, has 40 vessels on 26 routes serving the B.C. coast, and carried 22.3 million passengers in 1997...
• BC Ferries employs approximately 2,900 people in British Columbia...
• About 60% of Canada's tugboats work in British Columbia...

Surface

Rail

• B.C.'s rail system includes roughly 6,800 kilometres of mainland railroad track...
• Rail services are provided by CN Rail, CP Rail, B.C. Rail, Burlington Northern, the Southern Railway of B.C., Amtrak, the White Pass and Yukon Railway and Great Canadian Railtours Company which operates Rocky Mountaineer Railtours...
• Rocky Mountaineer Railtours carried 53,500 passengers in 1997, an increase of 24% from the previous year. In 1997, Rocky Mountaineer Railtours increased its number of package tour itineraries from 21 to 41...
• B.C. Rail's dining and entertainment attraction the Pacific Starlight Dinner Train attracted over 30,000 diners in 1997, its first year of operation.. Over 90% of those travelers were local residents...
• In 1997, 2,100 unit trains unloaded over 23.5 million tonnes of coal through Roberts Bank's Westshore Terminals, the largest bulk loading terminal of its type on the West Coast of the Americas...

Roads

• British Columbia has approximately 23,300 paved and 19,300 unpaved kilometres of highway, and 2,720 bridges...
• There has been a 15.25% increase in the total number of registered and insured vehicles in the Greater Vancouver Regional District between 1990 and 1997...
• There are more than 85,000 large trucks operating in British Columbia...

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.

TP 12780E