Winter 2000

Improving Airport Safety... In January, Transport Minister David Collenette announced $156,500 in federal funding for a new runway sweeper at Salmon Arm Airport. Over the last year, the Salmon Arm Airport has been awarded a total of $251,500 in federal funding for safety improvement projects under Transport Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP). Salmon Arm Airport is owned and operated locally. For more information on ACAP contact: Jenny Low, Community Airports Officer, (604) 666-5417.

Into the Night… Heli-logging at night became a reality last November when Transport Canada gave Coulson Aircrane approval to log at night. Using high-powered lights mounted on trees to illuminate their logging operations, Couslon has increased their helicopter operating time and extended the short winter working day. For more information contact: Dave Nowzek, Regional Director, Civil Aviation, (604) 666-5851.

TransLink Releases Draft Strategic Transportation Plan… TransLink, the new organization responsible for Greater Vancouver’s transportation system, is looking for feedback on their draft Strategic Transportation Plan. They are holding public meetings throughout the Lower Mainland during February and March to discuss the draft plan. The draft plan proposes increased expenditures for transit and selective development of roads in the region. It proposes a management program to address transportation demand management, support alternatives to single occupant auto travel, establish road use priorities, apply technology to transportation, and emphasize goods movement, cycling, walking, safety and security, and marketing. For more information contact TransLink at (604) 540-3188 or checkout their web site at http://www.translink.bc.ca/.

White Pass and Yukon Celebrates 100^th Anniversary… The railway will celebrate their 100^th anniversary of completing construction on July 29, 2000 with a golden spike ceremony in Carcross, Yukon. To help out in 2000 the railway has added a second steam engine, built in 1920, to its scenic train excursions roster. The railway served more than 274,000 passengers in 1999.

Smart Transportation… Transport Canada has published "An Intelligent Transportation Systems Plan for Canada: En Route to Intelligent Mobility." This ITS plan provides the leadership and support necessary to advance the application and compatibility of ITS technologies to make Canada’s multimodal ground transportation system safe, integrated, efficient and sustainable. The plan is available by calling (604) 666-5859 or on TC’s internet site at http://www.tc.gc.ca/.

Truck Traffic Data… A study is underway to track the movement of commercial truck traffic in the Lower Mainland. The study will help provide a better understanding of freight patterns and congestion problems. Once the Lower Mainland Freight Truck study is completed it will be used to create a model to help make decisions about road and bridge construction and designated truck routes. The study is being conducted for Transport Canada, TransLink, Port Vancouver, Fraser Port, Vancouver International Airport, and the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways. For more information contact: John Mills, Regional Director, Coordination, (604) 666-5858.

Port of Vancouver Passes the Million Mark... In December, Port Vancouver officially laid claim to being Canada’s largest and busiest port when it shipped its one millionth standard container unit through the port. That’s a 28 percent increase over 1998. Each container (twenty foot equivalent units) moved through the port is worth $1000 to the Canadian economy. This milestone means containerized trade from Port Vancouver has pumped approximately $1 billion into the economy so far this year.

New Berth… The Vancouver Port Authority plans to build a new $79 million cruise berth at Canada Place in time for the 2003 cruise season. This year, Port Vancouver expects to welcome over one million cruise ship passengers and by 2010 over 1.5 million passengers.

Fraser Port Containers... Fraser Port’s third quarter results shows container traffic was up 50% in 1999 compared to 1998’s third quarter statistics. The number of ship arrivals also increased growing from 393 in 1998 to 428 in 1999 - a nine per cent increase… As the major West Coast vehicle distribution centre, Fraser Port now handles all Korean vehicle shipments destined for the Canadian market.

Prince Rupert Rebounds… After suffering its lowest shipping levels in 14 years in 1998, the Port of Prince Rupert is showing signs of recovery. Some 1999 highlights:

• In the last three months of 1999, the grain started flowing once again in Prince Rupert and the port handled nearly 1.3 million tonnes of grain, a 700,000 tonnes increase over the same period in 1998.
• The cruise ship Norwegian Wind visited Prince Rupert giving the port its highest level of cruise ship activity in 20 years and opening the door to attract more cruise ships.
• Molten wax will be flowing through the harbour in 2000 thanks to an agreement between the Prince Rupert Port Authority and Borden Chemicals to import slack wax from Asia. Slack wax is used to manufacture some types of particleboard. Close to 20,000 tonnes are expected to be moved through the port this year.

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 B.C. Questions or suggestions please phone (604) 666-1675, fax (604) 666-7255, e-mail nelsoro@tc.gc.ca. Transport Canada is online at http://www.tc.gc.ca/.

TP 12780E