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Transportation in Canada 1997 |
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5. Infrastructure and Associated Services
As a result of recent years' investment, major transportation
infrastructure became operational in 1997, for instance the Vancouver Deltaport
container facility, the electronic toll highway 407 in Ontario, and the
Confederation Bridge linking Prince Edward Island to the mainland. Transfers
and leasing of lines dominated rail rationalization activities.
Canada's transportation infrastructure is a vast network covering the
country's landscape, which extends over some nine million square kilometres.
The system includes over 900,000 kilometres of road, 50,000 route-kilometres
of rail lines, approximately 1,800 registered aerodromes (646 of which are
certified as airports), over 300 commercial ports and harbours, more than
2,000 fishing and recreational harbours, and the
St. Lawrence Seaway.
It also includes an air navigation system that guides air traffic over
Canadian airspace, as well as marine navigation and protection services
provided by the Canadian Coast Guard from 11 bases across the country. In
addition, four pilotage authorities provide pilotage services to and from
Canada's major ports.
Each element of this transportation infrastructure is a real-property
asset requiring maintenance and upkeep, as well as investment of resources
to accommodate growth and evolving needs.
This chapter describes the system and its utilization, and gives an overview
of the most recent developments in Canada's transportation infrastructure,
including institutional changes involving commercialization, contracting
out, and legislative and regulatory reform.
Major Events in 1997
Air Navigation System
In its first year of operation in 1997, Nav Canada submitted and received
approval for Phase One of its proposed fee structure implemented on March
1, 1998. Phase Two has November 1, 1998 as the target date for implementation.
The Air Transportation Tax is being eliminated to make way for these direct
charges to users.
Airports
Local airport authorities took over operations of local airports in Victoria,
Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ottawa and Moncton in 1997. Currently more than 90
per cent of all passenger traffic in Canada passes through airports operated
by local airport authorities.
Over the past year, the airport authorities, both new and old, were busy:
- The Greater Toronto Airports Authority purchased Terminal 3 and selected
a design consortium for the redevelopment of the other two terminals at
Pearson airport. A new parallel north-south runway began operations in
November.
- Aéroports de Montréal announced a second phase of construction
at Dorval.
- Vancouver International Airport Authority announced plans for a $114-million
expansion.
- Ottawa's Macdonald-Cartier International Airport opened a new facility
for US customs and immigration pre-clearance. Seven Canadian airports now
have pre-clearance for passengers on US-bound flights, including Montreal
(Dorval), Toronto (Pearson), Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
- The Calgary Airport Authority began a $28-million capital program,
including improvements to vehicle parking, Canada Customs space and aircraft
parking.
- The Edmonton Regional Airports Authority began work on a terminal redevelopment
program at the international airport.
Ports
A notable event during the past year occurred when the Port of Vancouver
officially opened its Deltaport Container Terminal on June 25, 1997, doubling
the port's container handling capacity to 1.2 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent
Units. The new facility can handle the largest container vessels currently
in service and transfer containers to double-stack rail cars for immediate
dispatch to Central Canada and the US Midwest.
Another notable event occurred when the federal government transferred
the Port of Churchill to the Hudson Bay Port Company, an affiliate of OmniTRAX
Inc., on September 4, 1997. OmniTRAX also owns the Hudson Bay Railway, which
acquired 1,300 kilometres of rail line to Churchill previously owned by
Canadian National.
St. Lawrence Seaway
Negotiations between the Minister of Transport and the Seaway Users'
Group in pursuit of a commercialization agreement continued in 1997. Completion
of the agreement is expected in mid-1998.
Canadian Coast Guard
Following introduction of the Marine Navigation Services Fee in 1996,
the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) continued its efforts to reduce expenditures
and improve efficiency by introducing a new fee in 1997: the Maintenance
Dredging Services Tonnage Fee for the St. Lawrence Ship Canal.
Rail
In 1997, five shortline corporations, currently dominating that sector
of the rail industry, added over 3,000 kilometres of track to their networks,
primarily as a result of transfers or leasing agreements with CN and CP
Rail.
Roads
The highlight of 1997 was the June opening of the Confederation Bridge
between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Other road-sector activity
included the transfer of provincial roads to municipal responsibility. In
Ontario a completely electronic toll highway was opened to traffic, Highway
407.
Infrastructure and Associated Services
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