PEOPLE who live and work in northern B.C. will benefit from a provincial investment of $25 million that will improve and expand operations at the Port of Prince Rupert.

This will support B.C. and Canadian exporters’ competitiveness and opportunities in international trade, says the Province.

“Our investment in the Port of Prince Rupert will help create new good-paying jobs in our region, while improving western trade corridors and helping Canadian importers and exporters get goods to market,” said Jennifer Rice, MLA for North Coast, on behalf of Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “It will support regional businesses and provide the necessary infrastructure to boost our provincial economy to help build back stronger from the hit of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important investment in the future of Prince Rupert and of B.C. as a whole.”

The project, led by the Prince Rupert Port Authority, will improve and expand infrastructure at the Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform. The project, spanning more than 28 hectares (70 acres), will create a platform to enhance the port’s capacity for transloading B.C. and western Canadian natural resource products for containerized export by sea to international markets. Transloading is the process of transferring a shipment from one mode of transportation to another.

Once built, this new platform will increase the port’s export transloading capacity from 75,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to over 400,000 TEUs annually. The completed project will come with new and updated rail tracks and dedicated roadways to and from the Fairview Container Terminal. It will also feature new offloading and storage facilities plus related large-scale equipment.

“Metlakatla First Nation participates in many aspects of the growth of the container business at the Port of Prince Rupert through our agreements, port infrastructure construction projects and entrepreneurial ventures like Gat Leedm trucking, the largest container trucking operation in Prince Rupert,” said Harold Leighton, Chief Councillor, Metlakatla First Nation. “The development of the export logistics platform is another opportunity to continue our shared success through both business and employment opportunities.”

The project is expected to provide substantive economic benefits, including supporting regional businesses and creating 200 jobs in transloading, plus an additional 2,000 jobs in areas such as warehousing, longshore work and trucking.

“We thank the B.C. government for investing in the development of the Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform, and its recognition of the value it will create for B.C. export industries and the communities that economically rely on them,” said Shaun Stevenson, President and CEO, Prince Rupert Port Authority. “This pivotal project presents an unprecedented opportunity for sustainable economic recovery, improved competitiveness, and greater diversification and stability throughout northern B.C.”

The project is funded through a mix of public and private investment, including a $49.8-million federal contribution through the National Trade Corridors Fund and a $25-million provincial contribution as part of StrongerBC, B.C.’s Economic Recovery Plan.

For more information on the project, visit: https://www.rupertport.com/logistics-platform/