Wow, after catching up on the news it becomes apparent that I have to go on vacation more often.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Prince Rupert and my job, but it seems good things happen when I’m not here. A couple of years ago while I was out of the country Canpotex announced they were considering locating a shipping terminal on Ridley Island and last year while I was basking in some sun the Prince Rupert Port Authority signed an agreement with the Coast Tsimshian to end a lot of uncertainty that had been looming in the background of the city’s future.
Upon return from an undisclosed location this time around, I see that the federal government has committed $15 million to complete the funding needed for the rail and utility corridor on Ridley Island. That’s pretty huge news and is a major step towards the realization of the port authority’s Gateway 2020 vision. For anybody that was looking to locate a facility on Ridley Island, the question was how the goods could get to and from the terminal and how much it would cost to build that – that question has now potentially been resolved with funding in place for a rail corridor that could service potential developments in the future.
Now all that is needed is for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency to give the green light to the project currently under review and Ridley Island is essentially completely open and more appealing for business.
As it stands right now there is an LNG export company looking at the feasibility of developing a terminal on the island and, of course, the previously mentioned Canpotex terminal that has been on the tongues of residents for over two years now. The jobs and impact that would come from the construction of those two facilities would be a huge boom for Prince Rupert, and no doubt the long term jobs would be of the high-paying persuasion.
The Gateway 2020 vision outlined by the Port Authority is ambitious, to say the least, but it’s moving ahead slowly but surely. Now I can’t wait to see what happens when I leave next year…
