Communities Welcome Change at Ridley Terminals

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 02:14 PM

Prince Rupert, B.C.- Communities across central and northern BC welcome the change in leadership at Ridley Terminals and look forward to a new era of cooperation between Ridley Terminals, resource industries and communities across Western Canada.

Transport canada has announced, "Bud" Smith, a former B.C. Socred Cabinet member will be the interim chair of the boad for ridley Terminals. The previous chair, Daniel Veniez, was fired on Friday for promoting the sale of the terminal to private operators,

In a release issued earlier today, Northern Communities stated "Ridley Terminals is a key asset of Canada's 'Northern Gateway' port infrastructure. The terminal and deepwater port berths have the potential to dramatically expand Western Canada's resource industry shipments of coal, wood pellets, sulphur and other bulk products to the world. We welcome a new board chair who will work to enable industry investment, while still retaining the port as a public asset. In turn, this will stabilize and grow the economies of many resource dependent communities. Through this important transportation infrastructure link, the economies of rural resource communities will be strengthened."

Karen Goodings, President of the North Central Municipal Association, noted that "We were heartened by the quick response from Minister Stockwell Day, Minister of International Trade, Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway
and Senior Regional Minister of British Columbia, to the concerns of regional community leaders. He responded to us that "Ridley Terminals is clearly a driving force based on its involvement with 30 communities and 350,000 people in BC," and confirmed that "Ridley Terminals is a public asset."

"We know that Members of Parliament in this government, like Ministers Hill and Merrifield, who are from resource dependent rural communities in Western Canada, understand how critical it is to have a strong culture of
co-operation and a positive investment climate for industry," said Mayor Evan Saugstad of Chetwynd, Vice Chair of the Northern Development Initiative Trust.

Ridley Terminals is a public asset that moves the resources that drive our economy to the world. Central and northern BC is the growth engine of BC's economy producing two thirds of our provincial exports. Industries based in our communities that depend on the Port of Prince Rupert and Ridley Terminals are key to our economic future.

The region is positioned well to come out of this recession with a diversified resource base and the most efficient and least congested public port system in western North America. Community leaders feel a publicly
operated Ridley Terminals is critical to their vision of northern economic development.

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Posted on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 02:14 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: He spoke on June 30 2009 4:15 PM

Yee, I thought I would never live long enough to say this, Thanks Minister Stockwell Day.

Gee, I wonder what our elustrious leader, DICK Harris was doing when this was going down. As usual keeping a low profile.

Posted by: Eagleone on June 30 2009 4:38 PM

A good Free Enterprise decision IMO.

Posted by: Palopu on June 30 2009 9:36 PM

This is political pandering more than anything else. The Port of Prince Rupert has been there for 100 years. It seems to grow and shrink, grow and shrink. It was doing good with the coal from Tumbler Ridge for about 15 years, then that disapeared. They now get a little coal out of the Tumbler area, some wood pellets, some grain, and some Containers.

However insofar as Ports go this is still a very small Port, and will continue to be so for the next 50 to 100 years.

Most of the money for Port Expansion, and the Pacific Gateway is going into Vancouver, and Delta Port, dont let anyone try and tell you otherwise. The money to Prince Rupert is lip service.

Posted by: mwk on July 1 2009 8:48 AM

Palopu give me a break!!

Ok, it may never be the biggest port in BC, but who cares. Have you ever been to Prince Rupert. That town has been depressed ever since Skeena Cel shut down.

Any decent projects to come North of Kamloops that result in a good paying jobs and an increased level of activity to the North should be welcomed with open arms.

As a Province, a larger chunk of money will be spent in the lower part of the Province because that's were most of the people live. If we take steps to really develope Prince George as a Northern Capital with a good Regional Hospital, UNBC/CNC, and a hub for commercial/industrial businesses people will move here. Then we could argue for more infastructure because we would be a growing community.

What does negativity get you.........?

Posted by: Palopu on July 1 2009 1:04 PM

Who's being negative???? All I said is Prince Rupert is a very small port, and that most of the available money is going into Vancouver, and Delta port. These are facts not fiction.

I agree that the extra jobs for Prince Rupert are great, and will help to get them to where they were 10 years ago when the pulp mill shut down, however in the big scheme of things this is not much.

Politicians pay lip service to the outlying areas because they need the seats to form the Government. At the end of the day there are not to many people in the lower mainland that give a fiddlers about Prince George or Prince Rupert, or all the mill towns in between.