Going For the Gold ...Here at Home

Monday, February 27, 2006 03:50 AM

-by Ben Meisner

To quote Mayor Colin Kinsley and the trip to the Olympics “If we do nothing and spend nothing we will get nothing”. Early this week we learned that while there has been some chatter back and forth no formal delegation has been sent to Prince Rupert with respect to an Inland Container Port.

The city of Edmonton, smelling an opportunity, sends a delegation to Rupert with a view to trying to nail down some tourist traffic and a possible container port.

We had no problem dropping 38 grand to go to Torino (and I’m sure that figure will be higher when you factor in Initiative PG’s expenses) but somehow haven’t been able to fly a contingent in from Prince Rupert to show them what we have to offer .

Lets see, a charter would cost $2500.00 dollars, would accommodate 18 , throw in some rooms and some food and $ 5,000.00 would have brought the shakers and movers from that city to look over what we have to offer. We couldn’t do that though because we were in Torino trying to sell some training for the 2010 .

The Head of the Prince Rupert Port Authority says no formal delegation from P.G. has headed west for an actual visit, although he acknowledges there have been lots of talk between the city and airport officials.

Let me repeat "if we do nothing and spend nothing we will get nothing" and what was our priority? Well, we are heading to Prince Rupert in about a month with something to offer, that's the pitch we will get from city hall."

The Inland Container Port on Airport hill is one of the worst kept secrets in town, it will be announced within a month. Should we not be looking at, say Prince Rupert, to seek its assistance in putting the entire puzzle together to ensure we all benefit?

One City Hall brass told me, “Well Initiatives PG has had some conversations with the Prince Rupert Port Authority as late as last week." Correct me if I’m wrong, isn’t Gerry Offet in Italy? Did the head of Initiatives P.G make the call from Torino, or wasn’t it a priority?

So when the Inland Container Port of PG is announced, we will be told of the importance of our political figures who will step forward to take the credit.

Business goes where the opportunity exists, and business knew that Torino was not the place.

I'm Meisner, and that is one man's opinion.

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Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 03:50 AM in Views by Ben Meisner

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Comments

Posted by: giterdun on February 27 2006 8:01 AM

IF THIS INLAND CONTAINER PORT GOES TO EDMONTON, THE MAYOR,COUNCIL AND GERRY OFFET SHOULD BE HUNG OUT TO DRY. THEY HAVE HAD LOTS OF TIME TO PROMOTE THIS. I'AM JUST A COMMON OLE' REDNECK AND I HEARD ABOUT THIS PORT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. HEY COLIN GET YOURSELF AND YOUR LAMEDUCK INITIATIVE STAFF MOTIVATED. THIS COULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT TO COME TO THIS CITY IN DECADES. THE HOLIDAY IS OVER BOYS AND GIRLS LETS GET TO WORK AND SHOW EDMONTON WHAT REAL PROMOTION IS.

Posted by: Norm on February 27 2006 8:55 AM

after reading this and other articles regarding the inland container port and the lack of action by the city officals; i sit here and try to prepare a comment. instead, i sit here and look out the window and watch it snow. i realize that i am totally discussed and that i made my comment at the last civic election. maybe next time the people of prince george will remember these times and vote accordingly.

Posted by: fedup on February 27 2006 11:41 AM

Maybe we should talk to some of the folks over at W.I.C they seem to have scored the construction contract for the ports first stage they probably know more about this than our city rulers.

Posted by: Palopu on February 27 2006 4:36 PM

As I said a number of times before, a Container Facility in Prince George is not necessarily a positive thing overall, for the following reasons.

(1) It will kill off all the trucks **Super B's** carrying lumber to Vancouver to stuff in Containers and Refrigerated trailers which return to Vancouver with Pulp,Paper, and Lumber which is stuffed into Containers.

(2) No lumber going to Vancouver means no truck driving jobs to Vancouver along with all the business associated with trucking, such as Gas,Repairs,Tires, Truck Sales, etc.

(3) If there are no loads of Pulp,Paper,Lumber, available for refrigerated trucks to take back to Vancouver, then the **Inbound truck rates** will have to be increased to offset the loss of the **Backhaul revenue**. This would mean an increase of approx 700/800 dollars per truck load on inbound commodities which we would pay for in the Stores.

(4) In addition a huge increase in Containers from Prince George to Prince Rupert would mean a huge decrease in Rail Box Car traffic to Vancouver. Vancouver presently stuffs approx 15 to 20 thousand Containers per year from this area. This would mean a loss of approx 4500 Rail Cars to Vancouver and would result in less local switching, and less Southbound trains, which would mean less jobs. Some of these jobs would be picked up by local cartage companys hauling Containers to and from the Rail yard, however in the end the best you could hope for would be a saw off. No net gain of jobs, and higher consumer prices.

Posted by: giterdun on February 27 2006 4:57 PM

THE EMPLOYMENT A BONDED CONTAINER PORT IN PG WOULD CREATE WOULD DWARF ANY LOSS SUFFERED.THE USERS OF THIS TYPE OF PORT WOULD BE THE LIKES OF WALLMART,CATERPILLER,HOME DEPOT,RONA,SEARS,STEEL COMPANIES,FOOD DISTRIBUTION COS.ETC.THESE WOULD BE MEGA WAREHOUSES TO DISTRIBUTE ALL OVER THE WEST.TIED IN WITH AN EXPANDED AIRPORT THIS WOULD CREATE LARGE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.THE SERVICE INDUSTRY WOULD BENIFIT GREATLY.THIS IS FAR GREATER THAN JUST STUFFING CONTAINERS WITH LUMBER AND PULP.

Posted by: Palopu on February 27 2006 5:32 PM

Giterdun. You seem to have missed the point. The people behind the Container Terminal in Prince Rupert **Maher Terminals Inc** of New Jersey have been on record right from the start that the loaded Containers coming into Prince Rupert will be destined to the American Midwest, therefore any business gained from this venture for this area, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Grande Prairie, etc will be to load the empty Containers returning from the Midwest to the Port of Prince Rupert to South East Asia so that they can be reloaded into the American Midwest.

These Containers will be inbound through the Port of Prince Rupert to bypass the congestion of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, BC. and for the most part is business that is already being handled through those Ports.

The amount of business available in the Interior for Inbound Containers is next to nothing compared to the business that is available to places like Chicago, Detroit, etc where there are Millions of people. You have less than 200,000 people from Hope,BC to Ft St John, to Prince Rupert. You would not build a Super Port, for 1.2 Millon 20ft Containers to Service 200,000 people.

This is all about the American Midwest Inbound and loads from the Midwestj, and points inbetween to Prince Rupert outbound. I havent heard a word about any Distribution Warehouses in Prince George or anywhere else in Western Canada.

Posted by: Percy on February 27 2006 7:52 PM

If you continue to think the way you have always thought, you will continue to get what you have always got.

So, what is it that everyone is expecting by continuing to vote for the status quo?

Things don't change, people do. Percy

Posted by: Palopu on February 27 2006 9:03 PM

Its not a case of voting for the status quo. Its a case of looking at a situation and seeing what it has to offer.

In the case of the Prince Rupert Container Terminal. The first thing you should understand is that this Terminal is the idea of **Mayer Terminals** in New Jersey USA and they will build it and run it. They are the ones who will decide how many ships will come into Prince Rupert, what Containers they will carry, and where these Containers will go. This business was set up and will be run by them. They are going to utilize the Port of Prince Rupert for monetary reasons. Without Mayer there would be no Container Port expansion in Prince Rupert at this time. We can pretend that it had something to do with the people of BC but in fact it was and is driven by an American Co. This facility is not being built to increase business in the Interior of BC (This may happen to some small measure as a result but it is not the intention) This facility in being built to service American Citys in the Midwest of America . Pure and Simple. Any other interpretation as to what is going on is pipe dreaming. Read the facts, not the hype from politicians, real estate salesment, uniformed citizens, and dreamers.

Sometime the status quo is forced on you. Prince George and surrouding areas at this time have very limited opportunitys for growth. This has been shown clearly in the last 10 years and will continue so for the next 10 years unless something dramatic happens, and I cant for the life of me think what that might be.

Posted by: giterdun on February 28 2006 7:59 AM

PALOPU-- GUESS THE PEOPLE ASSEMBLING THE 2000 PLUS ACRES AT THE AIRPORT ARE REAL BIG DREAMERS. OH YEA, THEY ARE USING THEIR OWN MONEY TOO. HMMMMM!

Posted by: Palopu on February 28 2006 8:49 AM

Giterdun. Im betting that they are assembling the land to hold empty containers coming back from the Midwest and they will then have them stuffed at a stuffing facility, or loaded at the pulp mills, lumber mills, etc. The loads will then go on to Prince Rupert. I doubt very much if this facility will be holding any loaded containers from South East Asia for local distribution.
If that is their plan, and if they can get the Interior Mills to change how they now ship from this area then they have a chance to make a buck, however as I said before, if this happens it will kill as many jobs as in creates.

We will not have much longer to wait to see what is really going to happen

Posted by: owl on March 3 2006 11:56 AM

I am certainly not one to cote for the status quo.

I have been having serious discussions with my banker about starting a pony express and wagon train service.......