The Prince Rupert Port Authority has reached an agreement with the Coast Tsimshian First Nations that is meant to provide more certainty on a major container-handling expansion.
The agreement recognizes the Port of Prince Rupert falls within the traditional territory of the Coast Tsimshian, and creates a protocol for consultation and accommodation for future projects.
The port has a $650-million plan to quadruple container-handling capacity at the terminal, which opened in late 2007.
The port is considered a key element in Northern B.C.'s emerging role as a transportation corridor between Asia and North America. The corridor includes Prince George, where CN built a $20-million container-loading facility.
"The agreement aligns the interests of the Prince Rupert Port Authority, the Coast Tsimshian, the government of Canada and the province of British Columbia, toward the continued growth and expansion of the Port of Prince Rupert so that the port may reach its destiny as Canada's strategic gateway for trade in the Asia Pacific region and realize the significant economic opportunities this growth represents," said Dale MacLean, chairman of the Prince Rupert Port Authority.
Gary Reece, chief of the Lax Kw'alaams, which is a member nation of the Coast Tsimshian, said the agreement will allow the port and the Tsimshian to pursue mutual economic development objectives.
"This announcement is good for our people and for all in the northwest as it provides the certainty that we all need to be able to move forward in a positive business environment," said Reece.
The agreement provides for financial payments associated with impacts arising from the construction and operation of the Fairview Container Terminal on the Coast Tsimshian's traditional use of the site. It also provides employment opportunities during both the construction and operations phases, and provides preferred contracting opportunities associated with the container terminal development and port operations.
The agreement is in addition to agreements reached with two First Nations groups located near Terrace, the Kitselas First Nation and the Kitsumkalum First Nation.
The Port of Prince Rupert's container terminal has been ranked as the fastest growing in North America and No. 8 in the world, by the independent marine consulting firm Drewry Publishing's annual container port overview.
The port's Fairvew Container Terminal handled nearly 345,000 container units in 2010, a 29.5 per cent increase over 2009.
Part of the growth has been driven by lumber loaded at Prince George destined for China.
The provincial and federal governments invested $30 million each in the $170-million container terminal at Prince Rupert.
The port authority believes its facilities create an estimated 2,750 direct and spin-off jobs in the North with a payroll of $150 million. By 2020, the impact is expected to be 9,100 direct and spinoff jobs with a wage impact of $610 million.
