Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (January 2008) |
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| General information | |||
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| Founded | - Amalgamation January 1, 2008 |
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| Former authorities prior to amalgamation | - Port of Vancouver - North Fraser Port Authority - Fraser River Port Authority |
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| Coordinates - Latitude - Longitude |
(for former Port of Vancouver) 49°16'37" N 123°07'15" W |
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| Area - Coastline - Land - Water |
600 kilometres Unknown Unknown |
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| Major marine terminals | 32, including 2 cruise ship terminals | ||
| Vessel arrivals (Placeholder) |
Unknown (FY 2008) | ||
| Annual container volume (Placeholder) |
Unknown (FY 2008) | ||
| Annual cargo tonnage (Placeholder) |
Unknown metric revenue tons (FY 2008) | ||
| Value of cargo handled | More than $53 billion CAD (CY 2007) | ||
| Cruise traffic | 0.910 million passengers (FY 2005) (statistics from Port of Vancouver prior to merger) |
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| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | $6.3 billion CAD (estimated) (FY 2007) | ||
| Jobs | Unknown (FY 2008) | ||
| VFRA Board of Directors | |||
| Chairman Vice chairman |
Sarah Morgan-Silvester Peter Podovinikoff |
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| Other board members | Doug Butterworth Andrew Johnston Trevor Klassen Kazuko Komatsu Ken Matchett Jack Matthews Helen Sparkes R. V. (Bob) Wilds John Willcox |
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| President and CEO | Captain Gordon Houston | ||
| Official Website | |||
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, or VFPA for short, is the principal authority for shipping and port-related land and sea use in the Metro Vancouver region.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Prior to Merger
Prior to the formation of the VFPA, there were three separate port authorities in the Metro Vancouver region: the Port of Vancouver, which was the largest port in Canada; the Fraser River Port Authority, and the North Fraser Port Authority.
Although the ports were able to financially support themselves, the federal legislation governing the authorities generated some inefficiency, as the port authorities, legally being separate entities, were forced to compete with each other economically for business. This inefficiency came to the attention of the local media in 2006 when it was found that the recently-expanded Fraser Surrey Docks, operated by the Fraser River Port Authority in North Delta, were sitting idle after their principal shipping partner, CP Ships, decided to relocate to the facilities of the Port of Vancouver when they were already nearing capacity. [1]
Some, however, had opposed the possible merger as they feel the new authority will not recognize the unique concerns of the Fraser River. John Cummins, the Richmond East - Delta MP, has called the merger a "sellout" of the North Fraser River Authority to international shippers. [2]
To increase efficiency of the ports of Vancouver, the federal Minister of Transport permitted the three authorities to do studies on the benefits of amalgamating the three separate authorities into one in June 2006. The resulting report highlighted several benefits of amalgamation, and in June 16, Transport Canada granted a "certificate of intent to amalgamate port authorities". In December 21, 2007, the government of Canada published a certificate of amalgamation that allowed the three port authorities to merge into one effective January 1, 2008. [3]
[edit] Post-Merger
Since the merger, the VFPA has been embroiled in controversy in Mission, British Columbia over plans to build a barge container port on an environmentally-sensitive wetland. The VFPA has admitted that such plans have existed prior to the merger and that they have not consulted the community beforehand. Proponents argue that the new terminal will reduce emissions and truck traffic throughout the region and ease capacity problems, while critics feel that the truck traffic may move all the way to Mission and cause traffic and environmental problems there. Many residents are also concerned that the container terminal will be unsightly. [4]
