Statement from Wendy Zatylny, President of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities, on the release of Canada’s Federal Budget

ACPA welcomes the recognition in the Federal Budget of the importance of infrastructure in creating good, well-paying jobs and delivering sustained economic growth, but notes that greater clarity is needed in defining the opportunities for ports within this funding envelope.

Ports can continue to be powerful trade enablers for Canada, but to do so we have to be flexible and able to adapt to changing market forces. Greater autonomy, enhanced commercialization and the removal of barriers to financial flexibility would give port authorities the power to pursue trade-related opportunities and reduce current restrictions that may serve as obstacles to growth.

An ACPA – Transport Canada¹ study of port infrastructure requirements found a capital investment requirement of $5.8 billion to meet growing demand. Of this, $1.9 billion (or 33%) is related to the rehabilitation of existing port assets. This public funding of strategic port infrastructure is needed to assist in maximizing Canada’s economic output.

We look forward to engaging with the Government of Canada to clarify phase 2 efforts to deliver fast, efficient trade corridors and enable ports to help Canada capitalize on the potential of global trade. ACPA will also seek to integrate immediate funding needs of $1.9 B for port rehabilitation within the New Building Canada Fund. Ultimately, an investment in port infrastructure will have a multiplier effect on the Canadian economy. The initial injection will go into supporting the local economy and labour force while the secondary bounce will come from the ability of the port to grow its cargo.

About the Association of Canadian Port Authorities
The Association of Canadian Port Authorities was founded in 1958 and groups together ports and related marine interests into one national association. ACPA represents all Canadian Port Authorities, various government entities and companies doing business in the marine sector. It is the leading Association for the advocacy and advancement of the Canadian Port Industry. ACPA members contribute significantly to the local, regional and national economy of Canada, responsible for more than 250,000 direct and indirect jobs and handling more than $162 billion worth of goods annually.

For more information, please call:
Wendy ZatylnyPresident,
Association of Canadian Port Authorities
Cell: (613)407-6022
Office: (613) 232-2036 x201
www.acpa-ports.net


¹CPCS Transcom, Canada Port Authority Infrastructure Study: PortInfrastructure Investment Needsand Plans, Association of Canadian Port Authorities, Ottawa, 2011

Federal Funding Announced for CHONe II in Partnership with INREST, the City of Sept-Îles, the Port of Sept-Îles, and Others

SEPT-ÎLES, March 2, 2016 – Institut nordique de recherche en environnement et en santé au travail (INREST), the City of Sept-Îles, and the Port of Sept-Îles are pleased with today’s announcement in St. John’s by the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Small Business and Tourism, of funding for Phase II of the Canadian Healthy Oceans Network, aka CHONe II, directed by Dr. Paul Snelgrove of Memorial University, Newfoundland. A $5 million five-year grant will be made through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), with an additional $1 million from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The Bay of Sept-Îles area and surroundings are among CHONe II’s research sites. The bay was selected for its combination of northern marine conditions, freshwater inflow, and ongoing industrial, municipal, recreational, and tourist activities. The data collected will go into a marine biodiversity database for Canada’s three surrounding northern oceans and for all northern global regions and will serve as a valuable source of information for future generations.

A number of research projects will be conducted in the Sept-Îles area in partnership with INREST. The earth and its oceans are on the verge of a biodiversity crisis that will likely present challenges just as complex as those presented by climate change. The many types of threats to the health of our oceans make development of a new framework for protecting them an urgent priority. Just as importantly, this framework must encompass university and government scientists as well as the officials who develop policy.

CHONe II is a strategic partnership made up of 39 researchers from 11 Canadian universities, numerous government researchers at federal research labs, and partners such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Oceans Canada, and INREST, representing the City of Sept-Îles and the Port of Sept-Îles. CHONe II is there to meet the need for scientific guidelines to conserve and use marine biodiversity resources sustainably.

The Port and City of Sept-Îles have already committed to $1 million in joint funding for INREST so it can collaborate on research in the region and on the North Shore, and represent them within CHONe II. Of this funding, INREST is to pay $250,000 into CHONe II research directly, with further support contributed in kind. This investment in scientific research is an essential contribution to the work of the research teams in the Sept-Îles area and other Canadian regions so they can develop indicators and management tools for use in preserving northern marine biodiversity.

We also salute the appointment of Dr. Julie Carrière to the CHONe II board of directors as representative of INREST, the Port of Sept-Îles, and the City of Sept-Îles.

Sources:

Julie Carrière
Director
Institut nordique de recherche en environnement et en santé au travail
418-962-9848, ext. 369
julie@inrest.ca
Patsy Keays
Director, Corporate Affairs
Port of Sept-Îles
418-961-1235
Denis Clements
Assistant to the Director
City of Sept-Îles
418-964-3201