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Premier Rodney MacDonald's column
Gateway: a Strategic Opportunity with Real Benefits
March 12, 2007
You can be sure something holds real strategic value when you see key things happening, such as the private sector investing a lot of money into assets in your backyard, and you see competition around the globe chasing the same opportunity.
Both things are happening, in a big way, in the race to grab more of the burgeoning container ship traffic that’s coming through the Suez Canal then crossing the Atlantic Ocean to North America.
There also is a third key thing happening here in Canada: across the country in our corporate boardrooms and in the halls of public leadership, we all recognize and support Canada’s need for gateways on both coasts.
Growing Canada’s gateway on the Atlantic is our chance to harness the trends in lucrative global trading patterns. It’s about getting bigger, faster so more ships from China, India and Southeast Asia will choose to access market by using us.
We must act fast because competitors like New York are spending billions to blast and dredge their harbours and upgrade their facilities. It’s all part of a competitive trend around the world: fewer gateways accessing the major markets, and these gateways are getting bigger in capacity and sophistication.
Becoming one of these centres, marketing Canada’s Atlantic gateway, and getting products to market faster and better than everyone else—these will increasingly be our competitive advantages. It is, and will always be, a team effort with collective benefit; I can foresee opportunities for the ports in Sydney, the Strait of Canso and Halifax.
The private sector (internationally, nationally and locally) is leading the way on the investment front. New York-based Macquarie Infrastructure Partners has purchased the Halterm container terminal and cargo facility at the Port of Halifax. Macquarie is investing in port infrastructure throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
Cerescorp, the international operator of the Fairview Cove terminal at the Port of Halifax, is installing two, multi-million dollar post-Panamax cranes this year.
Also, a consortium of private investors is pursuing possible development of a brand new container terminal in the Strait of Canso, and the
And CN Rail has invested heavily in the Montreal-Halifax corridor to increase capacity and to improve transit times.
There’s more. Consolidated Fastfrate is expanding its distribution warehouse in Halifax. This is a major part of how national retailer Canadian Tire balances its whole supply chain via the ports of Vancouver and Halifax.
And Armour Transportation’s Halifax centre gets goods to Sears Canada, Sony Canada and other members of the Canadian Retail Shippers Association in central Canada.
It’s important to note these businesses are doing sophisticated, skilled work. For example, Armour says information technology (IT) is integral to good business. Armour has equipped its entire fleet of trucks with satellite tracking technology. It also is focusing on bar coding and scanning to increase efficiency.
These private investments in infrastructure and technological advancements are a clear sign of optimism, confidence and recognition of our strategic position.
As Premier, I am not alone in seeing what this can mean for Canada’s transportation system; for businesses and the Canadian economy; and for our effort to build the New Nova Scotia using opportunities and global connections.
Achieving gateway status will set off a chain reaction that would see us attract more and more private-sector investment, building a critical mass of transportation and logistics expertise, and elevating us on the global trading map.
The whole country will benefit.