Federal Minister of Transport visits British Columbia and views flood impacts to transportation infrastructure

VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 10, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra joined the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure for the Province of British Columbia, the Honourable Rob Fleming, to observe some of the damage to national and provincial transportation infrastructure caused by floods in British Columbia. The Minister saw first-hand how the devastating rain, floods, and snow have not only jeopardized and displaced the lives of thousands of British Columbians, but have also severely constrained Canada's supply chain. 

The Minister appreciated the engineering and construction efforts that have been undertaken quickly, safely, and, in often challenging conditions, to restore the vital rail and road connections. He saw the rebuilding of critical routes connecting communities within the province, and linking the province to the rest of Canada.

During this visit, Minister Alghabra lauded the collaboration and work across the supply chain and all modes of transportation – trucking, rail, marine and air – in the first weeks of the emergency to ensure that essential goods reached households, farms and industries. The Minister reiterated his commitment to collaborate with key supply chain participants and partners on the job ahead of re-building resilient supply chain infrastructure.

In addition, the Minister announced $8.7M in funding for four projects under the National Trade Corridors Fund, to improve the operational efficiency of Canada's West Coast trade corridor and supply chains.

Other measures announced recently include:

• Launching a Supply Chain Recovery Working Group with the Province of British Columbia that is ensuring essential goods are reaching those who need them and providing advice to the federal and provincial governments on supply chain infrastructure priorities to rebuild with greater resiliency.
• Contributing up to $4.1 million to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority under the National Trade Corridors Fund, to relieve current supply chain congestion by delivering additional container storage capacity.
• Developing a new collaborative system to manage marine vessel traffic and improve the flow of goods through the Port of Vancouver.

The Government of Canada is working with the Province of British Columbia, along with port, terminal, railway, marine, air and trucking sectors to provide logistical support required in response to the damages caused by flooding.

Quote

"All Canadians stand with British Columbians. Thank you to our partners for working tirelessly over the past three weeks to restore our critical transportation system on such a large scale. More work needs to be done and our government is taking steps to resolve outstanding transportation and supply chain issues. We are focused on building the strength of our transportation infrastructure and the efficiency of our supply chains that directly benefit the lives of Canadians across the country."

The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport

"The Government of Canada is committed to working with federal and provincial partners in ensuring that every effort is made to restore and repair critical infrastructure, such as essential transportation corridors, in the wake of the recent extreme flooding in British Columbia. Recovering from this event is a long-term proposition, and we are committed to providing assistance to British Columbians as they recover in the days, weeks, and months ahead. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to all of the first responders, emergency managers and implicated partners, for their tireless and ongoing efforts in supporting Canadians in their time of need."

The Honourable Bill Blair
President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness

Quick Facts:

• Canada's total international trade in goods and services in 2020 totaled $1.3 trillion.
• The Supply Chain Recovery Working Group includes the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the B.C. Ministry of Tourism and Arts, and representatives from the BC Trucking Association, the Council of Marine Carriers, the Gateway Council of B.C., the B.C. Chamber of Shipping, CN Rail, CP Rail and Transport Canada.
• Budget 2021 provided an additional $1.9 billion over four years (2021-2025) to recapitalize the National Trade Corridor Fund. Since the program's launch in 2017, over $2.2 billion in National Trade Corridor Fund funding has been committed to 117 projects across Canada.
• On November 26, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a committee of federal and provincial ministers who will work together and with Indigenous leadership to guide immediate and ongoing support to British Columbia families, businesses, and communities affected by the extreme weather events. The committee will be co-chaired by the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Bill Blair and Mike Farnworth, Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General of British Columbia.

Associated Links

• Government of Canada invests in four projects to increase efficiency of cargo handling in the Lower Mainland (Dec 10)
• Prime Minister and Premier of British Columbia announce new committee to address extreme weather and climate resilience in the province (Nov 26)
• The Government of Canada and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority join together to address supply chain disruptions as a result of the British Columbia floods (Nov 24)
• Governments of Canada and British Columbia announce joint supply chain recovery working group (Nov 20)
• Government of Canada announces new system to improve marine vessel traffic flow at the Port of Vancouver and in Southern British Columbia (Aug 12)
• National Trade Corridors Fund
• Trade and Transportation Corridors Initiative
• Investing in Canada Plan

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SOURCE Transport Canada

Contacts: Allison St-Jean, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport, Ottawa, [phone], [email protected]; Media Relations: Transport Canada, Ottawa, 613-993-0055, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.tc.gc.ca/