The Prince Rupert Port Authority, its supply chain partners, the City of Prince Rupert, the local Tsimshian communities, the Nisga’a, the Haisla, and the City of Kitimat were all first movers in strengthening Canada’s utility and trade corridors.
All this happened well before Donald Trump, Mark Carney, and the upending of global trade. Canada is now broadly on board with expanding infrastructure along existing and new corridors, and adding new manufacturing capacity for export and domestic consumption.
The Prince George–Prince Rupert Industrial Corridor, once a relative powerhouse, is now devastatingly underutilized, choking most communities along the route.
Modern infrastructure results in few full-time, in-community jobs once operational. The projects that do provide steady employment, like container and bulk terminals, face constant pressure from automation and technological change.
The challenge is not to resist efficiency, but to add manufacturing variety and expand logistics capacity.
We need some imagination to appreciate what is possible.
Consider this: the Windsor–Montreal and Prince George–Prince Rupert industrial corridors are of similar size and structure.
The first is 876 km in length, and the second is 719 km. Both are anchored by a Class 1 railway. They connect a string of small communities, forming a manufacturing corridor. Since NAFTA in 1994 and China’s entry into the WTO in 2001, both corridors have seen a significant increase in supply chain logistics.
The Central Canada corridor has two powerful advantages: population and adjacent markets. However, when you consider the actual populations, their relative value is comparable.
Given that Canada’s international focus has changed, does that not suggest that the corridor across Northern BC is set to punch well above its population weight class?
On the manufacturing side, two core industries are drawing renewed attention in a country rich in mineral resources and bordered by three oceans: shipbuilding and mineral smelting, both areas in which British Columbia has deep historical expertise.
Today, most mineral concentrates harvested in Northwestern BC are shipped out through the Port of Stewart and the Port of Prince Rupert.
A recent report by the Northern Confluence Initiative, a Smithers-based group that critiques mining policy, reminded us:
“Canada only has copper refineries in Quebec and Newfoundland, although the Gibraltar copper mine has an on-site plant that produces cathode copper. Most of B.C.’s copper goes to be refined in China and Japan.”
They also presented the argument that:
“British Columbia processes few of the metals and minerals we mine, making it difficult to track its end use or final destination. Mining more copper here doesn’t directly translate to more security of supply for it in the province.”
These are strong arguments for building smelting and refining capacity in Northern BC.
Jobs in refining and metallurgical processing along the Prince George–Prince Rupert Industrial Corridor would add value within the region, attract more technical capacity, and bring in more people.
In addition, having the core materials for advanced manufacturing close at hand is a strategic advantage in the productivity contest. The corridor also offers direct access to the U.S. Midwest, the Central Canada Industrial Corridor, and the Port of Prince Rupert.
Most people reading this will not know about Prince Rupert’s history in shipbuilding. It certainly is not as illustrious as the shipyards in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, or Burrard Inlet, but it exists.
During the First and Second World Wars, Prince Rupert Dry Dock built cargo ships, minesweepers, and tank landing craft. Over the years, they built many vessels for federal and provincial agencies and private companies: patrol vessels, ferries, scows, large fish boats, and both wooden and steel docks.
This was a time when Prince Rupert was a hub for fishing and logging camps, the RCMP, Fisheries, and the Coast Guard. Canadian fishing boats were going as far as the Bering Sea, and the Japanese were threatening the BC coast.
Today’s geopolitical environment is reminiscent of that earlier time, when Canada needed to build ships for itself. With Prince Rupert’s proximity to the Arctic and U.S. territorial waters, and the rapid growth of ocean-going traffic and support vessels in the area, a case could be made to re-establish the capacity to build heavier ships and offer repair options on the North Coast.
Are these far-fetched — mineral refining, advanced manufacturing, shipbuilding? Maybe, but worth looking into.
Was not particle board and oriented strand board once considered second-tier, before overtaking laminated wood in the marketplace? Did not freezing fish rather than canning become the new standard for consumers?
Northern BC needs to broaden its employment opportunities for potential residents. The more private investment there is across various sectors, the more people get involved. And more people mean more public and private services, services of higher value and quality.
If we are imaginative and courageous, we could redo the 1950s in the 2020s, this time with innovative technology, broader inclusion, and a strong national purpose.
We need to get more out of our resources.
Jim Rushton is a 46-year veteran of BC’s resource and transportation sectors, with experience in union representation, economic development, and terminal management.
