December 16, 1998 : Despite financial pressures worldwide, one of BC's key economic engines is still going strong. In 1997, Fraser River Port handled $9.2 billion worth of goods, contributed $1.4 billion to the country's GDP and sustained 24,035 jobs in Canada.

Since its last review in 1993, the value of cargo shipped through Fraser River Port has increased by 40%, with most of it produced in Canada for international markets.

These are the findings of the Fraser River Port Economic Impact Study 1998, prepared by the UBC School of Community and Regional Planning for the Fraser River Harbour Commission, which manages Fraser River Port. Ports are crucial to the economic prosperity of any region, but too often their contributions are overlooked because they do not produce tangible goods and their activities are not readily visible to the public. The purpose of this study was to quantify Fraser River Port's far-reaching economic impact on British Columbia and Canada.

Fraser River Port's economic impact is divided into two types. The port-associated sector is basically the goods produced in Canada and then shipped through Fraser River Port. The economic impacts are in turn generated from the value of these goods. The second sector is the port-industry sector which covers the services provided by companies and organizations that are involved with the movement of cargo through Fraser River Port, such as ship agents, tugs and towing operations, rail and trucking operations, terminals, stevedoring, and freight forwarding. The economic impacts are in turn generated from their total sales revenue.

Fraser River Port's jurisdiction stretches 100 kilometres up the Fraser River from its mouth at the Strait of Georgia and borders the nine municipalities of Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Richmond and Surrey.

For more information contact:

Raija Orava
Manager, Public Affairs
Fraser River Port Authority
Tel. (604) 524-6655