Mayor Herb Pond outlines impact of Port dispute on Prince Rupert

Picket lines have. been up at the Scott Road Gate and all other entrances
to marine terminals in Prince Rupert since Saturday

As the negotiations were taking place in Vancouver over the weekend, some of the spotlight towards the BC Port dispute for the media turned to the impact on communities that host port facilities.

Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond
found some national attention 
this week as port workers 
launched their labour action

And one of the go to officials for the national media was Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond, who provided a fairly extensive snapshot for the Canadian Press towards how much importance the port and the jobs that the workers have from it means to the community.

The report distributed across Canada opened with a bit of a history lesson, with Mr. Pond recounting the birth of the Container Port and how it revitalized the economy  that amidst the collapse of Watson Island and the declining employment from the fishery.

He also puts some focus on the scope of how the Port has become a dominant part of the community noting how there isn't anyone in town that doesn't know someone that is impacted by the labour dispute.

The Mayor also observed of the expansive plans that the PRPA have for the footprint of the Port facilities and the investments of the various terminal partners and CNR towards that blue print.

The article concludes with Mr. Pond noting that if the strike continues for a length of time that it will be hard not only on the workers and their families, as well as the community and the Canadian economy.

You can review the full overview from the Prince Rupert Mayor as part of this story.

More notes related to the dispute can be explored through our archive.  

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.