Summary: the latest grand idea from the Port is either a masterful attempt to steer the port towards necessary diversification, or a pipe dream. Plan looks good, but who pays? who benefits? and does Prince Rupert really want these cruise ships?
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The Grand Vision of Rupert as cruise ship stop-over |
| existing roads in red; the 240 meter cruise ship is yellow; the pink area is a new dock; the green are existing buildings. Blue is recent city land purchase of unknown (to me) extent | |
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| The tourist can go left to Cow Bay or right on the overpass to the Museum longhouse |
What about these messy, busy businesses? 'No problem', says the Port. We will just build the new dock out from the existing dock and the tourists can sightsee as they come ashore. Rustic scene of boats unloading etc.
Wait a minute! Perhaps the end companies will get their boats in around a docked cruise ship, but what about Seafood Products (#2 above)?
And these guys all have leases, not only to the buildings but the foreshore.
Does the Port plan to break those leases? I hear we are talking millions of dollars.
Yes, but it is such a great vision -- the tourist either comes up to this great building or meanders down to cow bay.
The Port is already converting its building and dock to handle a small cruise ships. Their newsletter has details and suggests bookings for next year.
The implication is that the whole waterfront from the overpass to Cow Bay is foreseen as Tourist destination. At the moment that looks like the highest use of the land. Perhaps those fish plants can go elsewhere along harbour front.
Rumors are rife that CN will soon abandon the waterfront leaving only 2 lines for the Via Train. Some say the marshalling yard will go out to Ridley.
If that is the case then it looks like the area around Via Station and Kwinitsa station will be looking for new uses. That would fit fine with the original concept for the town. Perhaps an overhead leading from the train station up to the Mall area?
Why not? -- It is a matter of scale. These ships would dump 2000 passengers onto our docks for a whirl wind tour of FOUR hours.
Why bother even stopping? The thinking is that as more cruise ships choose Seattle as their embarkation point (instead of Vancouver) they will legally be required to stop somewhere in BC to meet US coastal transportation laws. Four hours in Rupert would satisfy that requirement.
Look at the size of these ships. They have more levels than any high rise building in town. Alaskan towns threaten (Ketchikan) or go to referendum (Juneau) to put a 5$ fee on every person on manifest disembarking at their town. This year the Alaskan Senate Finance Committee voted a 50$/ tourist tax all the while lamenting that tourists "don't pay" .
Is Prince Rupert shoving aside good productive waterfront businesses while chasing some mirage on the horizon called global tourism?
The city is talking about a 1.5 Million dollars investment in this project. Depending upon how much other levels of government are willing to pay, this could either be a good investment or a frivolous tax drain.
Whatever it needs closer scrutiny by citizens and officials alike.
Sources--
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Date |
text |
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7/16/99 |
The petition asks voters to approve a $5 fee for every passenger
listed on a visiting ship's manifest. The proposal exempts vessels that
accommodate 40 or fewer passengers, ships without berths or overnight
accommodations, and noncommercial ships. |
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1/8/00 |
The Ketchikan City Council rejected a cruise ship passenger fee
on a 6 to 1 vote during deliberations last night. The local manager for
Princess Cruises, called it a positive step for the industry and the
Gateway City. He added that Ketchikan officials realize that more cruise
ship business is coming its way because of the last fall's vote in
Juneau to impose a $5 fee. |
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4/21/00 |
JUNEAU - Cruise ships would pay a $50 tax on each tourist they
bring into Alaska waters if a bill passed by a powerful Senate committee
on Wednesday becomes law. The Senate Finance Committee's action---.
"Cruise ship passengers in the state don't pay," said Pearce,
R-Anchorage." |
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