November's Fraser Valley floods have hastened work to improve B.C.'s supply chain capacity, including the addition of 40 acres in the Fraser Richmond Industrial Lands for cargo container storage.
Following the extreme rainfall, the federal government announced it would contribute $4.1 million to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority under the National Trade Corridors Fund for post-flood relief.
The money would support a port-led project to prepare an undeveloped parcel of federal land for handling and storing empty containers. The temporary site is located on Portside Road, at the end of No. 8 Road in Richmond.
The first phase has been operational as of January. The port authority continues to work on the site and expects that it will be fully operational by early March.
"The impacts of the recent extreme weather events have been devastating to British Columbians, including many First Nations communities, as well as to critical infrastructure, supply chains and the agricultural sector," Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said Nov. 24 in a statement. "That is why the Government of Canada will continue to provide support to the Province of British Columbia as they work to repair and recover from this tragedy."
Under the port guidance, the project is aimed to ease supply chain constraints and bottlenecks in the Lower Mainland.
With the National Trade Corridors Fund, Ottawa invests in trade corridors to help Canadians compete in key global markets, trade more efficiently with international partners, and keep Canadian supply chains competitive.
Some $4.2 billion over 11 years (2017-2028) has been allocated for the fund, including over $1 billion in funding for building and improving transportation networks in Canada’s Arctic and northern regions.
