Project

Vancouver Gateway: Air and Marine Ports

The Greater Vancouver Gateway Council is the association of operators and carriers associated with the Vancouver, British Columbia airport and seaport facilities.  The Gateway Council engaged EDR Group (now EBP) to assess the economic role that the region's airport and port facilities are playing to support economic activity and growth in the Greater Vancouver Region, Lower Mainland area, and the province of British Columbia.

The study, which received funding support from Transport Canada, examined activity at Port Metro Vancouver - which represents the Fraser River Port, the North Fraser Port, and the Vancouver Port - and the Vancouver International Airport,  as well as various rail lines and truck/rail intermodal facilities that connect with them. It assessed:

  • the local and provincial economic role of the seaport and airport facilities, as well as supporting rail, and truck activities;
  • effects of shipping commodities and energy products through the gateway, and its economic effects for residents of the Lower Mainland region; and
  • the local and regional economic impacts (on jobs, income, business output, and tax revenues) associated with the operation of Gateway facilities.

The report documented how the seaport and airport activities had weathered past recessions and grown over time, shifting in terms of market positions, and becoming increasingly important for the region's economy.