Quote:
Originally Posted by digitboy
Forgive me if I am duplicating an already existing thread about the same subject as this might already have been discussed in the past but I was shocked and really surprised today when i saw some stats about the busiest ports in Canada for cargo tonnage. The stats I have are from 2011 and shows Metro Vancouver port BY FAR the most important port in Canada.
|
This should help put in perspective why many Vancouverites are utterly confounded by the Federal government's decision to shut down Vancouver's Kitsilano Coast Guard station to save a measly $1.3M a year.
True, there is a second Coast Guard station in Richmond equipped with a hover craft, but it's 25 minutes away from the former Kitsilano Coast Guard station's area of operation and almost an hour removed from the eastern-most operating areas of the former station. The Richmond facility is now the sole Coast Guard station responsible for the safety of the entirety of Port Metro Vancouver and the 3,000 ships that now call on it annually and move nearly 124,000,000 tonnes of goods. The Richmond Coast guard station is also responsible for the safe passage of more than 600,000 passengers on almost 200 cruise ship calls, plus all of the region's recreational marine activities (whale watching, booze cruises, sailing and yacht clubs, open water canoeing and rowing clubs, dragon boating, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, etc.) The local police and RCMP marine units must now take on additional duties for which the Coast Guard has jurisdiction; Federal to local downloading, plain as day.
Incidentally, here are 2012's Port Metro Vancouver stats:
http://www.portmetrovancouver.com/do...w.pdf?sfvrsn=4 (
Stats page)
Also, very cool to see Churchill's port. I had know that it was there, but I had never seen a photo before. Thanks for sharing it.