Download Surrey Board of Trade Transportation Team May 30, 2013

Surrey Board of Trade and New Westminster Chamber
of Commerce
Fraser River Business Dialogue
OVERVIEW PRESENTED BY
ALLEN DOMAAS, PPM
PRINCIPAL - NORDIC STAR SERVICES LTD.
DIRECTOR – FRASER RIVER DISCOVERY CENTRE
My Biases
A
free market creates wealth and growth
 A free market does not make the “best” decisions
if only pursuing “share holder value.”
 Infrastructure development should be the role
the government in the market place
 The Asia Pacific Gateway is real but not
embraced by municipal government
Presentation
 Navigation in the Fraser River
 Dredging
 Fraser River Crossings
 Land Use Adjacent the Fraser River
 Asia Pacific Gateway
 Opportunities
 An advertisement
Navigation in the Fraser River
 Fraser River is dynamic – “never” in equilibrium
 Lower Fraser is a “managed” regime
 Original management targets supported human
habitation and farming
 Once “managed” no one took responsibility for
“overall maintenance”
 Managers –



Vancouver Fraser Port Authority – Land use/Trade Growth
Province of BC – Water Management
Municipal – Dyke Maintenance
Navigation in the Fraser River - Dredging
 Is dredging in the lower Fraser River in support of
river management or navigation?
 Is there a need for both river management and
navigation?
 Who funds dredging is THE issue in the dredging
discussion
Fraser River Crossings
Question – Do we respect past decisions?
Fact – Fraser River Crossings create a declining “air draft”
and “navigation draft” mouth to Mission.
Fact – Railway crossings “limit” beam clearances and
inhibit the full usage of the “air” and “navigation” envelope.
Question – How do we “maximize” the navigation envelope
in the Fraser?
Land Use Adjacent the Fraser River
 Port’s early Vision – shot rock banks and industry to
the Mouth of the Fraser
 Wildlife Preservationist’s Vision – an estuary alive
with fish and waterfowl
 REALITY – the River runs through the most densely
occupied region in the Province of BC
 WHO must lead the discussion foreshore usage?
Asia Pacific Gateway Observations
 FACT – Asia Pacific Gateway is REAL
 FACT – Federal and Provincial governments have
invested Billions of dollars
 FACT – Municipalities are indifferent
 FACT – Public would rather not be “inconvenienced”
by the Gateway
 What can be done to integrate the Gateway into the
Region?
Opportunities
 Short Sea Shipping – If we are to have a Livable
Region we must have Short Sea Shipping
 River Tourism – Few residents of the region have
seen the region from the water side of the dyke
 Transit – If we are to stimulate the bike and walking
we need alternate places and methods to cross the
river.
 Small Vessel Services – why is it there are so few
places for recreational boats to land and visit our
Cities?
Fraser River Discovery Centre
 FACT – Few organizations consider the entire Fraser River,
most express their concern in respect to a very small
portion of the river
 The CENTRE is:
An educational resource
 A catalyst for dialogue
 A Voice for the Fraser River

 Opportunity – help the Centre Grow!
Thank you
Allen Domaas
Principal
Nordic Star Services Ltd.
[email protected]
778-960-2104