[ ’95 STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF PORTS CANADA DROP BY 16% ]

Total cargo handled through the Port of Prince Rupert in 1995 fell by
2.2 million tonnes over 1994 tonnage, a drop of 16%. A 22% reduction i
n grain throughput accounted for over half of the shortfall. “This un
der-utilization of one of Canada’s most up-to-date and efficient grai
n terminals is a result of two factors: a much smaller than normal car
ry over of grain inventories at the end of the 1994~95 crop year and t
he elimination of the Crow Benefit,”said Don Krusel, port CEO. “It e
mphasizes the need to continue working whihin the grain handling and t
ransportation industry to bring about a more competitive transportatio
n rate structure which reflects Prince Rupert’s efficiency advantagie
s.”
The decline in coal and coke tonnage can be attributed to the fact tha
t 1994 was an exceptionally productive year. The impact on tonnage of
extremely cold weather presently being experienced at the mine sites r
emains to be seen.
On a more positive note, forest products handled at Fairview Terminal
enjoyed healthy increases. Lumber was up 20% and wood pulp rebounded t
o pre-1994 levels increasing recognition of Fairview as a viable outle
t for pulp helped bring about the increase. Although negatively affect
ed in the second half of 1995 by the elimination of the Crow Benefit,
agricultural products at Fairview rose by 22% to 213,527 as several ne
w shippers of specifically crops and animal feeds used the Port to adv
antage.