No. P001/04 For release March 30, 2004 GOLD RIVER, B.C. - Environment Minister David Anderson and MP (Victoria), on behalf of Transport Minister Tony Valeri, today announced the official transfer of the Gold River public port facility, on Vancouver Island, to the Village of Gold River. "The Village of Gold River is to be congratulated for joining the move towards a new era of port management," said Mr. Anderson. "Having this facility run by local people who best know its role in the community - and its potential for growth - will allow it to function in a more commercial and cost effective manner." The public port facility is located at the mouth of the Gold River on Muchalat Inlet, roughly 14 kilometres from the resource-based community of Gold River. The facility includes a seaplane float, two floats for fishing vessels, a wharf, a gangway, a shed and an approach trestle. Today's transfer agreement includes a contribution of $550,000 from Transport Canada's Port Divestiture Fund to offset initial operating costs, such as repairs and ongoing maintenance, for the port facility. The agreement also includes a $529,925 project contribution for a dredging. Since 1997, the federal government has transferred over 60 regional port facilities into local hands in British Columbia, under the National Marine Policy. "The aim of the National Marine Policy is to provide Canadians with an efficient and cost-effective ports system," said Mr. Valeri. "With today's transfer, the Village of Gold River will be able to take greater advantage of these facilities, reduce costs, tailor levels of service to local demand, and have the flexibility to attract new and different types of businesses to their community." Transport Canada's Port Divestiture Program was established in 1996, as part of the National Marine Policy, with the objective of transferring Regional/Local port sites to other interests. In some cases, ports are being transferred as operating ports; in other cases, Crown land and facilities are being transferred to interested parties for other uses. The Gold River public port facility was one of Transport Canada's Regional/Local ports, which range from large facilities that support significant local and regional commercial activity to very small facilities with little or no commercial traffic. Funding for this initiative is built into the current fiscal framework. - 30 - Contact: Rod Nelson Communications, Vancouver (604) 666-1675 Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada. This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.
