No. H038/04 For release May 20, 2004 OTTAWA - Transport Minister Tony Valeri today announced the appointment of Mr. Walter Paszkowski of Sexsmith, Alta., to the board of directors of the Prince Rupert Port Authority. "Mr. Paszkowski has had a long and distinguished career in the public service and in business management," said Mr. Valeri. "I am very pleased that he agreed to serve on the board." Mr. Paszkowski retired from Alberta¿s provincial legislature in March 2001. He was first elected to the provincial assembly in 1989, and has served as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and Minister responsible for the Land Compensation Board. In 1997, he was appointed Minister of Transportation and Utilities and Minister responsible for Public Safety Services, and was appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs in 1999. Mr. Paszkowski is also the owner and operator of a seed farm and retail seed outlet, and is the founding director of the Northern Alberta Rapeseed Crushing Plant. For twelve years, Mr. Paszkowski served as director of the Alberta Canola Growers, and was president for three years. The Prince Rupert Port Authority is the Canada Port Authority (CPA) established to manage the Port of Prince Rupert, effective May 1, 1999, under the Canada Marine Act. As a CPA, the Prince Rupert Port Authority benefits from greater management flexibility, including increased freedom to develop contracts and borrow money from commercial lenders. The Port of Prince Rupert is the second largest deep-sea port on Canada¿s West Coast and the deepest natural harbour in North America. With dedicated grain, coal, forest products, specialty grain and general cargo handling facilities, the port handles more than 10 million tonnes of cargo traffic annually. The port also has dedicated cruise passenger handling facilities. - 30 - Contact: Christina Van Loon Office of the Minister, Ottawa (613) 991-0700 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.
