Dear Editor,
Richmond City Council council is calling on the federal government to force Port Metro Vancouver to sell a parcel of agricultural land so it cannot be converted to make room for growing trade.
Management of lands throughout the Lower Mainland is on the verge of becoming a national crisis. Independent studies show the region will run out of industrial land in about 10 years, not just for port-related business, but any business that seeks industrial operations.
Lower Mainland municipalities are converting industrial land to other uses at an alarming rate, including Richmond’s Duck Island industrial property which is currently being converted for mixed commercial use.
Industrial users are running out of options.
Port Metro Vancouver is a federal entity that exists to facilitate trade and the national economy.
Fully 20 per cent of the value of all goods Canada trades come through the port, a figure that will grow as Canada continues to forge trade deals with Asia.
In Richmond alone, the port supports 5,200 jobs and about $5 million in municipal taxes.
At Port Metro Vancouver, we work hard to make the best of the federal land we manage.
We work with terminal operators to ensure land is being used as efficiently as possible. We even converted the former Richmond landfill into an operation that now generates tax revenues and jobs for the municipality.
We are actively advocating for an industrial land reserve to model the success of the Agricultural Land Reserve.
Together, working with municipalities and others, we must protect what’s left of our industrial land before it is too late.
Rather than pointing fingers at any one entity, it would serve the region far better to work together and ensure we meet our agricultural, industrial and residential needs as best as possible.
Peter Xotta
Vice president
Operations and planning
Port Metro Vancouver
