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Last updated at 11:40 PM on 19/03/07

Port of Sydney master plan gets $50,000 from province


By Wes Stewart

Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The province has come up with $50,000 toward funding the cost of a Port of Sydney master plan.

Cape Breton West MLA Alfie MacLeod made the announcement Monday on behalf of the Office of Economic Development.

The master plan is a vital part of the future direction of the port which includes the full harbour, what’s available and what’s possible here, the MLA said.

“With the Atlantic Gateway on the horizon, it’s important we know all the benefits of Sydney harbour and what is can offer to Atlantic Canada as part of the gateway,” he said.

“If there are any additional things that need to be done we will be looking at that as well,” he added.

The preparation of a master port plan includes partners Logistec Stevedoring, operators of the former international coal pier, Provincial Energy Ventures, which operates the transshipment terminal at the former Sysco dock, Laurentian Energy Ventures at Sydport Marine Industrial Park and the Sydney Ports Corp.

“I think there is enough for everybody in this Atlantic Gateway and on the merits of what the harbour has to offer we will be a formidable player here,” he said.

Sydney Ports Corp. has done much groundwork to promote Sydney harbour as a vital link in the transportation framework for the island, he added.

The province is shopping a $400-million Atlantic Gateway concept to funnel international trade through Nova Scotia and the premier has already proposed the idea of a shipping container terminal on the west side of the Strait of Canso to handle post-Panamax ships.

Premier Rodney MacDonald has been lobbying Ottawa to include funding in its budget to create an Atlantic Gateway, investing millions of dollars in infrastructure to increase trade from Asia and Europe.

It’s modelled after the Western Gateway, a $591-million plan announced last October that would upgrade ports, roads and rails in British Columbia to improve trading access to Asia-Pacific markets.