University of Northern British Columbia: Open Journal Systems
Not a member yet
560 research outputs found
Sort by
A Container Terminal at the Port of Prince Rupert: considerations from a transportation perspective
Get PDFThis paper discusses the transport of containers between the Port of Prince Rupert and the hinterland. The result of several data collection and analysis efforts, we present a set of findings regarding the role Prince Rupert might play in North American transportation, and the particular strengths or weaknesses of this facility. In the short term, there will be no facilities for container rehandling in Prince Rupert. This activity may take place in Prince George, or more likely these importers may continue to use the facilities surrounding Vancouver. Given the current rail network, Prince George will be required to handle as much cargo as Prince Rupert. This will have negative impacts on air quality in Prince George, yet potentially positive impacts on employment and economic activity through rehandling and transloading opportunities. Due to sizeable resources in Western Canada, this Port may offer a better ratio of exports to imports than other West Coast terminals which will attract steamship lines looking for west-bound fares. Unfortunately, on multi-stop routes, this may also mean Prince Rupert is visited after other West Coast destinations, thereby reducing the benefit of being closer to Asia. Despite these uncertainties, we conclude that, because of its unique features, this Port has strong potential to impact logistics practices in a continental transportation system
Easing Dissatisfaction with Canadian Federalism? The Promise of the Strategy of Disjointed Incrementalism
No full textThis paper argues that the greatest threat to Canadian unity is not so much the absence of some of the characteristics that Daniel Kelemen claims are to be found in stable federations but the tendency of political leaders and parties to put forward contradicting “visions” of Canada. When such visions are used as templates for reforming the constitution, failures usually ensue. A strategy of disjointed incrementalism is a more prudent and ultimately more efficient way to proceed. It seems to be the strategy adopted by Prime Minister Harper and it could prove successful in easing some of the dissatisfactions experienced in both Quebec and western Canada
Alberta’s Port? Networked Federalism and the Port Development in Prince Rupert
Get PDFThe opening of the Fairview Terminal in September, 2007 was an important landmark in the one hundred year history of Prince Rupert Port development. Despite the initial vision and plans of Charles Hays, a later boom provided by American troops during World War II, and another spike in development in the late 1970s, Prince Rupert has yet to fulfill its early promise as a gateway to the East. The recent emergence of container shipping and the construction of a new deep water container port is the latest in a series of efforts to fulfill that promise. Throughout its history, the port in Prince Rupert has been shaped and hindered by external political and economic forces, dependent on support from outside investors and government officials with little commitment to the local community. This paper examines these factors across time to illustrate specific dynamics that are critical components of contemporary development, and highlights the contributions and benefits of what has been termed elsewhere “network federalism.” Such a concept highlights the influence of multi-level governance, both vertical and horizontal, on public policy and development. The paper begins with a review of Rupert port development in the past, then turns to the present, and concludes with some comparisons intended to highlight prospects for the future, both in Rupert and in multi-level governance
Cracks in the Country’s Foundation: the Importance of Repairing Equalization
Get PDFDramatic variations across provinces in per capita fiscal capacity have created serious problems for Canadian federalism. The Equalization program addresses this challenge but in recent years ad hoc accommodations resulting from a desire to satisfy Newfoundland’s demands have threatened the integrity and coherence of that program. This article argues that the 2006 O’Brien report should be viewed as a welcome attempt at remedying this situation; the article also examines the prospects for its successful implementation
Ports, Politics and the Pacific Gateway: Consequences for Regional Development in Western Canada
Get PDFMuch has been said in recent years about the need to wean Canada off its economic dependency on the United States. The rapprochement of the North American economies after the signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 1989 and the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 has been followed by moments of introspection and concern about just how much our economy is tied to our neighbour to the south. The Pacific Gateway Strategy (PGS) is one potential answer to this dilemma. The purpose of the symposium is to bring together practitioners and scholars to discuss issues that pertain to the impact of the PGS on northern communities, particularly those in the provincial north
The 2007 Provincial Election in Saskatchewan
Get PDFThe 2007 Saskatchewan provincial election is undoubtedly an important event in the province’s history. The Saskatchewan Party has been elected at a time when the economy is booming and the population is starting to grow. It remains to be seen how the Wall government will ‘manage’ this economic growth and if the Saskatchewan Party is able to put an end the CCF-NDP’s status as the province’s natural governing party. On the other hand, it will be interesting to see if the NDP can quickly rebuild itself and put forth a social democratic ideology that is relevant for 21st century. Finally, it will be intriguing to see if the Liberals will disappear completely from Saskatchewan provincial politics or if they can find a constructive role befitting a party that has existed since Saskatchewan was created and has governed the province several times. In any event, it is clear that a new chapter is being written in Saskatchewan politics and it is much too early to tell what twists and turns are ahead and how the story will end
“Next Door They Have Regulation, But Not Here …”: Assessing the Opinions of Actors in the Opaque World of Unregulated Lobbying
Get PDFThe lobbying of government by various interests is regarded as central to the democratic process. Deliberative democratic theorists tell us that the regulation of lobbying has a positive effect on political systems, and the behaviour of those within them. Yet, only four democratic systems (Canada, USA, EU and Germany) have legislation regulating lobbyists’ activities, and even this regulation is not all pervasive. Here we examine the attitudes of actors in states, provinces, and institutions in the above democracies, where no regulations exist. This ensures that the actors we deal with have knowledge of lobbying regulations, what these regulations entail, as well as the consequences of the absence of any such regulations. Our objective is to discover if these actors see benefits in the introduction of lobbying legislation, as is suggested by deliberative democratic theory
Inaction Costs: Understanding Metropolitan Governmental System Reform Dynamics in Toronto
Get PDF‘Transaction costs’ are widely used to explain why rational governments often do not implement their preferred policy options. According to this idea, governments weigh the benefits of new policies against the costs associated with defending these changes to legislative opponents, political supporters, agents and voters. Flipping the transaction costs framework, this article uses ‘inaction costs’ to explain why governments sometimes, and seemingly irrationally, implement non-preferred policy options. It suggests senior governments implement non-preferred policies only when inaction costs surpass the benefits of their preferred policy coupled with avoided transaction costs. This hypothesis is tested by using content analysis to examine metropolitan governmental system change dynamics in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area
Cascadia in Comparative Perspectives: Canada-U.S. Relations and the Emergence of Cross-Border Regions
Get PDFThis paper draws on findings from research on the Canadian-American border led by the Policy Research Initiative (PRI) since 2004 and on the recent PRI survey of Canadian-American leaders, as well as on the author’s fieldwork on multilevel governance issues arising from the emerging cross-border regions in Europe and North America. Relying on four analytical lenses—the economy, local and central politics and policies, and local cultures—this paper examines how emerging cross-border regions, and particularly the Cascadia region, are changing Canadian-American relations. Specific attention is given to the varied forms of co-operation across policy fields in order to detail (1) the general and specialized and (2) the formal and informal relations and (3) the emerging border regions. This paper underlines the importance of understanding cross-border relations at the sub-national level in order to understand Canada-U.S. relations. The overall argument is that the appearance of cross-border regions indicates a progressive emergence of policy parallelism in a multitude of policy arenas, particularly, a specifically North American form of integration
The Asia Pacific Gateway and the Reconfiguration of North America
Get PDFTransportation gateways and corridors reflect broader economic and political forces at the same time that they shape them. Nowhere is this clearer than in Canadian efforts to create a multi-dimensional Asia Pacific Gateway. Its architects often draw inspiration from Lionel Chevrier and his post-war vision of a St. Lawrence Seaway to the Atlantic Ocean and the transformation of the central Canadian economy. They can also look back even further to 1880s and the building of the trans-continental Canadian Pacific Railroad. George Stephen, the President of the CPR, did not help drive the last spike in Craigallachie, BC in 1885 because he was in the U.K. raising capital for the steamship line across the Pacific that would be its logical, and necessary, extension. The objective was not just building a nation but driving commerce, and reshaping relations with the fulsome power to the South, by constructing a Pacific corridor and gateway to Asia