Port services are expanding at the Port of Prince Rupert, B.C., in a huge growth area joined now by a tripartite business venture with Island Tug and Barge, Metlakatla, and Lax Kw’alaams First Nations.
Ryan Leighton, Director of Operations for Metlakatla Development Corporation (MDC), is discussing the new marine services company forming on the north west coast. “It`s very early stages,” says Leighton, “and it is difficult to foresee what opportunities we have for generating employment. It`s a matter of moving assets to Prince Rupert and going from there.”
Leighton says, “There is a multitude of different businesses we are looking at but everything is preliminary and nothing is set in stone.” The tripartite business group is building the business portfolio in partnership with the Coast Tsimshian`s two main communities, Metlakatla and Kw’alaams, and Island Tug and Barge. “I am not sure of how many and different the opportunities are, or which ones we are going to take.”
Leighton notes the north has multitude of opportunities. MDC has a number of companies presently engaged in everything from forestry to gas stations to tour companies to ferry services, including a new education centre for skills development at a Prince Rupert facility. MDC is committed to making opportunity extend into the two primary CT communities of Metlakatla and Kw’alaams .
The new marine services ventures will operate across the north west coast region, “We are involved regionally. We are going to grow. Barge services up here provide essential fuel, materials, supplies, everything right down to garbage remediation, and our services will extend as far north as Alaska.”
Leighton says, “We are faced with labour difficulties and strong demand for capacity building in our communities. The problem of skill development is widespread and we must spend a lot of time and money on capacity-building. We have the opportunities, and now we are matching them up with communities.”
Chief Harold Leighton and the Metlakatla Band Council decided MDC would take on responsibility and foot the bill for a ramp-up of labour skills. A new MDC facility is in action in Prince Rupert while the Port of Prince Rupert is finishing signing agreement with Coast Tsimshian. “The signing is coming imminently,” said Leighton. “The federal government did make their announcement a few weeks ago. It`s a matter of a short time and the signing does many thing, including provisions for a lot of contracting training.”
Metlakatla has membership over 800, and Lax Kw'alaams is over 1600 members. “With all the port development coming on, the Coast Tsimshian signing with the port authority is for jobs, sole source contracting, and participation in all public information programs surrounding the port. Leighton says, “The port deal is a long time coming, a number of years and the signing is a recognition that it`s our land. It`s certain to have a positive influence on our future plans to have Impact Benefit Agreements that that recognize the territory as belonging to Coast Tsimshian.
The Coast Tsimshian community leadership made the business proposal when they approached ITB about forming a broad-based marine services company, “Lax Kw’alaams, Metlakatla (First Nations), and Island Tug and Barge Ltd. signed a joint venture partnership agreement on April 12, at the 2011 National Aboriginal Business Opportunities Conference, held in Prince Rupert.”
The press release says Lax Kw’alaams and Metlakatla First Nations make up the Coast Tsimshian Nation, with the core of their exclusive traditional territory being the Prince Rupert Harbour.
“This is not a tugboat company,” says John Lindsay, ITB vice president and general manager, “It is a fully equipped marine services company in a hot area of economic development.” Lindsay says the Port of Prince Rupert is undergoing all kinds of expansion to meet the shipping demands of commodity sectors like coal, potash, and other export minerals. “Lax Kw’alaams and Metlakatla leaders came to us and proposed the making of a company to do broad-based marine services, and we were happy to be asked.”
The new company will emerge over the coming weeks with port services in all areas of support for vessels, including construction of facilities, and environmental protection and remediation operations that will range along the entire coast. Island Tug and Barge itself is engaged in chartered and scheduled barging and towing services in Canada and abroad. This new tripartite company for BC Coastal communities has a solid foundation. The new company will be providing tug and barge, fuel supply, short sea shipping, marine construction, and other marine services to a range of customers on the north coast.
“We worked in collaboration with our two partners to plan the company launch. Our goals include recruiting and preparing employees with training and development. Employment skills are required with the labour force that we intend to employ,” therefore recruitment includes a strong push into both communities. “We are very pleased to be part of these communities and hire the people who are available,” for the wide range of job opportunities created.
Aboriginal business planners mapped the new employment prospects coming to communities in a situation of business ownership by two respective Band entities. ”The labour base is ready to be trained,” said Lindsay. “Marine operations at port facilities are regulated by Transport Canada, and all kinds of certification is required for our employees. It takes time and we are starting with the basics.”
ITB is working with First Nations that have marine facilities, and some personnel, already at work for ITB, though the company has never analyzed the workforce for the racial make-up of the employees, and always respects the territorial integrity and inherent rights of the communities they have long-served. The new company opens opportunity to expand infrastructure on Watson Island and Metlakatla with port and marine service facilities that could adjunct to Port of Prince Rupert in the future. The commencement of operations for the new company will occur by the end of summer 2011, while naming of this venture will occur during the summer once Elders of both nations are consulted. The new company will be imprinting national imagery in branding and marketing of the entity.
When signing the agreement and making the announcement in late April 2011, Chief Councilor Garry Reece said, “We are extremely pleased to be joining with Island Tug, which will allow us to continue to bring skills and employment opportunities to my People.” Chief Councilor Harold Leighton of Lax Kw’alaams followed by stating, “Our communities have large traditional territories that encompass Prince Rupert and the North Coast. The marine economic development opportunities for us are significant, and partnering with Island Tug will enable us to tap into those opportunities.”
Recently, the Coast Tsimshian agreed to a business and employment package with the Port of Prince Rupert, and Chief Reece stated, “This is just a first of many steps we are taking to build opportunity in the Prince Rupert area, which will be good for everyone.” Lindsay concluded, “Island Tug has a long history of serving First Nations and other communities on the B.C. coast. We’re very pleased to work with Lax Kw’alaams and Metlakatla to develop a range of marine opportunities in their traditional territories on the north coast.”