The Port of Vancouver plays a vital economic role for Canada every day connecting Canadian businesses with trading partners across the world—and Canadian consumers with seasonal goods for their holidays.
Many of the gifts exchanged, decorations adorning our homes, and the food and drink shared with loved ones over the holidays passed through one of the Port of Vancouver’s four container terminals, while many of the vehicles we rely on to visit family and friends or escape for a winter ski holiday arrived at a port auto terminal on the Fraser River.
And we can’t forget the Canadian grain needed for festive baking around the world. More than 26 million tonnes have already been exported through nine bulk terminals at the Port of Vancouver in 2023—and this year’s harvest is now making its way to kitchens and tables worldwide. From the vast quantities of wheat essential for baked goods and pasta, to specialty crops such as lentils and peas that countless communities rely on—the Port of Vancouver is helping Canadian farmers feed the world every day of the year.
All told, the Port of Vancouver moves nearly as much cargo as the next five largest Canadian ports combined and handles about half of all of Canada’s container trade. Port-related activities also continue to support more than 115,300 jobs and enable the trade of more than $300 billion in goods every year.
This is no small feat.
Global supply chains are complex and can be challenging, and collaboration and digital innovation remain vital as the port and its partners continue to work to enable Canada’s trade in the year ahead.
As we finish the year and take a break to decorate our homes and enjoy the holidays, it’s a great time to recognize the pivotal role that our entire port community—shippers, marine carriers, pilots, longshore and railway workers, terminal operators, trucking companies and many others—plays in ensuring that everything we need over the holidays and throughout the year arrives on time.
Happy holidays!
- The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority team
The views expressed in this article are those of The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. They do not reflect the opinions or views of Vancouver Is Awesome.