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‘Heart of Terrace at a Crossroad’ advocacy group opposed to inland port

An aerial view of Terrace with a red heart graphic drawn over downtown
A Terrace advocacy group is opposed to a proposed inland port. Photo courtesy of Heart of Terrace at a Crossroads Facebook page.
Pamela Haasen - CICK - Smithers • BC | 21-01-2021
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Critics of the proposed inland port in Terrace had their chance to voice their concerns to Progressive Venture Contracting firm this week.

Progressive Venture Contracting will be building the transload facility that is slated to be put up downtown.

Charles Claus is a member of the Heart of Terrace at a Crossroad group and he spoke with CICK News reporter Chris Gareau this week to discuss the group's collective concerns. One of the main concerns is that the City of Terrace does not need to support more trains and trucks coming to the middle of the city to load and offload goods.

The area of Terrace that is proposed for the facility has been empty for decades, but a 2014 neighbourhood concept plan that proposed sustainable, green housing in the core of the city made some Terrace residents hopeful for a re-vamp in the downtown core.

Now that area is proposed to be re-zoned as "heavy industrial" by Terrace council, and the Keith Estates plan is falling off the table, residents opposed to this plan have spoken out concerns like the noise, the eyesore (of stacked shipping containers) and safety around of the rail yard. They also asked about the necessity of having the yard in Terrace when a transload facility is operational and running in Kitsumkalum, a short drive away.

"Current bylaws in Terrace do not allow for the placement of Sea Can/intermodal containers on properties without a permit. For most properties, placement is further limited to one container over a short term. This is due in part to the disagreeable appearance of the containers. If the proposed Inland Port is developed, then Terrace will store hundreds of stacked containers next to downtown, visually within the center of the city," group member Shane McDonald wrote on the Facebook page.

"As most municipalities are pushing heavy industry to the outskirts of their towns to improve their image and attract population, Terrace is welcoming this eyesore to its core," he added.

Listen to the interview with Charles Claus on CICK News on Thursday, Jan. 21 or in the attached clip.

If you want to learn more about the plan for the facility, listen to CICK's interview with Progressive Venture's Vice President Hatha Callis here.

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