Article
Canadian container ports: how have they fared? How will they do?
This paper discusses the performance of Canadian container ports in the 1980s, with emphasis on the big three: Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver. The paper compares the performance of these ports as measured by the number of TEUs handled, first at a global scale and then at the regional levels of East Coast North America and West Coast North America. However, past performance provides only half the paper's purpose. The other half considers the future. Will Canadian container ports continue to perform at past levels, or does the future suggest optimism or pessimism? The paper will show that the 1980s was a decade of growth and expansion for some, but decline for others. It was a period of shake-up. The future holds more of the same with an air of pessimism, certainly challenge, hanging over the prospects.