Metro Vancouver’s industrial zones directly employ an estimatd 235,000, or close to 20 per cent of the workers in the region.  Waterfront and trackside industry are important to the success of Port Metro Vancouver, a complex that stretches along 600 kilometres of coastline and river’s edge.

However, most of the region’s available industrial land is occupied, leaving limited room for growth.  One result is that land costs are high in comparison with other Canadian and U.S. cities.  The federally-regulated Port authority is currently conducting a public review of land use, and has made noises about annexing agricultural land in the municipality of Delta.  A consultation report from the process suggests that this proposal has run into considerable opposition. Continue reading →