Newly combined Lower B.C. port authority names board, director

Newly combined Lower B.C. port authority names board, director The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced Tuesday the 11 members of the newly created agency's board of directors. The new VFPA board will oversee the operations and policies of three lower British Columbia ports previously managed by the separate port authorities of Fraser River, North Fraser, and Vancouver.
   Last month, the Canadian federal government certified the creation of the VFPA, effective Jan. 1, and the creation of the new board.
   The merged VFPA authority, according to the Canadian government, will be 'well positioned to better coordinate port planning and develop new investment opportunities that will facilitate the circulation of goods to and from foreign markets. The VFPA will also have greater resources for land acquisition, river management and strategic infrastructure investments.'
   The new board consists solely of directors from the boards of the three former Lower Mainland port authorities.
   The makeup of the VFPA board consists of one federal appointee; one B.C. provincial appointee; one appointee for the Western provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; one municipal appointee; and, seven port user appointees.
   The federal appointee is Kazuko Komatsu; Sarah Morgan-Silvester is the B.C. provincial appointee; Trevor Klassen is the Western Provinces appointee; and Helen Sparkes serves as the municipal appointee.
   The seven port user appointees include Doug Butterworth, Andrew Johnston, Ken Matchett, Jack Matthews, Peter Podovinikoff, Bob Wilds and John Willcox.
   In its first actions, the VFPA board elected Morgan-Silvester as chair and Podovinikoff as vice-chair. The board members also unanimously appointed Port of Vancouver chief executive Capt. Gordon Houston as president and chief executive officer of the VFPA.