Overview
The Pacific Region is one of the largest nexus of international trade infrastructure in Canada, while offering some of the shortest and most competitive ocean and air routes between Asia and North America.
The Region is home to four National Airport System airports (Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George and Kelowna). The Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is Canada’s second busiest facilitating the movement of 26 million passengers annually, 338,000 tonnes of cargo, 56 airlines, and serving 126 non-stop destinations.
The Pacific Region has one of the world’s largest scheduled floatplane operators (Harbour Air) and Canada’s largest passenger helicopter service (Helijet).
The four Canadian Port Authorities (Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Nanaimo, Port Alberni), handle over 165 million tonnes of cargo, over half of total shipping volumes from all Canadian Port Authorities. In 2018, the Port of Vancouver handled 147 million tonnes of cargo and has hit new growth records continually over the last 10 years.
The Region has three Class I railroads (CN, CP, BNSF) and four passenger rail operations (VIA Rail, Rocky Mountaineer, Amtrak, West Coast Express) that operates over 6,300 km of track with challenging geotechnical terrain.
Robert Dick
Assistant Deputy Minister, Pacific Region
Bio
Based in Vancouver, B.C., Robert Dick is the Assistant Deputy Minister for the Pacific Region for Transport Canada, overseeing all of the department’s programs and operations in the region.
Before joining the department’s team in B.C. in 2014, Robert served in Ottawa as the department’s Director General of Air Policy. In that position he was responsible for Canada’s Permanent Mission to the International Civil Aviation Organization, international air policy, and domestic aviation sector policies related to air carriers, airports and air navigation services.
Robert has nine years’ experience working in various roles in the Privy Council Office. He has also worked at Public Safety Canada on national cyber security and western economic diversification.
Transport Canada Presence
Employee count: 540
Offices: 11
- Regional Headquarters in Vancouver, BC
- 10 other offices throughout BC:
- Abbotsford
- Kelowna
- Nanaimo
- Prince George
- Prince Rupert
- *Richmond
- *New Westminster
- Victoria
- Sidney
- Vancouver International Airport
*New Westminster / Richmond offices will amalgamate and move to new location in Surrey by February 2020.
Transport Canada owned assets:
- Three Transport Canada owned and operated airports:
- Sandspit
- Port Hardy
- Penticton
- Victoria Harbour (Canada’s only certified water aerodrome); and
- 10 port facilities:
- Bamfield West
- Bella Bella
- False Bay
- Hartley Bay
- Kingcome Inlet
- Klemtu
- Kyuquot
- Quatsino
- Rivers Inlet (Owikeno)
- Sandspit