18 BCBusiness December 2014
W
y
B . C .' s n e w s a n d v i e w s
f r o m i n d u s t r y s e C t o r s
12/14
2 3 t o u r i s m
China has few skiers—and
Whistler Blackcomb's CEO
hopes to help change that.
front
lınes
t e C h n o l o g y
C
anada Post's cavernous new distribution plant, seated
on the edge of Vancouver airport's north tarmac,
is loud. Scanners beep, parcels clunk, and oblong
cardboard boxes—some the size of a textbook, others
as large as refrigerators—snake in Rubbermaid bins
around the plant's half-kilometre conveyor belt, operated by
a smattering of Posties in steel-toe boots and safety vests. In a
corner, a lobster trap sits wrapped in plastic, neglected.
The national postal service has long played a pivotal role
in parcel deliveries in this country—a role that's become
increasingly important as more people turn to online
shopping with the expectation that whatever they order in
the morning can be in their hands by afternoon. This year,
the always-busy holiday season is expected to be a lot more
stressful—but potentially a lot more profitable—as Canada Post
tries to reap the benefits of a $200-million investment in this
new
YVR distribution centre. The move is part of a $1.7-billion
modernization program (which includes new automated
plants in Montreal, Winnipeg and Toronto) that's shifting
the corporation's focus away from letter mail and toward
Delivering
Expectations
Canada Post lost $193 million last year. It's
hoping that a new plant in Vancouver, and
a new focus on parcel delivery, might turn
things around
by Jacob Parry
peter holst
