Alaska Division of Trade and Development

Alaska and British Columbia - An Overview

British Columbia population: 4 million. Three-fourths of the population live in southern British Columbia and Vancouver Island. By contrast, B.C. areas bordering Alaska are sparsely populated.

British Columbia size: 364,763 square miles (944,735 sq. km.). Ten percent of Canada. About two-third the size of Alaska.

British Columbia Economy: At one time, the B.C. economy could have been summed up as: logging, mining, fishing and agriculture. These sectors remain significant, despite declines and a changing economy that has put tourism, technology,

manufacturing, construction and the service industry into important positions in a diversifying economy. Most of the industries and jobs, like the population, are in the largest city Vancouver, the capital Victoria, and other southern areas of the province. Trade and tourism are largely focused on the Pacific Northwest and Asia/Pacific Rim, and Vancouver operates one of the busiest ports on the North American west coast.

Alaska – British Columbia Connections

Alaska and British Columbia share a border that covers about half of the total 1,538-mile Alaska-Canada boundary. Most of the Alaska-B.C. border runs through the St. Elias and Coast Mountain ranges. There is also a maritime border south of Alaska’s Prince of Wales Island and north of Canada’s Queen Charlotte Islands around the Dixon Entrance, but the boundary is in dispute.
Alaska Highway connections via Haines, Skagway and Hyder roads through British Columbia. Alaska ferry stops in Prince Rupert on its Inside Passage voyages between Southeast Alaska and Bellingham, WA. Seasonal jet service links Anchorage and Vancouver. Small planes/charters connect B.C. with Southeast Alaska.
White Pass & Yukon Railroad links Skagway, Alaska with Bennett, B.C.
There have been proposals to extend the Canadian railway system from its northwesternmost points in British Columbia to the Yukon Territory for a potential future connection to Alaska – if the state extends its railroad.

Government / Politics

Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles visited newly elected B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell in late August, 2001, to rekindle Alaska-B.C. cooperation after years of often rocky relations under a previous contentious B.C. administration. The "friendly" meeting covered an array of key issues, which the two governors agreed to follow up on, signaling a positive new approach to Alaska-B.C. dialogue and pending issues.
The U.S. Consulate in Vancouver focuses on the two westernmost Canadian provinces, British Columbia and Yukon Territory.

Economy / Business / Trade / Tourism

Alaska is courting B.C. support for the proposed Alaska Highway route for an Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline, as opposed to a route bypassing Alaska and B.C. across the Beaufort Sea and then south into the Northwest Territories into Alberta. B.C. Provincial officials and representatives from the Pacific Northwest states met recently in Vancouver and endorsed both pipeline routes.
Alaska, British Columbia and the city of Prince Rupert are partners, along with Yukon and Alberta, in a joint tourism marketing effort known as "Tourism North" designed to lure travelers to Alaska and northwestern Canada.
Alaska Highway trade and tourism benefit both Alaska and B.C.
The burgeoning Southeast Alaska / Inside Passage cruise ship business is largely based in Vancouver.
Fisheries, mining and timber resources in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia pose varying degrees of potential shared impacts in the region.
Vancouver boasts to being "Hollywood North" because of its growing film industry. Vancouver has been working hard to lure production and film companies away other competing locations, including Alaska.

Culture / Exchanges / Partnerships / History / Noteworthy Facts

Many historical connections date from the days when Alaska was a Russian colony and British Columbia was a British colony.
Ketchikan and Prince Rupert are sister cities.
Haida and Tsimshian Indians of Southeast Alaska may have migrated from British Columbia, where both tribes have a sizable presence.

Topical Issues / Controversies

The geographical proximity of Alaska and British Columbia, the shared border and resources, and the similar resource-dependent economies, have led to a number of disputes, controversies and conflicting positions in areas where the two regions have taken different approaches.

Fisheries

Fisheries have long been a subject of contention, escalating in August1997 when Canadian fishermen blockaded an Alaska state ferry at a port call in Prince Rupert, B.C. and refused to let it sail while protesting fisheries catch quotas. The dispute was resolved and eventually led to a new Pacific Salmon Treaty, but hard feelings have lingered over the division and management of fisheries resources.

Fish farming, which B.C. has cultivated, worries fishermen in Alaska, where fish farming in prohibited because of concerns over potential problems associated with viruses, disease, genetic modification, etc.

Mining

Mining has been a significant part of the economies of both regions. Canadian mining companies, based in B.C. and other provinces, play a major role in the Alaska mining industry. But one mine has been at the center of a dispute: Alaska has protested plans for the Tulsequah Chief Mine in B.C. west of Juneau out of concern that the mine would cause environmental damage in the Taku River watershed and have negative impacts on the fisheries.

Inside Passage Cruise Ships

Alaska has been in the forefront in regulating pollution and discharges from cruise ships sailing the scenic Inside Passage. Many of the cruise ships, and much of the industry itself, are based in Vancouver. The environmental impacts from this segment of the tourism industry have become a major issue of concern.

Environment

Since recent Alaska-B.C. disputes have focused on environmental issues involving shared resources, border areas and common industries, Alaska and B.C. officials are considering a proposed Environmental Cooperation Council as a forum for resolving disputes and dealing with such issues.

Roads

Road access, or lack of access, to Southeast Alaska has long been an object debate in Alaska. The towns of Wrangell and Petersburg support carving a road east through the mountains to connect with British Columbia. Such a road would have impacts on tourism, delivery of goods, regional economic development, transportation services and other issues in both Southeast Alaska and northwestern British Columbia.

Border

The Alaska-B.C./U.S.-Canadian maritime boundary is in dispute.

A Tale of Two Cities

Hyder, Alaska and Stewart, British Columbia – situated just across the border from each other at the upper end of Portland Canal in the southeasternmost corner of Southeast Alaska – offer a unique perspective on Alaska-B.C. cross-border affairs.

Hyder is so isolated from the rest of Alaska and so closely tied to Stewart that Hyder is the only place in Alaska that does not use the 907 area code but rather the neighboring B.C. area code, 250.
Hyder has no bank so Hyder businesses accept Canadian currency. Only the U.S. Post Office requires U.S. dollars.
Hyder relies on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other Stewart, B.C. emergency services – and many routine services. Until the 2000-2001 school year, when Hyder opened its own school, Hyder students crossed the border to attend school in Stewart.
Although Hyder is technically on Alaska time, most people set their watches an hour later to be on Pacific time with their Stewart neighbors.
Hyder’s geographical position has helped spawn a new bottled water plant, which will truck pure Alaska glacier water out to points in the Lower 48 states.
Access to Hyder is via Canada – by road, boat or plane.
Hyder has a Canadian customs post but not an American customs point. To leave Hyder for anywhere, you must cross back into Canada.
The biggest celebration of the year is a joint U.S.-Canada binational birthday party, marking both the July 1 Canada Day holiday and the July 4 Independence Day in one combined holiday celebration.
For more information on Hyder and Stewart, check their joint web site: