Mike Cory, CN Rail's senior vice-president in the Western Region, attended the Prince Rupert, B.C., and District Chamber of Commerce lunch to speak about the bright future of Prince Rupert's Port, and made a donation on behalf of CN to the Prince Rupert Heritage Advisory Committee for the Pillsbury House, The Northern View reports.

During Cory's speech, he got on the topic of Prince Rupert's founder Charles Hays and how, along with the help of others, they had planned to make a railroad terminal port in town because the founders saw the advantage of Prince Rupert being the closest North American harbor to Asia.

"[Charles Hays'] dream has lived on...Nothing can change the fundamental soundness of the original vision. Those are the bounties that geography and nature have given us. A century ago, they caught the attention of Charles Hays and others and they will be here for countless centuries to come," said Cory, adding that Prince Rupert has the perfect location for a successful Port because its harbor is the naturally deepest in the west coast and is surrounded by islands that keep the Port secure. Our challenge today is to take these gifts and turn them into prosperity for both now and future generations. We need to think big just like Charles Hays thought big."

CN has been a major contributor over the years in helping make Fairview a success. Over the past 15 years, CN has spent C$8 billion to expand its network across North America, connecting all three coasts. CN is the only railway in the continent that has that reach. This will help make Prince Rupert's Port a success due to the fact that according to CN's website, out of the six major North American Ports, Prince Rupert's Port takes the least amount of time to travel to or from seven major Asian cities and that makes it the most desirable choice to ship to.

"Does this $8 billion dollars make a difference to Prince Rupert? You bet," stated Cory. "Strong efficient supply chains require collaborative partnerships. Everyone plays a role in these supply chains from how the vessels are lined up and arrive at the Port to how fast cargo boxes move to the dock to making sure the trains come in and depart on time to how fast the trains are loaded and unloaded. You must bring all these together."

On top of that, CN provided nearly C$160 million to supply double-stack container equipment. The rail company also invested in other terminals in the network to prove the efficiency of moving containers through the Port of Prince Rupert.

Cory said that CN invested heavily into Prince Rupert because "it's an important part" of the company's gateway strategy. More than a quarter of CN revenue comes from oversea shipments of both inbound and outbound. It's the largest component of their franchise.

Cory then brought up the point that the success of the Port would dramatically affect the business environment in Prince Rupert, and inevitably raise business for people.

After the business aspect of Cory's speech was done, he got back onto the topic of Prince Rupert's history. Corey mentioned Joel Pillsbury, who was a worker for Grand Pacific Railroad. The rail company built Joel Pillsbury and his family a house to live in while working in Prince Rupert. Today the Pillsbury House is a heritage landmark for the city.

Cory handed Prince Rupert Heritage Committee members Judy Warren and Jan Angus a check for $15,000 to put towards the Pillsbury House. The Prince Rupert Heritage Committee plans to use some of the money to repaint the building, replace the back windows that are rotting out with exact replicas, do some repairs to the inside of the house and a few more updates.

"CN's contribution will go towards refurbishing and maintaining the Pillsbury House so that it will remain as a reminder to this and future generations the railways commitment to this community," explained Cory.

"We make this contribution to keep the heritage alive but most important of all we work today to prepare for the Prince Rupert of tomorrow. A world class port city with a business environment to create a world class operation," he finished.