But will that be enough to convince global shipping interests to use the Port of Halifax on the eastern North American coast like they do Long Beach and Vancouver on the western coast? There is plenty at stake, not the least of which is the emergence of Halifax and Atlantic Canada in general as a global trading center, much as Singapore and Hong Kong have done in Asia. The economic development implications for the region are huge, and it is hardly a done deal.
   "I am concerned about the region's ability to pull together and act cohesively, as has been the case on the Pacific coast of Canada, where the federal government convinced the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert to collaborate on a joint strategy for port development and infrastructure development," says Crowley. That effort is known as the Pacific Gateway initiative. The federal government would work with the east coast as well, he says, provided the region comes forward with an Atlantic Gateway strategy.
   "The problem with that is that on the east coast you have five provinces on the St. Lawrence Seaway and Atlantic coast and many ports — most of which are unable to accommodate post-Panamax traffic and therefore not really part of the development we're talking about," Crowley points out. "I'm concerned that the federal government will simply throw it back to all these interests in the region to pull together. The federal government may put some of them in a position where they can block progress."
   Which would not be good for the region, nor for Canada.
   "The Gateway initiatives are critical for our country, so I am a huge fan of anything that is done around the Pacific Gateway or consequently around the Atlantic Gateway," says Oldfield. The Halifax Gateway Council, incorporated in 2004, has evolved into the Atlantic Gateway, she adds. "From the federal government's perspective, it is much easier to deal with one entity than with multiple Gateway groups. We need to get on that radar screen in a very meaningful way, because all the talk in North America is about the West Coast and their pressing needs."
   The trick for Halifax and Atlantic Canada will be to convince the federal government and transportation interests throughout the region that in the case of the post-Panamax ships, the asset to leverage is Halifax. That is not to say other transportation assets in the region should not benefit from federal financial support — indeed niche markets throughout the region can be cultivated and invested in.
   "It can't all be about Halifax," says Oldfield. "It's very important to protect the asset and grow it, because it is so strategically important. Otherwise, we wouldn't be doing our job. But we cannot do it to the exclusion of other communities. Having said that, if we are strong, then the others will benefit."