US Peace Arch State Park

On behalf of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) and Cascadia Academy in

partnership with the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle, we cordially invite you to a Cross Border Security and International Access Tour on July 18 and 19th to Whatcom County, the international border and Vancouver, BC (preceding the PNWER Whistler Summit July 20-24th).

These topics are highlighted in the attached itinerary:

1) Cooperative international border security initiatives between Canada and the United States at the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway crossings. We will focus on progress made on the Beyond the Border Accord of Prime Minister Steven Harper and President Barack Obama.

2) Freight and passenger rail developments in Washington and British Columbia including an update on the Amtrak Cascades service and oil by rail safety measures on corridors/refineries. Rail access to the proposed Gateway Pacific commodity export terminal will also be explored.

3) The Roberts Bank Rail Corridor Project of the Asia Pacific Gateway Corridors Initiative - a 44 mile corridor and series of highway/rail grade separations serving DeltaPort and Westshore terminals by CN, CP and BNSF rail. Intermodal yards/terminals for potash and other commodities on the North Shore of Vancouver, BC will also be featured.

4) Status of LNG energy pipelines and terminals from Alberta to BC (and worldwide export) with a closer look at shared vessel safety and tracking systems in the Salish Sea.

The localized inspection tours complement a broader policy discussion of these topics at the PNWER Summit in Whistler and represent part of our cooperative and comprehensive education effort through legislative primers and field trips for Northwest and Western Canadian leaders.

With financial support from the Canadian government and our sponsors, scholarships are available to cover tour expenses. Space is extremely limited and you are encouraged to register as soon as possible. There are also multiple travel options for continuation to the PNWER Summit in Whistler or return to Seattle from Vancouver, BC. We invite you to attend the summit where 600 legislators gather to discuss regional issues. More information can be found at http://www.pnwer.org/2014summit.html

For more information contact Bruce Agnew at 206-228-4011 or bagnew@discovery.org. The itinerary is available here. 

We look forward to hearing from you!

                         Bruce Agnew                                       Matt Morrison