Increasing port traffic has long been one of Halifax’s economic goals and is a topic of great interest when discussing Atlantica. As the closest deep-water port to Asia on North America’s east coast, Halifax has an excellent opportunity to attract some of the traffic from booming trade in Asia. However, there are a number of barriers standing between Halifax and its goal of increasing the number of containers coming through the port.

In the past ports in most countries were controlled by federal governments, but since the 1980s there has been a gradual devolution of power to private business and local interests. Though the Port of Halifax has also seen some of these changes, it is still ultimately controlled by the federal Minister of Transport, who controls the majority of appointments to the port’s board of directors.

Michael Tharamangalam, AIMS’ Manning Centre Intern, explored the effect of continued government control of the Port of Halifax in his paper, “Governance and Leadership: A Tale of Two Ports.”

The paper explores the issue of governance as it relates to the Port of Halifax by comparing its growth to that of Lázaro Cárdenas, a similar port in Mexico. By examining the two ports side-by-side and observing the different position each occupies in the transport industry, we can find ways to improve the port and increase the amount of trade flowing through Halifax.

To read the full paper, click here.