North Pacific Cannery is an important tourism attraction on BC's north coast region and the area surrounding Prince Rupert. Featuring an industrial heritage canning complex and 29 historic buildings - which served as workers' living quarters, administration, and other support functions - the site stands on a network of 1000's of pilings and is connected by raised wooden boardwalk paths that lead visitors to spanning views of Inverness Passage at the mouth of the mighty Skeena River.
Located 20 minutes from Prince Rupert and only 5 km south of Port Edward, the National Historic Site offers guided tours of the cannery's belt driven salmon processing and can making machinery, First Nations' net loft, company office, and company store, all filled with antiques and artifacts from a time gone by. Throughout the site, visitors can view north coast BC wildlife such as bald eagles, seals, and blue herons, while also taking in the local marine activity along the waterways including crabbing boats, gillnetters (fishing boats) , barges and yachts. Guests can also find local artizan souveniers and boutique merchandise in the new welcome centre gift shop as well as pressed coffee, fresh baking, and home-made salmon chowder at the Cannery Cafe, located in the historic Mess House.
Under this Northern Development Marketing Initiatives funded project, the Port Edward Historical Society undertook a complete re-branding of the National Historic Site, including a new logo and marketing materials which include signage, event banners, and tourism rack cards in an effort to increase awareness of the site with locals and to attract new visitors to the site and the north coast region. The society also produced new roadside billboards that were placed along Highway 16. These promotional materials are now being displayed in high traffic areas such as visitor information centres, hotels, BC Ferries, Alaska Ferries, the Airport, and local businesses.