Politics · Canada · 1 hr ago
Ottawa names Vancouver port expansion a project of national interest
Ottawa has named Roberts Bank Terminal 2 a project of national interest.
The proposed three-berth container terminal would be built at Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia, and led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
The project is intended to expand and diversify Canada's trade capacity at the Port of Vancouver, the country's largest port.
It is expected to add 2.4 million containers of annual capacity, about 50 per cent more than the port has now.
The designation provides regulatory certainty and could bring commercial operations forward by up to four years, from 2039 to 2035.
The government says environmental safeguards will remain and Indigenous communities will be consulted; Tsawwassen First Nation has consented but says its support is not unconditional.
Its chief cited concerns about impacts on the Fraser River and Salish Sea, and called for environmental improvements and oversight.
A final investment decision is expected by mid-2027, with the port authority having selected TerraMarine as its preferred construction partner.
Ottawa has designated the planned Roberts Bank Terminal 2 expansion in Delta, B.C., a project of national interest.
The government says the designation provides immediate regulatory certainty while maintaining environmental safeguards and consultation with Indigenous communities.
The three-berth terminal is expected to add 2.4 million containers of annual capacity at the Port of Vancouver.
The designation is expected to bring commercial operations forward by up to four years, from 2039 to 2035.
Tsawwassen First Nation Chief Laura Cassidy said the nation consents to the project but does not offer unconditional support.
- Who
- The federal government designated the project; the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is leading it.
- What
- Roberts Bank Terminal 2, a proposed three-berth container terminal, was named a project of national interest.
- When
- The designation was announced on Oct. 30, 2026.
- Where
- Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia, at the Port of Vancouver.
- Why
- Ottawa says the project will expand and diversify Canada's trade capacity and provide needed port capacity.
Federal government
Tsawwassen First Nation
Environmental safeguards and consultation
Federal government
The government says safeguards will be maintained and Indigenous communities consulted.
Tsawwassen First Nation
Chief Laura Cassidy said the nation consents, but has concerns about the project's impacts and the long-term health of the Fraser River and Salish Sea.
Environmental outcomes
Federal government
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said existing requirements to protect marine animals must continue to be met.
Tsawwassen First Nation
Cassidy said it is not enough to minimize impacts and called for a net environmental gain.
Ottawa designated Roberts Bank Terminal 2 a project of national interest.
A final investment decision is expected, according to the federal government's release.
Commercial operations are expected to begin, up to four years earlier than the previous 2039 timeline.
- Location
- Roberts Bank, Delta, British Columbia
- Terminal plan
- Three container berths
- Annual capacity
- 2.4 million containers
- Capacity increase
- About 50 per cent at the Port of Vancouver
- Estimated investment
- About $5.9 billion
- Expected jobs
- About 17,000 across Canada's supply chains
3 sources
What people are saying
Without this additional capacity, congestion at the port could drive shipping costs to more than $800 million a year by 2035
That's a mega-project.
We continue to have concerns about the impacts of the project and the long-term health for the Fraser River ... and the Salish Sea
It is not enough to minimize impacts. We must leave the environment better than we found it, because I can say with confidence that leaving a healthy planet for our future generations is in the national interest.