New $300 million ferry terminal in downtown Victoria moving forward

Conceptual artistic rendering of the new Belleville Ferry Terminal in Victoria Inner Harbour. Not the actual design. (Government of BC)

Construction on the project to provide a new replacement Belleville Ferry Terminal in downtown Victoria is now expected to begin this year.

On Friday, the provincial government confirmed a project budget of $304 million, with nearly $42 million provided by the federal government, allowing it to proceed.

Unlike BC Ferries facilities, this is an international cross-border ferry terminal serving routes to Washington State, served by private companies Black Ball Ferry Line and FRS Clipper, which link Vancouver Island to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula and downtown Seattle, respectively. The provincial government states it is in discussions with both companies to determine their involvement in the project.

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The investment is needed due to the existing aging facility’s non-compliance with the Canada-US Land, Rail, Marine, and Air Transport Pre-Clearance Agreement.

If the facility is not overhauled over the coming years, the US Customs and Border Protection service for the terminal will be removed, and existing ferry operations will either be shut down or significantly reduced, resulting in major economic losses to the capital region.

The new facility will be built on the same three-acre footprint as the existing facility, immediately west of the Steamship Building near the BC Legislature in Victoria Inner Harbour.

The existing Belleville Ferry Terminal in Victoria Inner Harbour. (Google Maps)

Belleville Terminal Victoria existing ferry

The existing Belleville Ferry Terminal in Victoria Inner Harbour, with MV Coho of Black Ball Ferry Line (left) and a vessel of FRS Clipper (right) docked. (Government of BC)

According to the provincial government, in pre-pandemic 2019, Belleville Ferry Terminal processed 681,000 passengers, which resulted in $174 million in direct spending within Greater Victoria, and generated $289 million in economic output in BC and $164 million in provincial GDP. The terminal generates 220,000 overnight visitors and sells over 16,000 vacation packages supporting Victoria area businesses annually.

“A modern pre-clearance terminal will make travel more convenient for tourists, while enhancing security and trade between Vancouver Island and Washington state, improving Vancouver Island’s tourism sector and boosting regional business investment,” said Rob Fleming, the BC minister of transportation and infrastructure, in a statement.

Randy Boissonnault, the federal minister of tourism and associate minister of finance, added, “By investing in a premier international gateway terminal that meets modern safety and security standards, our government will help grow British Columbia’s economy and ensure a prosperous and sustainable future. This project will welcome global tourists and business travellers into the heart of Victoria’s inner harbour with world-class service while creating good-paying jobs and facilitating the movement of goods.”

Conceptual artistic rendering of the new Belleville Ferry Terminal in Victoria Inner Harbour. Not the actual design. (Government of BC)

Construction on the project is scheduled to begin in Fall 2023, with the first phase of work entailing construction of temporary facilities in the Steamship Building and wharf to allow ferry operations to continue during the years-long construction timeline.

After the temporary facilities reach completion, the existing ferry terminal will be demolished to start the new construction process.

The new permanent facilities include a new pre-clearance terminal building built to a modern border security standard, a replacement of aging wharf facilities, a new commercial goods processing facility, and a new accessible terminal building using mass timber construction built to a LEED Gold green building standard.

While the Clipper is a passenger-only ferry service using high-speed catamaran vessels, Black Ball Ferry Line serves both passengers and vehicles using its MV Coho vessel.

Construction on the new terminal is expected to reach completion in late 2027 for an opening in 2028.

With federal funding now received, procurement for a contractor is slated to begin this summer.

A vessel of Clipper in Victoria Inner Harbour. (Clipper)

mv coho black ball ferry line victoria inner harbour

MV Coho vessel in Victoria Inner Harbour. (Black Ball Ferry Line)

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