Vancouver and Surrey mayors welcome Pacific Link pipeline, as Delta seeks input | Daily Hive

Vancouver and Surrey mayors welcome Pacific Link pipeline, while Delta mayor seeks a planning role

Ken Sim, Oct. 2, 2026. (Greater Vancouver Board of Trade)

Ahead of the civic election on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, Vancouver mayor Ken Sim has ruled out a municipal legal fight against the proposed Pacific Link oil pipeline by the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada, while Surrey mayor Brenda Locke has voiced strong support for the project. Delta mayor George Harvie wants his city to be involved in planning the pipeline and addressing its local impacts.

All three mayors welcomed the prospect of investment and jobs in separate statements issued over the past week, after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his decision to designate the brand-new oil pipeline as a project of national interest.

Harvie’s approach centres on the pipeline’s proposed endpoint at Roberts Bank in Tsawwassen — in the southwest corner of Delta. The pipeline would extend from the Edmonton area, largely following the existing Trans Mountain pipeline corridor until it reaches the eastern areas of the Lower Mainland.

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The project could include a major marine export terminal at Roberts Bank, with a new man-made causeway peninsula adding to the two existing causeways serving BC Ferries’ Tsawwassen terminal and the GCT Deltaport/Westshore terminals. The pipeline could also pass through Delta to reach the new export terminal.

Harvie, who is running for re-election under his Achieving For Delta party, is seeking an active role in planning for Pacific Link and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s separate brand-new Roberts Bank Terminal 2 container facility, which would be achieved as a major extension of the existing causeway that supports the GCT Deltaport/Westshore terminals.

He says the City of Delta needs to examine how both the pipeline and new container terminal project could affect residents and businesses when their impacts are combined together.

Roberts Bank Delivery Tank Terminal oil delta tsawwassen

Potential route options for the new Pacific Link (Alberta-B.C. West Coast) oil pipeline to reach the new Roberts Bank marine terminal, largely following the Trans Mountain corridor. (Government of Alberta)

Preliminary artistic rendering of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 container terminal. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)

“These projects represent significant economic opportunities for Delta and for Canada. Our responsibility is to make sure Delta has a seat at the table and that we understand both the benefits and the potential negative impacts for our community,” said Harvie.

The concern extends beyond the pipeline itself. Harvie pointed to potential changes in truck and train traffic from port and industrial growth, as well as greater demands on roads, public transit, and public services, and pressure on farmland and the environment.

He said these effects need to be considered alongside the jobs and business opportunities the investments could bring.

“Major projects are usually planned and evaluated individually, but Delta experiences their impacts collectively,” said Harvie.

Pacific Link is proposed to carry an additional one million barrels of Albertan oil a day to the West Coast for export, with the federal government emphasizing the need to expand access to Asian markets as a way to reduce Canada’s current reliance on the United States.

Carney’s national interest designation places the pipeline project into a single federal review process. The federal government is aiming to finalize the conditions needed to proceed by September 2027, while the proponents work on detailed route planning, environmental studies, cost estimates, public and Indigenous consultations, and other preparations.

Tsawwassen First Nation has also said it wants to be directly consulted on the project, given the potential impacts of the pipeline and export terminal on its lands in the immediate area.

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 would add a new three-berth container terminal in Delta. The federal government has referred it to the Major Projects Office as part of a broader effort to significantly expand the Port of Vancouver’s capacity and improve Canada’s trade connections.

Harvie said he would seek input from Delta residents and businesses as the projects advance, and draw on his experience dealing with federal and provincial ministers to advocate for the community.

He also acknowledged that Delta’s municipal government cannot dictate every decision made by senior governments, other local and regional governments, or project proponents, but asserted Delta’s municipal government needs to participate in those discussions and advocate for measures that address local concerns. He emphasized that such an approach is not anti-development.

“Delta welcomes investment, good jobs, better transportation and responsible economic development,” continued Harvie.

George Harvie. (George Harvie)

Mayor Sim said his ABC Vancouver party supports projects that expand Canada’s access to overseas markets, attract investment, and reduce its reliance on any single trading partner.

He described the pipeline as a federal matter and said Vancouver’s municipal government would not try to block it under his and ABC’s leadership — partly because the pipeline would not pass through Vancouver’s municipal boundaries.

The mayor also ruled out hiring outside lawyers to challenge the project, arguing that Vancouver should direct its attention to local infrastructure.

“We support a Canada that sells to the world, not one that waits for permission. And being a gateway city sometimes means getting out of the way. As long as I’m Mayor of this city, I have no intention of launching frivolous lawsuits against companies or the federal government who are creating jobs and economic opportunities in Canada,” said Sim.

“I have no intention of using City lawyers or high-priced law firms to try to block a pipeline that doesn’t even touch Vancouver city limits.”

Sim’s comments appear to allude to the very high-profile municipal battles over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion during the 2010s. His position marks a sharp departure from the approach taken by then-Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson of Vision Vancouver and then-Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan of Burnaby Citizens Association, whose municipal administrations pursued legal challenges in their opposition to the project.

The expansion was expected to increase tanker visits at Westridge Marine Terminal on Burrard Inlet from about five per month to about one per day. At the time, Robertson warned that a spill could damage Stanley Park and beaches, while Corrigan warned of harm to tourism and the economy.

Vancouver’s municipal government spend at least hundreds of thousands of dollars on expert advice and public communications. City records released in 2017 note that roughly $400,000 was spent in the preceding years. The City of Vancouver also asked the courts to review the provincial government’s environmental approval of the expansion. Robertson is currently the federal Minister of Housing and Infrastructure for Carney’s administration.

Burnaby’s municipal government reported $1.12 million in legal spending between 2014 and 2018, financed through its share of provincial casino revenue. Its disputes included a fight over municipal authority, with the federal government enabling the Trans Mountain project to proceed with certain terminal work without obtaining approvals required under some Burnaby bylaws, including permits for tree cutting.

Former Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart also strongly opposed the Trans Mountain expansion. As the federal NDP MP for Burnaby South, prior to becoming the mayor of Vancouver, he was arrested at a pipeline protest in 2018 and later pleaded guilty to criminal contempt of court. He continued opposing the project as mayor, arguing that it went against climate action and First Nations reconciliation.

After much controversy and delay, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion reached completion in 2024.

Incumbent Surrey mayor Brenda Locke of the Surrey Connect party also expressed strong support for Pacific Link. Depending on the pipeline’s final route, Pacific Link could pass through parts of Surrey on its way to Roberts Bank in Tsawwassen.

“Prime Minister Carney’s decision to advance Pacific Link is an important step toward diversifying Canada’s energy exports, creating good jobs, and reducing our reliance on any one trade partner,” said Locke in a statement to Indo-Canadian Voice.

“This project, with meaningful Indigenous ownership and a focus on Canadian workers and materials, strengthens our economic sovereignty. Surrey Connect supports nation-building infrastructure that expands markets, generates revenue, and builds long-term prosperity for communities across British Columbia and Canada.”

Locke linked her support for the pipeline to a broader push to strengthen Surrey’s economy, including diesel tax relief for truckers.

“Surrey’s strength has always been its people and its ability to get things done. Supporting our truckers with diesel tax relief and backing projects like Pacific Link are clear ways to protect jobs, strengthen our economy, and position Surrey and Canada for success in a changing global environment,” she added.

Brenda Locke during Surrey Connect’s full platform press conference on Oct. 1, 2026. (Surrey Connect)

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