Federal plan to expand Port of Vancouver's terminals, railways, and trade capacity | Daily Hive

Federal plan aims to expand Port of Vancouver's terminals, railways, and trade capacity

New cranes arrive at GCT Deltaport container terminal on April 20, 2025. (GCT)

The Government of Canada is launching a broad strategy aimed at expanding the Port of Vancouver, serving to ease long-standing transportation bottlenecks and giving Canadian exporters more capacity to reach overseas markets.

Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon announced this week the Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy has been referred to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new Major Projects Office, which helps coordinate and accelerate major infrastructure proposals considered important to the national economy.

The strategy covers more than a single construction project. It brings together plans for the new Roberts Bank Terminal 2 container superport project Delta, additional land for bulk-export facilities, rail network improvements, and expanded environmental protection measures. This new strategy is intended to treat the port as a connected transportation system rather than advancing individual terminals, railway projects, and environmental programs separately.

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The work will support Carney’s goal of doubling Canadian exports to markets outside the United States by 2035, with the Port of Vancouver serving as the country’s main gateway to Asia-Pacific markets.

The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project will add a three-berth container terminal on approximately 320 acres of newly created land through an expansion of the existing causeway, which is home to the existing GCT Deltaport container terminal.

This new additional container superport will increase the Port of Vancouver’s container-handling capacity by approximately 50 per cent. Upon completion in the mid-2030s, it could support more than $100 billion in additional trade capacity annually, contribute over $3 billion to Canada’s economy each year, and sustain approximately 17,000 jobs once operating.

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is also being referred to the Major Projects Office for possible designation as a project of national interest under the federal Building Canada Act.

With the additional referral of the Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy, the Major Projects Office now has a list of eight “transformative strategies” across the country, which also includes the Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor for electrical and mining infrastructure in northwestern British Columbia and southern Yukon and the Alto High-Speed Rail project between Toronto and Quebec City.

In total, separately, there are 20 projects across the country referred to the Major Projects Office, with eight being B.C.-located projects. In addition to Roberts Bank Terminal 2, other major B.C. projects already referred to the office include the Red Chris Mine Expansion, the three phases of BC Hydro’s North Coast Transmission Line, LNG Canada Phase 2, Ksi Lisims LNG, and the Alberta government’s proposal to build a new West Coast crude oil pipeline from the Edmonton area to Metro Vancouver.

Such a designation would not amount to immediate construction approval. However, it could place the project under a more centralized federal process, coordinating remaining permits and providing greater certainty over regulatory timelines.

Existing condition:

The existing Roberts Bank terminal in Delta. (Google Earth)

Future condition:

Artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in Delta. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)

Artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 completed its federal environmental assessment in 2023 and is now working toward securing its remaining permits ahead of the scheduled start of major construction work in 2028, with early works and site preparation expected to begin in 2027.

Before the federal government decides whether to place the terminal on its list of national-interest projects, the Major Projects Office will consult potentially affected First Nations, including the Tsawwassen First Nation, which has its reserve and treaty lands located near the project location.

In a statement reacting to this week’s announcement, Tsawwassen First Nation highlighted that they previously “consented” to Roberts Bank Terminal 2, and expect the federal government and port authority to uphold all existing approvals, legally binding conditions, and consultation obligations associated with the project.

“Projects designated as being in the national interest must not come at the expense of treaty rights or existing environmental protections. While the benefits of projects like RBT2 may be shared nationally, the impacts are borne most directly by Tsawwassen First Nation in our territory and on the exercise of our Treaty-protected harvesting rights,” said Tsawwassen First Nation chief Laura Cassidy.

“We expect meaningful consultation, respect for our Treaty rights, and full implementation of the commitments that have already been made to our Nation.”

Earlier this month, following a year-long bidding process, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced the selection of the private consortium named TerraMarine as its construction partner for Roberts Bank Terminal 2’s new landmass and wharf structures. The port authority and Global Container Terminals — the operator of GCT Deltaport — have also signed a memorandum of understanding to explore a potential development and operating partnership.

“As Canada’s largest port, we know we’re going to play an outsized role in delivering on Prime Minister Carney’s commitment to double exports to markets outside of North America,” said Peter Xotta, president and CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in a statement.

“Today’s announcement will help the Port of Vancouver and our partners get game-changing projects like Roberts Bank Terminal 2 built, and move more of what Canadians make, mine, harvest and grow to more customers around the world.”

The gateway strategy will also examine how more industrial land can be made available for bulk-export terminals.

About 70 per cent of the cargo passing through the Port of Vancouver by weight consists of dry and liquid bulk products, including grain, potash, petroleum products, and canola oil. Federal officials say the region’s shortage of suitable industrial land has made it difficult to build modern terminals, forcing operators to rely on older facilities for longer periods.

Next week, the port authority will launch a bidding process to select an operator for the 40-acre Fraser Wharves terminal property in Richmond. It would be the first major opportunity to establish a new bulk terminal at the port in approximately a decade.

Rail capacity represents another major component of the federal plan.

Most cargo entering or leaving the port is transported by train, but the federal government notes that sections of the railway and supply-chain network are at risk of becoming increasingly congested. Such congestion can delay shipments, raise transportation costs, and make Canadian exports less competitive.

Transport Canada and the Major Projects Office will work with railway companies and other industry organizations on a strategy to expand physical infrastructure and improve how trains and cargo move through the wider port system.

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Port of Vancouver

Artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in Delta. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)

Environmental measures form another part of the gateway strategy. The federal government has committed more than $258 million over five years to whale protection programs, including $95 million over five years and $16.5 million annually for measures focused on Southern Resident killer whales. The work is expected to include vessel speed restrictions, fisheries management, underwater noise monitoring, whale detection systems, and the testing of quieter technologies for commercial ships and B.C. Ferries vessels.

The federal government has also set aside $413 million over five years to renew the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, which supports habitat restoration, scientific monitoring, and the recovery of wild salmon populations. These programs are in addition to the federal government’s $3.5-billion Oceans Protection Plan.

“Canada needs modern transportation infrastructure that helps our businesses compete, gets Canadian goods to new markets, and creates good jobs across the country. By investing in our ports and transportation network, we are growing our economy, strengthening our supply chains, while protecting the environment,” said Steven MacKinnon, the federal Minister of Transport.

The Port of Vancouver currently handles approximately $1 billion worth of goods each day and about 40 per cent of Canada’s international merchandise trade outside North America. Its terminals connect Canadian exporters and importers with as many as 170 countries.

In 2025, the port handled a record 170.4 million metric tonnes of cargo, eight per cent more than the previous record set one year earlier.

Port-related activity contributes an estimated $16.3 billion annually to Canada’s GDP and supports more than 132,000 jobs nationwide, including approximately 103,000 in British Columbia.

All of this follows the Canada-British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement announced early this month, which included a broader commitment to improve B.C.’s ports and transportation corridors — including up to $3 billion in federal funding for the new replacement George Massey Tunnel project, covering up to one-third of the overall project costs — as Canada seeks to increase trade with countries beyond the United States.

The gateway strategy will also consider Alberta’s proposed West Coast crude oil pipeline, which would also terminate at a major new oil storage and export facility at Roberts Bank — potentially double the size of the new container terminal, and also incorporating a brand-new additional causeway for the area. Few details about the potential pipeline route or terminal were included in the announcement, with the proposal remaining subject to further review and consultation.

Roberts Bank Delivery Tank Terminal oil delta tsawwassen

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

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