Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleOttawa has designated the $5.9-billion Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in Delta, B.C., as a project of national interest, according to a report from The Hub | More Signal. Less Noise. The listing, announced Friday, gives the port expansion access to a fast-track approval process.
It is the second major project to receive the designation under the Building Canada Act, legislation passed by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government.
What the terminal would do
The federal government said the three-berth container terminal is meant to raise the port’s container capacity by 50 per cent. It would also support up to $100-billion in annual trade. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is leading the expansion.
With the designation in place, the government said it expects a final investment decision by the middle of next year.
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said in a statement that the terminal “will add much-needed capacity at our largest port.” He said it would reduce bottlenecks and strengthen the transportation links Canadian businesses rely on.
The government also says the expansion is aimed at saving $1-billion a year in shipping costs, after investments in rail, logistics facilities and port modernization. It is also expected to cut delivery times between Vancouver and Toronto by 17 per cent.
Project design and review history
The project has already been through more than a decade of regulatory reviews. It includes a marine land mass and wharf structure, a widened causeway to add roads and rail lines, and an expanded tub basin to support shipping.
It forms part of a larger Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy. That strategy would also include rail infrastructure, land development for bulk terminals and environmental protections.
Other projects in the pipeline
The first project listed under the Building Canada Act was the Pacific Link oil pipeline, designated at the start of October. It would carry one million barrels of Alberta oil a day to the same area south of Vancouver where the port expansion is located. Its approval process is slated to be completed by Sept. 1, 2027.
Three other developments are awaiting possible listing: the Mackenzie Valley Highway Project in the Northwest Territories, the Grays Bay Road and Port Project in Nunavut, and a deep nuclear waste storage project in Northwestern Ontario.
All three are being evaluated by the Calgary-based Major Projects Office. The Carney government created the office to help get more developments built, boost trade and diversify it. The government has said the aim is to strengthen Canadian sovereignty against U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war.
Source: The Hub | More Signal. Less Noise.
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