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<\/p>\n\u201cBy investing in our ports and transportation network, we are growing our economy, strengthening our supply chains, while protecting the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
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MacKinnon said the upgrades will centre on four \u201ckey pillars\u201d including Roberts Bank Terminal 2, a proposed three-berth terminal that would increase the port\u2019s container capacity by 50 per cent.<\/p>\n
The minister said the new container terminal would then enable $100 billion in new trade capacity annually, potentially contributing $3 billion to Canada\u2019s GDP each year.<\/p>\n
Environmental groups have long opposed the port\u2019s expansion, warning of harms to endangered species and other potential deleterious effects. <\/p>\n
Lucero Gonz\u00e1lez, a conservation and policy campaigner with the Wilderness Committee, said the plan to fast-track the project is an \u201cextremely concerning move.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cStanding up against extinction, standing up against mega projects that threaten endangered species will never be for nothing,\u201d she said, adding that the project is not a \u201cdone deal.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIf anything, it is almost reinvigorating the argument of how bad this project is for the economy, for jobs, for the environment, and for the communities around the Fraser River estuary,\u201d she said, adding that critics will not stop opposing this project.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur environmental concerns for the project remain exactly the same that they were 10 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gonz\u00e1lez said the Southern Resident Killer Whale populations are declining, and fears abound that the Carney government is bypassing permitting processes and legal protections for endangered species. <\/p>\n
She said the announcement signals the federal government\u2019s willingness to \u201ctrample\u201d communities in order to get projects built, regardless of the environment impacts.\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have more questions than answers at this moment,\u201d Gonz\u00e1lez said. \u201cBut it is very concerning to think that even knowing that this project will push the Southern Resident Orcas closer to extinction, they are so comfortable to expedite the process and to continue with this project.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Vancouver Board of Trade, meanwhile, said the announcement is \u201ca big win for the British Columbia business community and the Canadian economy.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cBy taking a holistic approach to the growth of our Pacific gateway, the federal government is injecting the urgency our economy and supply chains need,\u201d the board\u2019s president, Bridgitte Anderson, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Other pillars in the upgrade include plans to expand capacity of bulk terminals through land use and infrastructure improvements. Part of the expansion includes the 16-hectare Fraser Wharves terminal site in Richmond, B.C., with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority set to launch the process to select its operator next week.<\/p>\n
Alberta\u2019s West Coast oil pipeline proposal \u2014 which would terminate at Roberts Bank and also has a major-project referral \u2014 is being considered as part of the port infrastructure plans.<\/p>\n
There are also plans to expand and optimize rail infrastructure linking to the port, as well as related environmental protections for the habitat of Southern Resident killer whales.<\/p>\n
The Grain Growers of Canada said the group is also supporting the announcement but noted the importance of including investments in rail to the equation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe success of the Gateway Strategy will ultimately depend on addressing long-standing rail bottlenecks, beginning with the Second Narrows rail crossing,\u201d the Grain Growers\u2019 statement said, noting the importance in rail links in boosting Canada\u2019s competitiveness globally.<\/p>\n
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority president Peter Xotta said that the port is set to \u201cplay an outsized role\u201d in Ottawa\u2019s plans to double exports to markets outside North America.<\/p>\n
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada, handling more cargo than the next five largest Canadian ports combined.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s 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,\u201d Xotta said.<\/p>\n
The Port of Vancouver announced earlier in the week that it had selected TerraMarine as its construction partner for Terminal 2, which will require a land mass to be built beyond existing lands at Roberts Bank.<\/p>\n
The government said in a news release that the Major Projects Office will immediately begin consulting with Indigenous communities about the port upgrades.<\/p>\n
Other B.C. projects that have already received referral include the Ksi Lisims LNG project, Phase 2 of LNG Canada\u2019s Kitimat facility, the North Coast Transmission Line and the Red Chris copper mine expansion.<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2026.<\/p>\n
Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cBy investing in our ports and transportation network, we are growing our economy, strengthening our supply chains, while…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":807647,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194298],"tags":[49,48,55],"class_list":["post-807646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-vancouver","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-vancouver"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/807647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}