Roberts Bank Terminal 2 receives approval from the Government

Following a robust and science-based environmental assessment conducted by an independent Review Panel, the Government of Canada has approved Vancouver Fraser Port Authority-led Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project.

According to the officials, the Government has decided the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project can proceed subject to 370 legally binding conditions to protect the environment, including to prevent harm to local species.

“With 370 environmental protection measures that the port must meet, we have set a high bar for this project to proceed. For the first time ever, we are asking a proponent to put up $150 million to guarantee the strict environmental conditions are met and habitats are protected,” said Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

“The approval of this project was not taken lightly. With strong measures, we will protect our ecosystem while increasing Canada’s supply chain capacity to ensure Canadians receive affordable goods on time while growing our economy and creating well-paying, middle-class jobs,” commented Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport.

“The Government has approved the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, subject to 370 legally binding conditions. The decision is based on the clear and compelling need for expanded container capacity on the West Coast, the robust mitigation measures that will be required of the proponent and that address key areas of environmental concern, and the support of the project from a number of First Nations,” added Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources.

The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project is a proposed new three‐berth container terminal that would provide 2.4 million TEUs of additional container capacity annually, increasing the port’s capacity by 50 per cent.

Without this port expansion, $3 billion in added GDP would be jeopardized by capacity shortages. The project is also expected to create hundreds of jobs during construction, and several hundred more both onsite and off-site during operations.

The main components of the proposed project are:

• A new three-berth marine container terminal;
• A widened causeway to the mainland to accommodate additional road and rail infrastructure;
• An expanded tug basin to accommodate a second tug operations contractor.

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