Delta, BC -The Government of Canada today officially listed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 as a project of national interest at an event led by Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon.
“By listing Roberts Bank Terminal 2 as a project of national interest, we are better connecting our economy with the world and diversifying our trade,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement. “As the world competes for capital, Canada will not wait. We are building a stronger, more independent and more competitive Canadian economy.”
A Transport Canada press release said the listing “provides the immediate regulatory certainty needed to build this vital piece of Canadian infrastructure at the Port of Vancouver, maintains rigorous environmental safeguards and will be done in meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities. The successful execution of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will be led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA), who is the proponent for RBT2.”
Through collaboration with the Major Projects Office, the VFPA, and other federal partners, RBT2, a $5.9 billion investment in Canada’s trade infrastructure, is on a viable path to Final Investment Decision (FID) by mid-2027. Today’s listing decision provides upfront certainty on the remaining applicable federal regulatory authorizations, and accelerates the project’s commercial operations by up to four years, from 2039 to 2035.
This decision marks a major milestone in the implementation of the Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy, ensuring Canadian businesses can reach global customers through Canadian infrastructure. As Canada’s largest port and the primary gateway to Indo-Pacific markets, the Port of Vancouver plays a vital role in Canada’s economy.
Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will add 2.4 million containers of annual capacity at Canada’s largest port, thereby Increasing container capacity at the Port of Vancouver by approximately 50 per cent. It will support up to $100 billion in annual trade and help Canada achieve its goal of doubling non-U.S. exports by 2035.
“Continued inaction on port expansion could eventually force Canadian importers and exporters to utilize U.S. ports–a dependency that is untenable in the current geopolitical circumstances,” officials said, according to documents distributed at a technical briefing. “Port expansion is thus integral to ensuring Canadian sovereignty and control over key economic linkages to the rest of the world,” the officials said, according to the documents.
Without port expansion, Canada could face sharply higher shipping costs of up to C$900 million a year due to traffic congestion and insufficient capacity, it is stressed.
(Image of RBT2 project from Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)