Ottawa using major projects office to speed up Port of Vancouver expansions: Here's what to know

Fraser Wharves in Richmond had been used to import vehicles from Asia. Now the Port of Vancouver is planning to redevelop the site as part of its larger expansion plans known as the gateway strategy. Photo by Richard Lam /PNG

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The Port of Vancouver is set to increase its container capacity by 50 per cent over the next decade, with the federal government announcing Wednesday it is referring the port’s expansion plans to its major projects office to speed up permitting and assist in construction.

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The referral, designed to cut red tape in getting project approvals, was welcomed by B.C. businesses. But the port’s gateway strategy has been criticized by First Nations who worry it will hurt the environment and marine species like orcas and chinook salmon.

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Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said the gateway strategy will be “a generator of wealth and prosperity” for Canadians.

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Here are three key things to know:

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What makes up the gateway strategy?

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The gateway strategy consists of three parts, according to MacKinnon.

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The best-known is the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project in Delta that is expected to start construction in 2028 and be completed by the mid 2030s.

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Consisting of a new 1.3 square kilometre artificial island and wharf, it would increase the container capacity of the port by 50 per cent. The new artificial island has been going through permitting and environmental review processes for a decade.

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Artist’s rendering of proposed expansion of the Roberts Bank Superport in Delta. It would involve a new container terminal on a second artificial island (foreground). In the background is the existing artificial island that houses the DeltaPort container terminal and a coal-loading terminal. Credit: Port of Vancouver Photo by Port of Vancouver

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As it already nearing the final approval process, the major project office process is not expected to shave much time off its construction timeline, MacKinnon indicated. He didn’t say how much time the government hopes to shave off timelines for the rest of the gateway strategy.

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Currently, the Port of Vancouver has 29 terminals that handle a wide range of bulk and containerized products. But with Ottawa wanting to double Canada’s non-U.S. trade by 2035, more space is needed.

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In July, the port authority plans to select an operator for its Fraser Wharves terminal in Richmond that spans 16 hectares and was used to import vehicles from Asia. It is now being repurposed with autos mostly being unloaded at a terminal on Annacis Island.

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Ottawa wants to use the major projects office to help the port find similar land to use to expand capacity.

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Fraser Wharves in Richmond had been used to import vehicles from Asia. Now the Port of Vancouver is planning to redevelop the site as part of its larger expansion plans. Photo by Richard Lam /PNG

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The final part of the strategy is a major expansion of Lower Mainland rail capacity that the port and the business community says has been a bottleneck in the past, although there are few details yet about what this will look like.

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How will this help the business community?

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Bridgitte Anderson, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, says the announcement signals to investors that the federal government is serious about trade diversification.

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She also said that trade in B.C. has dealt with capacity constraints and bottlenecks for years, with goods taking days longer to get to the port and then out to markets overseas than they should.

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“Increasing the infrastructure that is needed to support an increase of rail and port capacity will be very important,” said Anderson.