Plans to upgrade the Port of Vancouver have been referred to Canada's Major Projects Office for possible fast-tracking.
Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon has announced the referral, calling the upgrades a "transformational strategy" that aims to diversify and grow trade capacity, and reach more global markets such as the Indo-Pacific region.
MacKinnon says the upgrades known as the Gateway Strategy will include Roberts Bank Terminal 2, a proposed three-berth terminal that would increase the port's container capacity by 50 per cent and enable $100 billion in new trade capacity annually, potentially contributing $3 billion to Canada's GDP each year.
The government says in a news release that the Major Projects Office will immediately begin consulting with Indigenous communities about the project.
The government of Alberta is separately proposing a new west coast pipeline to Roberts Bank that also has a major-project referral.
Other B.C. projects that have already received referral include the Ksi Lisims LNG project, Phase 2 of LNG Canada's Kitimat facility, the North Coast Transmission Line and the Red Chris copper mine expansion.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
