Vancouver port expansion listed as project of national interest, Roberts Bank Terminal 2 to open by 2035

VANCOUVER — The Government of Canada on October 30 officially listed the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project at the Port of Vancouver as a project of national interest. Led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the $5.9-billion project will add a three-berth marine container terminal at Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia, with 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of additional annual capacity.

Timeline brought forward four years, to 2035

Under the Building Canada Act listing, the project gains upfront certainty on its remaining federal regulatory authorizations, bringing commercial operations forward by up to four years, from 2039 to 2035, with a final investment decision targeted for mid-2027. The federal government says the Port of Vancouver is Canada's largest port and its primary gateway to Indo-Pacific markets; the expansion will increase the port's container capacity by about 50% and support up to $100 billion in annual trade.

What Ottawa says: trade diversification and economic sovereignty

Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said the added capacity will reduce bottlenecks and strengthen the transportation links Canadian businesses count on, and told a news conference that without the project, congestion could drive shipping costs up by more than $800 million a year by 2035. Prime Minister Mark Carney said the listing will better connect Canada's economy with the world and diversify its trade, in line with Ottawa's goal of doubling exports to non-U.S. markets by 2035.

Projected benefits, and environmental conditions that remain

The government projects about 17,000 supply-chain jobs, roughly $3 billion a year in GDP and more than $630 million a year in tax revenue; those are government estimates, not completed results. Ottawa also stresses that the listing does not remove environmental obligations: existing environmental-assessment conditions remain in force, rigorous environmental safeguards are maintained, and the project will proceed in meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities. The port authority has selected the TerraMarine joint venture as its preferred construction partner.

This report is compiled from Transport Canada's October 30, 2026 news release and related reporting; the final investment decision and construction schedule remain subject to later announcements by the port authority and the federal government.