Canada backs Port of Vancouver's Roberts Bank expansion
Federal funding targets terminal capacity and a replacement road tunnel
Canada has agreed to help fund an upgrade of the Roberts Bank terminal at the Port of Vancouver under a cooperation agreement between the federal government and British Columbia, signed by the prime minister and the province's premier.
The terminal upgrade is expected to unlock more than C$100bn in new trade capacity and add around C$3bn a year to the national economy. The agreement also covers the replacement of the ageing George Massey road tunnel, with up to C$3bn in federal funding, swapping the current four-lane crossing for an eight-lane tunnel.
Beyond Vancouver, the deal commits the government to work with port authorities and First Nations on the ports of Prince Rupert and Stewart, and to steer federal vessel work, including shipbuilding, servicing and recycling, toward yards on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. The transport minister framed the package as strengthening trade infrastructure on the country's Pacific coast.
