Canada moves to fast-track Vancouver port expansion, sparking wildlife protection concerns

The Liberal government has published a Canada Gazette notice initiating a 30-day consultation on designating the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 expansion in Vancouver as a project of national interest, which would speed up its approval under the Building Canada Act. The three-berth terminal, projected to raise port capacity by nearly 50 percent and generate roughly $100 billion in annual trade capacity, received $10 billion of federal funding and awaits final permits, including compliance with the Species at Risk Act.

Environmental Defence’s Julia Levin warns the plan would destroy about 200 hectares of the Fraser River estuary, a critical breeding ground for over a hundred at-risk species, including the endangered southern resident killer whales that rely on chinook salmon. While the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority pledges to restore 102 hectares of habitat and implement whale-protection measures, critics say fast-tracking could let the cabinet exempt the project from SARA. The move follows broader government efforts to accelerate major infrastructure, raising concerns that environmental safeguards may be weakened.