Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Approval Addresses Capacity Concerns

Construction of a new three berth terminal in close proximity to Canadian Alliance is bound by 370 conditions from the federal government. 

The Federal Government has approved the construction of a major new expansion of the Roberts Bank Terminal, about 35 km south of Vancouver. The Robert Banks Terminal 2 project will include a three-berth terminal that will add 2.4 million TEUs of container capacity.1 The nearby Canadian Alliance facilities are well positioned and ready to process much of the increased shipping traffic. 

While concerns are being voiced from environmentalists and labour leaders, the project is being celebrated by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. 

“We’re delighted to see this project get approval and to be able to move it forward. It’s a critical project for Canada,” said Robin Silvester, president & CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.2

Project Adds Much Needed Capacity 

The expansion, which would double the port’s current size, has been discussed since the 1990s as a means of adding much needed capacity. 

“More than C$275bn of trade passes through the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority every year,” says Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson. “By the early 2030s, our ports are forecast to be approaching capacity, and we will be unable to meet forecasted demand.”3

“With this approval, we can advance one of Canada’s most important trade infrastructure projects to date, bolster our national supply-chain resilience, and deliver generational economic benefits for Canadians and Canadian businesses,” adds Silvester. 

Existing Infrastructure Points to Success  

The Federal Government will now go through a bid process to determine who’s going to be the operator of the port, a process that Canadian Alliance President William McKinnon would like to see fast-tracked. 

“This needs to be done within a couple of years, because building the port infrastructure is likely to take another two or three years,” he says. “The port is at least five years away.”4 

McKinnon believes that the infrastructure already in place will be key to the success of the project.4

“There are parking lots on site that are currently nowhere near capacity,” he says “The roads in and out are currently two lanes, but land on either side would allow for easy expansion. I think it’s been really well thought out.” 

Environmental Concerns 

The area in question is an important habitat for killer whales, as well as for salmon and shorebirds. This has led to concerns being voiced from environmental groups. 

The federal government has attached 370 binding conditions to the project that aim to address these concerns. Among these are underwater noise limits, the creation of new habitats for western sandpipers, the installation of infrastructure that permits the safe passage of fish, and the limitation of in-water construction to times that will have the least impact to marine species.1

Despite the government’s reassurances, some environmentalists remain unconvinced. 

“Every single project that’s been approved by the federal government that’s causing extinction was approved based on mitigations, and we’re still in an extinction crisis,” said Charlotte Dawe with the Wilderness Committee. “These mitigations don’t actually work. They’re just used as excuses and ways to grant projects like this an approval when they really shouldn’t have one.”3

Union Decries Planned Automation 

The new terminal is slated to be ‘semi-automated’, which is causing concern for labour leaders. 

“If the Canadian government really cares about the working class in this country, they actually have to look at ways to make it environmentally sound with workers still working,” says Rob Ashton, the national president of the International Longshore Warehouse Union of Canada.3

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra counters that the project will actually be a job creator. 

“When done right, automation helps create jobs and improve productivity at the same time, which are key to ensuring our supply chain remains strong,” he says.3

McKinnon believes that automated ports have certain advantages, pointing to Prince Rupert as an example that has worked well. 

“You can have consistent productivity and move containers through the port, and you’re less dependent on a variable labour supply,” says McKinnon. 

First Nations Add Their Voice to Project Concerns 

Roberts Bank is known to the Tsawwassen First Nation as She?semkem, “where canoes bumped in shallow water.”1 There are concerns that the expansion could have an impact on the cultural practices of the Tsawwassen, Musqueam, Pacheedaht and Ditidaht First Nations.1

The Port of Vancouver’s website claims that they have been in consultation with 46 Indigenous groups since 2011.5 The Port says they have “reached agreements with many Indigenous groups,”5 and vow that discussions will be ongoing. 

Chief sxʷamisaat (Laura Cassidy) says “The foreshore and crabbing areas at Roberts Bank are of the utmost cultural importance to Tsawwassen members. While RBT2 poses risks for our treaty rights, we appreciate the hard work and solid commitments made by the port and Canada to respond to our concerns and lift up our role as stewards of our lands and waters.”3

Providing Goods to Canada 

In order for the process to succeed, real work will have to go into addressing the concerns of environmentalists, the union, and the First Nations groups. What is clear is that the port will go a long way towards addressing capacity issues that are only becoming greater as time goes on. 

“We’re running out of container capacity here in Canada’s largest port on the West Coast,” says Silvester. “It’s critical to create more capacity to be able to continue to grow those trade relationships, for economic benefits for the economy at large and to make sure goods are in stores across the country at prices Canadians can afford.”2 

Cited Sources

1 “6 Things to Know about Port of Vancouver’s Roberts Bank Terminal 2 …” Accessed April 28, 2023. https://vancouversun.com/business/local-business/port-of-vancouvers-contentious-roberts-bank-terminal-2-proposal-6-things-to-know. 

2 Jung, Angela. “Ottawa Approves Port Expansion in Delta, B.C., Subject to 370 Conditions.” British Columbia. CTV News, April 22, 2023. https://bc.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-approves-port-expansion-in-delta-b-c-subject-to-370-conditions-1.6366515

3 “Feds Approve Major Expansion B.C. Container Port despite Environmental, Labour Opposition | CBC News.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, April 21, 2023. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/delta-container-expansion-approval-1.6817357. 

4 Direct Communication with William McKinnon, President, Canadian Alliance

5 “Consultation and Engagement.” Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project, April 5, 2023. https://www.robertsbankterminal2.com/consultation-engagement/consultation-overview/.