DELTA, B.C. - The federal government has officially listed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 as a project of national interest, fast-tracking the $5.9-billion container terminal at the Port of Vancouver in Delta and moving its expected opening up by as much as four years, from 2039 to 2035.
The listing, announced October 30, 2026, gives the project immediate regulatory certainty for its remaining federal authorizations while maintaining rigorous environmental safeguards and proceeding in meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities, according to Transport Canada. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, which leads the project, is now on a viable path to a final investment decision by mid-2027.
Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is a proposed three-berth container terminal that would add 2.4 million containers of annual capacity at Canada’s largest port, increasing the Port of Vancouver’s container capacity by approximately 50 per cent. The government says the added capacity could support up to $100 billion in annual trade, support roughly 17,000 jobs across Canada’s supply chains, contribute approximately $3 billion a year to Canada’s GDP, and generate more than $630 million a year in tax revenues.
The release also promises lower costs for Canadians: saving roughly $1 billion a year in shipping-related costs through investment in rail networks, logistics facilities and port modernization, cutting delivery times between Vancouver and Toronto by approximately 17 per cent, and reducing container import costs by up to 25 per cent. Without new capacity, the government warns, Canadians could face between $800 million and $900 million a year in additional shipping costs beginning as early as 2031.
“Canada is working. By listing Roberts Bank Terminal 2 as a project of national interest, we are better connecting our economy with the world and diversifying our trade,” said Prime Minister Mark Carney. “As the world competes for capital, Canada will not wait.”
“Getting goods to market quickly and reliably is essential to Canada’s economic success,” said Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. “Listing this project as a project of national interest gives us greater certainty to move it forward and build a stronger, more efficient trade gateway on the West Coast.”
The project is part of the Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy, aimed at doubling exports to non-U.S. markets by 2035. The government says it will maintain existing conditions from the federal environmental assessment, create training, procurement, employment and business opportunities for Indigenous communities through 27 Mutual Benefit Agreements, and invest nearly $2 billion to protect fish and fish habitat, marine mammals, Pacific salmon and Southern Resident Killer Whales. A Conservation Agreement with BC Ferries aims to reduce underwater radiated noise from its vessels in killer whale habitat by 50 per cent by 2036.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has selected TerraMarine as its preferred construction partner following a competitive procurement process. Project information will be posted on the Building Canada Act Project Registry within 30 days of listing. The estimated capital cost of $5.9 billion excludes financing costs, and the 2035 opening and mid-2027 investment decision are targets, not completed outcomes.
(Source: Transport Canada news release, October 30, 2026)
