Cargo ships sit at anchor on English Bay, in Vancouver, on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. The federal government has announced the approval of a container port expansion project at Roberts Bank, south of Vancouver.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
OTTAWA – The federal government has announced the approval of a contentious container port expansion project at Roberts Bank, south of Vancouver.
The government says in a statement the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project, proposed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, can proceed subject to 370 legally-binding conditions to protect the environment and prevent harm to local species.
The government says the Canada Pacific Gateway area is the country’s most important trade corridor, with more than $275 billion in trade passing through the port authority each year.
It says the terminal project is estimated to increase capacity at the port in Delta, B.C., by 50 per cent.
One of the approval conditions involves monitoring noise levels and implementing procedures to delay departure of container vessels to protect the area’s Southern Resident Killer Whales.
The government says the approval of the project comes after extensive consultations with local communities and Indigenous groups.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2023.
