TSAWWASSEN — Plans to upgrade the Port of Vancouver have been referred to Canada’s Major Projects Office for possible fast-tracking.

Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon has announced the referral, calling the upgrades a “transformational strategy” that aims to diversify and grow trade capacity, and reach more global markets such as the Indo-Pacific region.

MacKinnon says the upgrades known as the Gateway Strategy will include Roberts Bank Terminal 2, a proposed three-berth terminal that would increase the port’s container capacity by 50 per cent and enable $100 billion in new trade capacity annually, potentially contributing $3 billion to Canada’s GDP each year.

The government says in a news release that the Major Projects Office will immediately begin consulting with Indigenous communities about the project.

The government of Alberta is separately proposing a new west coast pipeline to Roberts Bank that also has a major-project referral.

Other B.C. projects that have already received referral include the Ksi Lisims LNG project, Phase 2 of LNG Canada’s Kitimat facility, the North Coast Transmission Line and the Red Chris copper mine expansion.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2026.

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press