Vancouver port authority submits Roberts Bank Terminal 2 permit

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) has submitted the Species at Risk Act-compliant Fisheries Act Authorization application to Fisheries and Oceans Canada for the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project, a future marine container terminal in Delta, B.C.

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is a future marine container terminal led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. Once built, the terminal will increase container terminal capacity by more than 30 per cent on Canada’s west coast, strengthen reliable access to goods Canadians use every day and play a key role in supporting Canadian exporters.

As part of the application, the port authority completed a comprehensive assessment of potential impacts on fish and fish habitats near the future Roberts Bank Terminal 2, including extensive technical work and consultation with nearly 50 First Nations.

The application describes the avoidance, mitigation and offsetting measures that will result in an overall net productivity gain for fish and fish habitat and supports a conclusion that the project will not jeopardize the survival or recovery of southern resident killer whales. The port authority is advancing an offsetting plan totaling approximately 102 hectares, including First Nations priority projects, that will benefit key species such as juvenile Chinook salmon.

VFPA said Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will deliver economic benefits, including tens of thousands of supply chain jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues and billions of dollars in Canadian GDP during operation.