Vancouver’s port authority is proceeding with plans to develop a new artificial island facility to handle container shipments at Roberts Bank, south of the city. However, uncertainty remains over whether the site will be upgraded to accommodate the world’s largest oil tankers as part of a new pipeline project designed to export Alberta bitumen to Asian markets.

On July 2, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced an agreement to build a pipeline extending to British Columbia’s south coast. The proposed route, according to Alberta’s released map, largely follows the existing Trans Mountain pipeline before diverging near the Fraser Valley and running close to the U.S. border, terminating at Roberts Bank.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority clarified on July 3 that its planned expansion of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) container facility is not connected to the pipeline proposal. The federal agency, responsible for over two dozen regional terminals, stated it has not participated in discussions regarding the pipeline’s proposed route, which remains in a conceptual stage. Alberta has yet to provide detailed infrastructure or route plans to the port authority.

Alberta’s submission to the federal Major Projects Office estimates the proposed export terminal would span an area roughly equivalent to 485 NFL football fields. The terminal would include a tank farm comprising 15 storage containers capable of holding approximately 6.5 million barrels of oil. Both the port authority and the Tsawwassen First Nation, whose lands border the southern arm of the Fraser River near the proposed site, said they have not been provided with information on how such a terminal and tank farm might be accommodated in the area.

At a news conference on July 2, Carney announced a $10-billion federal investment to support the expansion of the port facilities, though he did not provide an explanation for why this funding significantly exceeds the port authority's $3.5-billion cost estimate. Alberta’s proposal projects total pipeline costs between $35.2 billion and $43.7 billion, inclusive of contingencies.

The Alberta Ministry of Energy and Minerals did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the specifics of the terminal’s location or construction within the Roberts Bank area. The terminal itself lies adjacent to the Tsawwassen BC Ferries terminal and tidal flats leading to the Fraser River’s mouth.

A federal spokesperson indicated additional details on funding, project roles, and next steps would be made public in due course. Meanwhile, the Tsawwassen First Nation reported it had not been consulted on the pipeline’s southern route, which would end on lands governed by the nation. Executive Councillor Valerie Cross emphasized the need for meaningful consultation to respect constitutionally protected treaty rights.

The pipeline project forms a key element in the federal government’s strategy to boost global exports amid a trade dispute with the United States and to improve relations with Alberta as the province approaches an upcoming referendum on resource development.

Political experts have observed that Ottawa’s approach under Carney reflects a “transactional federalism” model, involving province-specific agreements often backed by substantial public funds. Critics have also expressed concern about the lack of detailed information regarding federal spending commitments on such projects and the implications of publicly funded pipeline construction amid rising inflation and economic pressures on taxpayers.

Environmental groups and local residents have voiced opposition to the proposed terminal expansions and pipeline. Misty MacDuffee, a biologist and director of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation’s wild salmon program, highlighted potential community resistance due to the environmental risks posed by a large tank farm and increased oil tanker traffic. She pointed to the risk of oil spills in the Fraser River Estuary and the adverse effects of dredging required to accommodate Very Large Crude Carriers.

MacDuffee further cited concerns over the impact of vessel noise on the endangered killer whale population in the nearby Salish Sea, where marine traffic from existing terminals, including those serving the Trans Mountain pipeline, already disrupts cetacean echolocation. In response to such concerns, Carney pledged renewed federal funding to whale protection programs, though conservationists warn that an increase in oil tanker traffic could severely undermine these efforts.