The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority: Enabling Canada’s trade
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is an arm’s-length federal agency responsible for the shared stewardship of the lands and waters that make up the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port. As a Canada Port Authority, established under the Canada Marine Act, we work to ensure the port remains competitive and reliable, and collaborate with port community partners and First Nations to responsibly facilitate Canada’s trade for the benefit of all Canadians.
Guided by our purpose and strategy, we’re taking action to ensure the Port of Vancouver is ready to meet Canada’s trade needs now and into the future. Our strategic focus areas include:
- Our core business of enabling trade through port optimization, supply chain resilience and capacity development
- Our external commitments to the environment and foundational relationships
- And internal excellence to ensure we’re driving value for port users and Canadians
These focus areas shape our approach to enabling Canada’s trade to diverse markets and how we work with port community partners and First Nations to responsibly facilitate trade.
As a Canada Port Authority, we:
- Contribute to the competitiveness, growth, and prosperity of the Canadian economy
- Organize marine transportation services that meet port users’ needs at a reasonable cost
- Provide a high level of safety and environmental protection
- Respond to local needs and priorities
- Encourage and consider input from port users and local communities
- Are financially self-sufficient and we re-invest in the gateway
In our role, we carry out our mandate by:
- Leasing out lands to the terminal operators who move cargo through the port
- Collecting revenue through tenant rent and various fees from port users
- Leading infrastructure projects to support trade growth
- Serving as a permitting authority for terminal expansions and other projects on port lands
- Running a suite of environmental programs
- Working closely with local communities to minimize any impacts of port activity
- Engaging and creating meaningful relationships with First Nations
- Collaborating with other agencies on port safety and security
These values guide how we approach our work to enable Canada’s trade:
- We drive efficiency to optimize performance
- We build strong relationships to succeed together
- We are customer-focused to deliver on our commitments
- We are accountable to find solutions and take the right action
- We are one team to achieve our purpose
The Port of Vancouver: Canada’s largest port
Located on the southwest coast of British Columbia, the Port of Vancouver extends from Roberts Bank and the Fraser River up to and including Burrard Inlet. Its jurisdiction includes more than 16,000 hectares of water, more than 1,500 hectares of land and hundreds of kilometres of shoreline, bordering 16 municipalities and intersecting the traditional territories and treaty lands of more than 35 Coast Salish First Nations.
Trade at the Port of Vancouver
Trade through the port connects Canadian businesses to international markets and consumers with the variety of products that we use every day from markets across the globe and generates tax revenues and secure employment for local communities. Home to 29 major terminals and more than 1,000 tenants, the port is the most diversified cargo-handling port in North America.
Port terminals move goods across five different business sectors:
The Port of Vancouver:
- Connects Canada with approximately 140 to 170 countries annually
- Handles $1 in every $3 of Canada's trade in goods outside of North America
- Moves almost as much cargo by volume as Canada’s next five largest ports combined
- Enables the trade of approximately $300 billion in goods annually
- Sustains 132,400 jobs, $9.3 billion in wages through port activities each year
- Generates $16.3 billion in annual GDP across Canada