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Vancouver Fraser Port Authority renders decision on Westridge Marine Terminal Upgrade and Expansion Project permit application

Vancouver, B.C.: The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has approved a permit application from Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC for the portion of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project within our jurisdiction involving the upgrade and expansion of the existing Westridge Marine Terminal in the Port of Vancouver.

The port authority had previously issued a permit for these works in 2017 following a thorough and robust project and environmental review, including consultation with Indigenous groups and local communities on the impacts of construction activities at the Westridge Marine Terminal. However, as a result of the Federal Court of Appeal decision on August 30, 2018, that previously approved permit is no longer valid.

On August 9, 2019, Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC submitted a new project permit application to the port authority for the proposed Westridge Marine Terminal Upgrade and Expansion Project.  Given the works and activities proposed as part of this project permit application had not materially changed from those previously reviewed and approved, the scope of the port authority’s review focused on the following minor changes:

1. Updated construction hours to undertake work outside of the port authority’s standard construction hours, comprising nighttime welding activities for the duration of the construction period to minimize the impact of high tide cycles on welding efficiency.
2. Updated noise baseline limits for construction noise monitoring to reflect the current ambient noise baseline conditions at Westridge Marine Terminal, based on new baseline noise monitoring undertaken by the Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC in September 2018.
3. The temporary re-location of an existing utility dock from Pier 59 to Pier 61 during construction.
4. Updated construction schedule with an anticipated completion date of the fourth quarter of 2022.

The Westridge Marine Terminal Upgrade and Expansion Project is part of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, which is a designated project under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012.  For more information on the project, visit Trans Mountain’s website.

Copies of the port authority’s report and permit are available on the port authority’s website.

Information about our Project and Environmental Review Process is also available on our website.

About the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the federal agency responsible for the stewardship of the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, and the third largest in North America by tonnes of cargo, supporting trade with more than 170 world economies. The port authority is financially self-sufficient and accountable to the federal minister of transport, operating pursuant to the Canada Marine Act with a mandate to enable Canada’s trade through the Port of Vancouver, while protecting the environment and considering local communities. We oversee the administration, management and control of land and water within the jurisdiction of the port, which includes more than 16,000 hectares of water, over 1,000 hectares of land, and approximately 350 kilometres of shoreline. Located on the southwest coast of British Columbia in Canada, the Port of Vancouver extends from Roberts Bank and the Fraser River up to and including Burrard Inlet, bordering 16 municipalities and intersecting the traditional territories and treaty lands of several Coast Salish First Nations. Enabling the trade of approximately $240 billion in goods, port activities sustain 115,300 jobs, $7 billion in wages, and $11.9 billion in GDP across Canada.

Media contact

Danielle Jang
Media relations advisor

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