---
title: "Federal government designates Roberts Bank Terminal 2 as a Project of National Interest"
description: "The federal government gave Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in Delta a new designation on Friday that clears the remaining permits for the $5.9 billion port expansion to proceed."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/delta-2026/news/roberts-bank-terminal-2-project-of-national-interest-2026-10-31"
last_updated: "2026-10-31T17:01:03.249Z"
---

The federal government named Roberts Bank Terminal 2 at Deltaport in Delta a Project of National Interest on October 30, 2026, clearing the remaining permits for the $5.9 billion container port expansion to move forward.

Federal Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon made the announcement at the Deltaport facility alongside Delta MP Jill McKnight and BC Premier-Designate Lorne Doerkson. Mayor-Elect Melissa Granum was among those who attended the event, the Delta Optimist reported.

## What the designation does

Under the Building Canada Act, the Project of National Interest status gives the expansion a clearer permit timeline, removing the uncertainty that had held back a final start date. MacKinnon called the October 30 decision a major day for Canada and said it provides certainty around the project's timeline "while maintaining rigorous environmental safeguards and consultation with Indigenous communities."

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says the terminal will add 2.4 million TEUs of annual container capacity, a 50 percent increase over the current Deltaport facility. Without it, MacKinnon said, port congestion could cost Canadian businesses and consumers more than $800 million a year by 2035. These are the port authority's own figures.

## Tsawwassen First Nation's position

Tsawwassen First Nation Chief Laura Cassidy spoke at the event of her nation's consent but not unconditional support. She said years of consultation have resulted in a deeper understanding of the project's impacts and how they can be addressed, but she made clear the TFN wants to protect its treaty rights and remains concerned about environmental effects. The Building Canada Act process, she said, should not cut corners on those concerns.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says it has 27 Mutual Benefit Agreements with First Nations connected to the project.

## Economic claims

Port authority officials say the construction phase will create more than 18,000 jobs and the completed terminal will support more than 17,300 ongoing jobs, generate an estimated $3 billion in GDP each year, and produce $631 million in tax revenue. These are the port authority's own projections.

The project has already cleared a federal environmental review, which began in 2015 and resulted in approval in 2023. A provincial go-ahead followed the same year. Construction would happen in the 2030s.

## What Granum promised

During the campaign, [Melissa Granum](/bc/delta-2026/candidates/melissa-granum) pledged to ask Ottawa and the RCMP for written assurances that Delta taxpayers will not pay for policing a national port. She also promised to work with senior governments to secure local benefits from port projects and to create an Economic Development Advisory Committee that would include an assessment of Roberts Bank Terminal 2. Those commitments are tracked on her candidate page.

The new Delta City Council holds its inaugural meeting on November 2, 2026. Residents who want to follow the council's decisions on the port expansion can watch for agendas at pub-delta.escribemeetings.com.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/bc/delta-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.