Port Metro Vancouver is Canada’s largest port and almost 95 per cent of its total volumes serve Canadian import and export markets. PMV’s Deltaport is the largest container terminal in Canada, handling approximately half of the containerized traffic that moves through Canada’s west coast.
The total investment in these projects, shared by the Government of Canada and PMV, is nearly $106 million. The Government of Canada is funding $46.6 million under its Beyond the Border Action Plan to staff, equip and outfit both facilities, including detection technology tools and mandatory tenant services (maintenance and repairs). It is also providing $3.3 million under its Asia-Pacific Gateway and Trade Corridor Initiative (APGCI) for the Roberts Bank Container Examination Facility construction. PMV will build and maintain both facilities, which represent an investment of an estimated $56 million.
The projects involve the construction of two new Marine Container Examination Facilities (MCEFs) to meet current and anticipated growth in volume through the four terminal facilities located in the BC Lower Mainland. The Roberts Bank facility, located at the east end of the Deltaport causeway on the Tsawwassen First Nation Industrial Lands, is expected to open in the summer of 2015, and the Burrard Inlet facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2015.
One of the commitments in the Beyond the Border Action Plan is the development of the Integrated Cargo Security Strategy, which is a joint Canada-U.S. strategy to address risks associated with cargo arriving from off-shore. It will facilitate the movement of secure shipments between Canada and the U.S. through a harmonized approach for screening inbound goods and expediting the movement of cargo across our shared border. The Strategy guides implementation of the principle: “cleared once, accepted twice.” This cargo security and examination process will strengthen the economic competitiveness of both countries, stimulate job creation, and contribute to our mutual prosperity. As such, the new MCEFs will help reduce inspections at the land border, speed up cross-border trade and will move both countries closer to achieving the outlined vision.
September 2013
