Port Metro Vancouver Files Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 30, 2015) - Port Metro Vancouver has submitted a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement for the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. The project is a proposed new container terminal at Roberts Bank in Delta, B.C. on Canada's west coast.

Forecasts show demand for goods shipped in containers is growing, and it is expected container terminals on B.C.'s coast will be at capacity by the early 2020s. Roberts Bank Terminal 2, along with expansion of the Port of Prince Rupert and other container terminals in Vancouver, will provide much needed space for this growth.

"The region is running out of room to manage growing Canadian trade with Asia," said Robin Silvester, President and Chief Executive Officer of Port Metro Vancouver. "The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project will ensure demand can be met while providing important economic benefits to B.C. and Canada. We look forward to the upcoming review of our environmental assessment by an independent panel."

The Environmental Impact Statement documents four years of extensive scientific study and consultation with regulators, Aboriginal groups, local government and the public to assess the potential environmental, economic, social, heritage and health effects of the terminal's construction and operation. The conclusion of the comprehensive assessment is the effects of the project, following the implementation of mitigation, are not expected to significantly affect the environment. The Environmental Impact Statement will now become the subject of a federal environmental assessment, including a review by an independent review panel. This is the most stringent such process in Canada, and will include multiple opportunities for public comment.

About the Proposed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project

The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project is a proposed new three-berth container terminal at Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia, on Canada's west coast. If built, the terminal would provide 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of container capacity to meet forecasted growth in Canadian export and import trade.

The project includes three main components:

• The development of land and construction of a deep-sea marine terminal adjacent to the existing Roberts Bank terminals;
• Widening of the existing Roberts Bank causeway to accommodate road and rail infrastructure; and
• Expansion of the existing Roberts Bank tug basin to accommodate the existing and an additional tug boat contractor.

Subject to environmental permits and approvals and a final investment decision, construction could begin in 2018 and would take approximately five-and-a-half years to complete. The project would be funded entirely by Port Metro Vancouver and the private sector, so would not require any tax dollars. The construction phase will create 12,700 person-years of employment, and its operation would support approximately 12,400 full-time jobs on an ongoing basis.

About Port Metro Vancouver

Port Metro Vancouver is Canada's largest port and the fourth largest tonnage port in North America, responsible for Canada's trade with more than 160 world economies. Located in a naturally beautiful setting on Canada's west coast, Port Metro Vancouver is responsible for the efficient and reliable movement of goods and passengers, and integrates environmental, social and economic sustainability initiatives into all areas of port operations. Port Metro Vancouver is committed to meaningful engagement with the communities in which it operates and the shared obligation to improve the quality of life for Canadians. Enabling the trade of approximately $187 billion in goods annually, the port generates an estimated 100,000 jobs, $6.1 billion in wages, and $9.7 billion in GDP across Canada. As a non-shareholder, financially self-sufficient corporation established by the Government of Canada, Port Metro Vancouver operates pursuant to the Canada Marine Act, and is accountable to the elected federal Minister of Transport.

To learn more about the project and to read the executive summary of the Environmental Impact Statement, please visit portmetrovancouver.com/RBT2.

To learn more about the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency review, and to read the complete Environmental Impact Statement, please visit www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca (Reference: 80054).