VICTORIA – A spokesperson for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says plans to dredge Burrard Inlet remain in the preliminary stage with no costs currently attached to them.
Senior communication advisor Sarah Matak says the authority continues to collaborate with government, industry and communities including local First Nations to “move the proposed dredging forward,” but says that the final scope and cost of the project “are still being determined” following consultations.
Prime Minister Mark Carney first floated the idea in the spring, but the most recent federal budget does not include any specific references to the project, beyond promises to “improve access” to oversee markets by investing in new airport, railway and port infrastructure.
Preliminary plans presented by the port authority on its website call for the deepening of the navigation channel underneath Vancouver’s Second Narrows bridge, so ships including Aframax-class tankers filling up at the Trans Mountain’s Westridge Marine Terminal could, in the words of the authority, “load more fully.”
Preliminary field studies have been underway since May and the authority’s website says dredging could start next year, following consultations, permitting and procurement.
The port authority says the proposed dredging would benefit Canada by strengthening national supply chains, but marine experts have already said that the project requires careful scrutiny, while some environmentalists have already questioned the proposal because it represents a “doubling down” on unsustainable mega-projects like the expanded Trans Mountain oil pipeline.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2025.
