The news reached me on a crisp Vancouver morning, the kind where the mountains stand sharp against a cerulean sky: the provincial government had approved dredging operations in Burrard Inlet. I’ve walked these shorelines countless times, watching herons stalk through wetlands while container ships drift past like silent giants. Now these waters are set to change.
“It’s about economic opportunity,” explained Keith Matthew, provincial Minister of Energy and Resources, during yesterday’s press conference. “Deepening these channels means larger tankers, more efficient shipping, and strengthened trade connections with our Asia-Pacific partners.”
The project, costing an estimated $98 million, will deepen shipping channels in strategic sections of Burrard Inlet by up to three meters. This modification allows Trans Mountain’s Westridge Marine Terminal to accommodate Aframax tankers at full capacity, potentially increasing oil exports by up to 40 percent without expanding the pipeline itself.
When I visited Tsleil-Waututh Nation territory last spring, Elder Amy George shared stories of harvesting seafood from these waters for generations. “Our identity is tied to these waters,” she told me, her hands moving rhythmically as she separated shells on her kitchen table. “We’ve already seen what industrial development does to the creatures we depend on.”
The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has consistently opposed expanded tanker traffic, commissioning an independent assessment in 2015 that concluded a major spill in Burrard Inlet would have “catastrophic” consequences for their culture and food security. Their concerns remain largely unaddressed in the current approval.
Eugene Kung, staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law, points to an accelerated approval process that bypassed the federal impact assessment typically required for projects of this scale. “The province used a regulatory workaround,” he explained during our phone conversation. “By classifying this as maintenance rather than expansion, they’ve sidestepped more rigorous environmental scrutiny.”
Provincial officials counter that existing federal permits for the Trans Mountain expansion include provisions for “optimization” of marine facilities. The National Energy Board’s 2019 reconsideration report acknowledged potential adverse effects on Southern Resident killer whales and recommended enhanced mitigation measures, though critics argue these fail to address cumulative impacts.
The dredging announcement comes as Statistics Canada reports British Columbia’s oil exports increased 22% in the last fiscal year. Provincial projections suggest the expanded shipping capacity could generate an additional $1.2 billion in annual revenue.
Walking through Cates Park the day after the announcement, I watched families picnicking near the water’s edge while a tanker moved slowly past. Jack Wilson, a retired longshoreman I’ve known for years, gestured toward the vessel. “More jobs, sure, but at what cost?” he wondered aloud. “My grandkids swim here in summer. How do we measure that against barrels and dollars?”
The project’s environmental management plan indicates dredging will occur during designated fisheries windows to minimize impacts on juvenile salmon migration. Marine mammal observers will be required during operations, with protocols to halt work if whales or porpoises enter the area.
Dr. Karen Kohfeld, environmental scientist at Simon Fraser University, expressed concerns about these mitigation measures. “The sound impacts alone present significant challenges for marine mammals,” she explained when we met at her campus office. “But perhaps more concerning is what happens to disturbed legacy contaminants in seafloor sediments—industrial pollutants that have settled over decades.”
Provincial officials maintain that sediment sampling has been conducted and that contaminated materials will be disposed of according to federal ocean dumping regulations. The dredged material—approximately 630,000 cubic meters—will be transported to an approved disposal site in deeper waters.
For Burrard Inlet’s shore communities, the project represents different things. At the White Spot restaurant in North Vancouver, I spoke with Jasmine Lee, who operates a water taxi service. ”
