Minister McKnight tours Westridge Marine Terminal, showcasing Canada's ability to build major energy infrastructure responsibly

BURNABY, BC, Oct. 2, 2026 /CNW/ -- Today, the Honourable Jill McKnight, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, toured the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby to highlight the safety, environmental and marine protection, and operational excellence that have made the facility a critical gateway for Canadian energy exports to global markets. For 70 years, but especially following recent modernization, Westridge has served as a best-in-class example of Canada's rigorous approach to building energy infrastructure that pairs economic growth with environmental protection and public safety.

The visit comes one day after Prime Minister Carney announced the listing of the Pacific Link pipeline as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act. Pacific Link will reduce our dependence on the United States by allowing Canada to export an additional one million barrels a day from a new marine terminal in Delta, B.C., to growing markets in Asia. The project will create up to 140,000 jobs across the country and generate over $20 billion in GDP per year and $100 billion in government revenue by 2060 -- revenue that will help build the infrastructure and homes British Columbians and all Canadians need and protect the social programs they rely on, from health care to child care.

The tour underscored that Pacific Link is not a hypothetical concept. Seventy to ninety percent of the proposed project would leverage the existing Trans Mountain corridor. With Trans Mountain Corporation (TMC) as the lead developer, the project will benefit from TMC's extensive, decades-long operational knowledge of the existing and proposed corridor, delivery, receipt and receipt terminals, and construction.

The Westridge Marine Terminal in Burrard Inlet connects the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP), completed in 2024, to tanker vessels for export. The newly expanded Terminal comprises three new vessel loading berths and significantly increases the oil export capacity from the Westridge terminal -- transforming Westridge into a modern export facility capable of connecting Canadian energy producers with new markets across the Asia-Pacific region while maintaining rigorous environmental and safety standards. Before the TMEP, Westridge received approximately five vessels per month. Now, it can receive 34 per month. An 85-person team that includes supervisory staff, technicians, marine professionals, emergency response personnel and others operates the Burnaby and Westridge Terminals on a 24/7 basis. Throughout the tour, Minister McKnight received updates on the measures that support safe operations at Westridge. For example, Minister McKnight heard about consultation, mitigation and safety measures such as:

• The expansion of the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation from approximately 60 to nearly 200 people to support a world-class response regime
• Trans Mountain's Marine Mammal Protection Program, which implemented 32 mitigation and monitoring measures to reduce impacts on whales and other marine mammals
• A rock reef complex designed to create refuges for smaller fish and surface area for algae to grow
• Consultation with Indigenous Peoples, leading to one of the largest archaeological projects in Canada that identified 80,000 artifacts relevant to First Nations' history
• 69 Mutual Benefit Agreements worth over $650 million, signed with 81 Indigenous groups, to access economic opportunities associated with the TMEP

As Canada looks ahead to the development of Pacific Link, Westridge stands as a concrete example of how major nation-building infrastructure can be delivered in a way that respects local and Indigenous communities, protects local environments and creates long-term economic opportunities for Canada.

The lessons learned through the planning, construction and operation of the TMEP provide a strong foundation for future energy infrastructure. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that future infrastructure development is grounded in proven practices and real-world experience. By building on existing corridors, leveraging established expertise and maintaining high standards for environmental stewardship and Indigenous consultation, Pacific Link will strengthen Canada's economic and energy security while supporting responsible resource development and bringing prosperity to local communities.

Quotes

"We all share a responsibility to protect the waters, ecosystems and communities that make British Columbia so special. That's why it was important for me to see first-hand the work being done at Westridge to protect the environment and maintain the highest safety standards. This facility reflects years of planning, oversight and meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities -- rigour Canadians can be proud of. Westridge shows that when we work together, we can build major infrastructure responsibly. As we look to new opportunities like Pacific Link, that's the standard Canadians rightfully expect us to uphold and we are wholly committed to delivering on."

The Honourable Jill McKnight
Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence and M.P. for Delta

"Canada has what the world wants, and we know how to get our energy to those global markets responsibly. The Trans Mountain Expansion and the world-class Westridge Terminal demonstrate what Canadians know well: we do not have to choose between economic growth and a healthy environment. As we move toward shovels in the ground on Pacific Link by September 2027, I look forward to showing Canadians and the world once again what British Columbia and Canada do best as a responsible energy superpower."

The Honourable Tim Hodgson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

Quick Facts

• The West Coast Oil Pipeline, now known as Pacific Link, has now been listed as a project of national interest under Schedule 1 of the Building Canada Act. Pacific Link is being advanced in tandem with the Pathways project, one of the world's largest carbon capture projects that would reduce emissions equivalent to taking nearly five million cars off the road annually.
• Listing enables the project to proceed through a single federal regulatory review process that will inform the development of a conditions document.
• The Building Canada Act includes a dedicated listing consultation phase that gathers information from Indigenous communities whose rights may be affected, provinces and territories, federal departments and interested parties.
• The Government of Canada remains committed to fulfilling its duty to consult and respecting Aboriginal and treaty rights throughout the project's review process.
• Over the next year, the MPO -- supported by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) -- will undertake the federal review process and development of a conditions document, which would serve as the CER certificate including Fisheries Act authorizations and Species at Risk Act permits, among other federal permits, that would otherwise be issued by separate ministers.
• Before expansion TMEP, Canada shipped 97 percent of its oil to or through the U.S. On TMEP, 65 percent of volumes are being sent to Asia, meaning we now ship nearly 10 percent of our oil to countries other than the U.S.
• The benefits to Indigenous Peoples of the Trans Mountain Expansion include:
  • 69 Mutual Benefit Agreements with Indigenous Peoples, representing 81 Indigenous groups and $657 million in funding
  • Jobs for more than 3,600 Indigenous workers
  • More than $6.5 billion for Indigenous-led business contracts 
• Canada's west-coast ports move nearly $400 billion worth of goods a year. 
• On September 29, 2026, Prime Minister Carney announced an historic investment of $1.2 billion to better protect Canada's oceans and the life they sustain by increasing monitoring, strengthening ocean science and ecosystem protections, and improving our marine incident prevention and preparedness.
• These measures build on the ambitious work underway that is cementing Canada's position as a global leader in ocean conservation. The government's landmark initiatives so far include a new nature strategy, A Force of Nature, to protect 30 percent of Canada's oceans by 2030; an Atlantic salmon program and a renewed Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative; and nearly $260 million in new measures to protect whales from vessel traffic and noise.
• To date, the Government of Canada has invested $3.2 billion in new systems, research and personnel that will protect our oceans and marine life.

Associated Links

• Prime Minister Carney lists the West Coast Oil Pipeline, now known as Pacific Link, as a project of national interest to unlock Canada's full potential as a global energy superpower
• Major Projects Office

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Contacts: Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6096, [email protected]; Charlotte Power, Office of the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, [email protected]