PORT OF VANCOUVER – The Robert Banks Terminal expansion project has been challenged in court by five environmental groups from British Columbia (see rendering above).
VANCOUVER – Five ecological gatherings have sent off a consolidated legitimate test against the port extension plan at Roberts Bank, south of Vancouver, that was endorsed by the national government last month.

The coalition, which also includes the Wilderness Committee, the Georgia Strait Alliance, the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, and the David Suzuki Foundation, claims to have submitted a request to the Federal Court for judicial review of the approval of Terminal 2.

According to the group, the roughly 70 endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales’ “critical habitat” would be disrupted by the project, which would add a three-berth marine container terminal using landfill space.

Given that the project’s environmental impacts on the whales “cannot be fully mitigated,” the coalition, which is represented by the environmental law organization Ecojustice, asserts that such actions would be in violation of the Species at Risk Act.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, which is in charge of the project, claims that the expansion would double its capacity, but going without it would put at risk $3 billion in additional GDP due to congestion and limited space.

In April, the central government supported the venture subject to 370 legitimately restricting circumstances to safeguard nearby conditions and species that might be affected by development and port activities.
Source – Canada.Constructconnect