Burrard Inlet dredging.
Prime Minister Mark Carney approves Burrard Inlet dredging for expanded oil tanker access.
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Canada has approved the dredging of Vancouver's Burrard Inlet, clearing the way for fully loaded oil tankers to pass through the Second Narrows for the first time. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) confirmed it has received all necessary federal permits, with dredging set to begin in September 2026 and finish by February 2027, according to Brandon Sun.
The project will remove about 25,000 cubic metres of sediment from two strips of seabed, each roughly 470 metres long. It deepens the channel by up to 6 metres so that Aframax-class tankers — up to 250 metres long — can leave fully loaded instead of at roughly 80% capacity. Environmental groups warn it could "undo years of ecological healing" in the Inlet.
TMX Pipeline Running Full but Ships Cannot Follow
The expanded Trans Mountain pipeline (TMX) began commercial operations in May 2024, tripling its capacity to 890,000 barrels per day. The pipeline is already fully apportioned — meaning it is booked solid. But a shallow bottleneck at the Second Narrows forces Aframax tankers to sail out underloaded, leaving significant export revenue on the table, according to Winnipeg Free Press.
B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix put it plainly: "To fully load up [now] would risk you hitting the bottom... You don't want to do that." Supporters argue the fix is simple efficiency. Each ship carries more oil, so fewer total voyages are needed. The Montreal Economic Institute found TMX-related exports already delivered a US$16.7-billion boost to industry revenues between June 2024 and November 2025, according to Nanaimo News Now.
Carney and Smith Unite Behind Export Diversification Push
Prime Minister Mark Carney first floated the dredging idea in March 2025 as a way to "optimize the value" of the TMX pipeline. In November 2025, he and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a formal agreement pledging federal support for port improvements and further TMX expansion. Smith has called for a 40% increase in TMX capacity to move more Alberta crude to Asian markets, according to Meadow Lake Now.
The federal budget tabled that same month set aside $5 billion for a Trade Diversification Corridors Fund but made no specific mention of the Burrard project. Carney has framed the work in national terms, saying, "I think it's a responsibility to hand off things better than you found them." VFPA's Charlotte Olson said the project supports "national objectives to grow Canadian exports to overseas markets," according to Yahoo Finance Canada.
Sierra Club Warns of Toxic Sediments and Marine Harm
The Sierra Club BC says the seabed in the Second Narrows holds decades of industrial pollution, including PCBs and heavy metals. Disturbing that sediment, the group warns, threatens eelgrass, herring, salmon, seals, and whales that have slowly returned to the Inlet. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has also raised concerns about marine restoration and traditional rights in the area, according to Nanaimo News Now.
SFU researcher Dr. Jeremy Venditti pointed to nearby Fraser River dredging as a cautionary tale, where repeated work caused channel depths to drop several metres with little long-term ecological tracking. Critics also argue the project is a stepping stone toward the broader 40% pipeline expansion, which would sharply increase overall tanker traffic through the Salish Sea. The VFPA says more than 50 conditions apply, including marine life monitoring and kelp habitat restoration, according to Winnipeg Free Press.
Work Window Is Tight, Completion Could Slip to 2028
To protect fish, the VFPA will limit in-water work to a window running from mid-August through the end of February each year. The affected area covers 1.75 hectares in two strips just inside the Second Narrows. Aframax tankers will remain the largest class of vessel allowed through — the dredging does not change that limit, according to Brandon Sun.
Officials estimate the job will wrap up in February 2027, though potential delays could push it to 2028. The approval puts Canada one step closer to narrowing the price gap between Alberta crude and global benchmarks — a gap that has already shrunk by 37.5% since the TMX expansion began, according to Meadow Lake Now.
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