An efficient and reliable transportation system is essential to making life more affordable for Canadians. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring our supply chains support economic growth and create good, middle-class jobs for Canadians, while ensuring they are resilient and adaptive to the impacts of climate change.
Today, the Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, announced an investment of up to $74.3 million under the National Trade Corridors Fund for an expansion at the Vancouver International Airport. This will equip the airport to handle more cargo, as well as improve its facilities and efficiency, and reduce pollution.
This project will enable the movement of larger aircraft between cargo facilities and the runway. It will:
- increase parking space capacity to accommodate four additional widebody freighter aircraft;
- upgrade an access road; and
- prepare the site for the construction of a new air cargo warehouse.
This project will also support business growth of Canadian carriers, including Air Canada, WestJet and Cargojet. It is estimated that the project will reduce truck travel by up to 229 million kilometres over 30 years because local exporters will not need to transport their products to an airport further away. This will improve highway safety and reduce GHG emissions.
The goods exported through Vancouver International Airport support key economic growth in sectors such as advanced manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. In addition, traditional sectors such as agriculture and fisheries need reliable air cargo export shipments to ensure perishable items can reach global markets in a timely manner.
In total, improvements will boost the airport's cargo capacity by 160,000 tonnes, representing a $22 billion increase to Canada's trade potential annually.
Moreover, by making room for fuel-efficient widebody freighter aircraft at the terminal, pollution generated by the movement of air cargo through Vancouver International Airport will be reduced by up to 25 percent. It will enable the airport to handle more air cargo while also helping create a greener transportation system in Canada.
The Government of Canada continues to take action by strengthening the country's supply chains, to promote economic growth and enhance the opportunities for our businesses to expand into global markets. This represents another long-term commitment to work with stakeholders on strategic infrastructure projects to address transportation bottlenecks, vulnerabilities, and congestion along Canada's trade corridors.
