Kendra Nelson

Seventy‑three orcas versus Roberts Bank Terminal 2

The proposed designation of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) as a project of national interest is another serious attempt by the Carney government to sacrifice endangered species protection for “economic sovereignty” and “progress.”

What can you do

We have until October 1 to tell the federal government: do not designate RBT2 as a project of national interest.

Why does this matter

Federally approved in 2023, the project proposes to destroy approximately 170 hectares of critical habitat for the remaining 73 endangered southern resident killer whales, in one of Canada’s most biodiverse marine estuaries.

The last permit RBT2 needs — and arguably the most important one — is the Species at Risk Act permit, for which it needs to prove it won’t jeopardize the survival and recovery of the endangered southern resident killer whales.

If the project cannot clear this essential legal safeguard, referring it to the Major Projects Office could be a way to accelerate and consolidate approvals rather than allowing this science-based permitting process to determine whether RBT2 can proceed.

Points to consider

(Use these to add or edit to your letter).

  • I am urging you to allow Fisheries and Oceans Canada experts to complete a credible and science-based permit process for the project, including its direct and cumulative impacts on southern resident killer whales and their critical habitat. Do not designate it as a project of national interest to skip this process.
  • The federal government needs to allow the minister of fisheries to consider her department’s advice about Roberts Bank Terminal 2's impacts on underwater noise, vessel traffic, Chinook salmon habitat and the marine ecosystems the whales depend on, and form a science-based opinion about whether the project will jeopardize the southern residents’ survival or recovery. 
  • Under Bill C-5 and the newly proposed Bill C-35, the Roberts Bank Terminal project could be allowed to bypass a robust, science-based Species at Risk Act permit process in order to expedite and rubber-stamp the last permit the project needs.
  • Under Bill C-35, the federal government would be allowed to amend or remove any of the 370 federally mandated conditions stated during the project’s approval process, all of which came out of the federal environmental assessment process the project was subjected to. 
  • Under that same environmental assessment process, federal experts and the minister of environment and climate change concluded that the project, even with the 370 conditions in place, “is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects” for the endangered southern resident killer whales. 
  • Ensure that the project continues to respect the free, prior and informed consent from all First Nations affected by it, including in Washington State that hold Aboriginal Rights and Title in Canada. 
  • Ensure that your government maintains the critical Species at Risk Act safeguard that no new activity can be approved if it jeopardizes a species’ survival or recovery.
  • Cutting environmental corners is not in our national interest and enabling extinction isn’t either.
Points to consider

(Use these to add or edit to your letter).

  • I am urging you to allow Fisheries and Oceans Canada experts to complete a credible and science-based permit process for the project, including its direct and cumulative impacts on southern resident killer whales and their critical habitat. Do not designate it as a project of national interest to skip this process.
  • The federal government needs to allow the minister of fisheries to consider her department’s advice about Roberts Bank Terminal 2's impacts on underwater noise, vessel traffic, Chinook salmon habitat and the marine ecosystems the whales depend on, and form a science-based opinion about whether the project will jeopardize the southern residents’ survival or recovery. 
  • Under Bill C-5 and the newly proposed Bill C-35, the Roberts Bank Terminal project could be allowed to bypass a robust, science-based Species at Risk Act permit process in order to expedite and rubber-stamp the last permit the project needs.
  • Under Bill C-35, the federal government would be allowed to amend or remove any of the 370 federally mandated conditions stated during the project’s approval process, all of which came out of the federal environmental assessment process the project was subjected to. 
  • Under that same environmental assessment process, federal experts and the minister of environment and climate change concluded that the project, even with the 370 conditions in place, “is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects” for the endangered southern resident killer whales. 
  • Ensure that the project continues to respect the free, prior and informed consent from all First Nations affected by it, including in Washington State that hold Aboriginal Rights and Title in Canada. 
  • Ensure that your government maintains the critical Species at Risk Act safeguard that no new activity can be approved if it jeopardizes a species’ survival or recovery.
  • Cutting environmental corners is not in our national interest and enabling extinction isn’t either.