Alberta's Economic Growth Driven by Government Sector Expansion

Alberta's economy is thriving, driven in part by growth in the government sector. According to recent data, Alberta leads the country in job creation. Bonnie Gee, president of B.C.'s Chamber of Shipping, believes that oil tankers can safely navigate the waters off British Columbia's rugged coastline, particularly with enhanced spill response capacity now in place.

The proposed West Coast oil pipeline project would connect Roberts Bank, a major Canadian trade gateway located 35 kilometres south of Vancouver on the Strait of Georgia, to Alberta. The pipeline and terminal are being assessed by the federal Major Projects Office for potential fast-tracking as projects of national interest.

Roberts Bank is home to one of North America's busiest coal export facilities and Canada's largest container terminal. The proposed oil terminal would occupy roughly 260 hectares and house about 6.5 million barrels of oil storage capacity, with two deepwater berths able to load very large crude carriers.