Canada Announces $1.2 Billion for Ocean Protection Ahead of Major Infrastructure Decisions
Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a $1.2 billion federal investment in ocean protection and marine safety in Vancouver, aimed at mitigating environmental impacts from major projects including a proposed Alberta-to-B.C. pipeline, the Roberts Bank port expansion, and LNG Canada's Phase 2.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $1.2 billion federal investment in ocean protection and marine safety on September 29, 2026, in Vancouver, British Columbia. The funding is intended to mitigate the environmental impacts of several major economic projects, including a proposed pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia's south coast, the expansion of the Port of Vancouver's Roberts Bank terminal, and LNG Canada's Phase 2 expansion.
The announcement comes ahead of a Thursday deadline for Ottawa to decide whether to designate the proposed Alberta-to-B.C. pipeline as a project of national interest. The pipeline project is estimated to create 150,000 new jobs. Additionally, LNG Canada has confirmed it will proceed with a Phase 2 expansion of its facility in Kitimat, B.C., which would double its capacity.
Of the total funding, the government plans to invest more than $740 million over four years to strengthen ocean conservation. This includes renewing Oceans Protection Plan measures and modernizing systems at Transport Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). A further $136 million over four years is allocated to protect marine life, focusing on whale protection, establishing a marine mammal oil spill response plan, and managing ocean noise science.
To address underwater noise affecting Southern Resident killer whales, Ottawa is providing $100 million to build long-term capacity to monitor, assess, and mitigate noise along the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic coasts, using 2023 as a baseline year for underwater noise levels. Carney stated that construction at the proposed Roberts Bank expansion must stop if a killer whale gets too close to the site.
Another $90 million will be used to boost front-line fisheries enforcement and equip officers with modernized tools such as drones, enhancing Canadian Coast Guard capabilities and emergency preparedness against increased vessel traffic.
The investment also dedicates $186 million to strengthen Indigenous partnership and conservation efforts, specifically by expanding the Northern Shelf Bioregion Reconciliation Framework Agreement (RFA) with Coastal First Nations to support collaborative governance in the Great Bear Sea region.
The announcement has drawn criticism from environmental advocacy groups. The Wilderness Committee characterized the $1.2 billion ocean protection funding as "pennies" compared to the federal government's proposed $10 billion contribution to the Roberts Bank port expansion.