Posted on August 24, 2026
Metro Vancouver’s ongoing labour dispute with the Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union could delay the planned September dredging of Burrard Inlet, a project intended to deepen the waterway beneath the Second Narrows Ironworkers Memorial Bridge to accommodate larger oil tankers. Unionized outside workers have established picket lines at two critical water main projects in Vancouver and North Vancouver that must be completed before dredging can begin. The union, which has been without a collective agreement for 19 months, says it is prepared to escalate job action until a new contract is reached, while emphasizing it does not seek to disrupt major infrastructure projects. The dredging project has federal government support and is considered an important component of increasing export capacity out of the Westridge marine terminal.
