With a federal commitment of at least $41.6 million in its pocket, the provincial government committed Friday to building a new Belleville International Terminal to handle ferry traffic from the U.S.
While the $303.9-million project was announced in September last year, the province had been waiting on a contribution from Ottawa before moving ahead.
B.C. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming confirmed Friday the project is now a go, with the expectation it will be completed in late 2027.
“The new facility we’re building is going to generate hundreds of new jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in additional visitor spending over the coming decades,” Fleming said, noting he has been waiting for a replacement for nearly 25 years.
“This announcement today marks the beginning of a long overdue renewal of Belleville International Ferry Terminal,” he said, noting a modern facility with pre-clearance facilities will mean more convenient travel for tourists, while enhancing security and trade between Vancouver Island and Washington state.
Fleming also noted it will protect the tourism industry for the future by supporting families and businesses that rely on tourism and border crossings for their livelihoods.
Randy Boissonnault, federal minister of tourism, said Ottawa’s investment is about helping to grow B.C.’s economy.
“The federal government is putting its money where its mouth is; this is not another study,” he said.
“This project will welcome global tourists and business travellers into the heart of Victoria’s Inner Harbour with world-class service while creating good-paying jobs and facilitating the movement of goods,” he added.
Both Fleming and Boissonnault suggested there could be further financial commitment from Ottawa for the project.
Boissonnault said Ottawa will continue to “see how we can continue to partner with the government of British Columbia and the City of Victoria on this really important, not just tourism attraction, but economic development engine for the region.”
Fleming said they have been led to believe Ottawa could have more infrastructure funding programs available this fall.
“The federal government is aware of our requests and is looking at how they deliver infrastructure across Canada and here in British Columbia with the renewal of programs that have been time tested and perhaps some new ones,” he said.
But money hasn’t been the only hurdle this project has faced.
The two tenants of the existing facility, the Coho and Clipper, have both said the pre-clearance facility is required, but it can’t come at any price.
Ryan Burles, chief executive of Black Ball Ferry, said the companies have been concerned about what costs they will have to bear and who will pay the property taxes on a $300-million facility.
“I think [the funding announcement] is a really good step. For Black Ball, we still have some work to be done, but things are moving forward,” he said. “We still have a few hurdles, but we feel confident we’ll be able to get an agreement on those hurdles. But again, we are going to make sure our business model stays secure.”
When asked about the hurdles Friday, Fleming said there are ongoing discussions with both the private operators that use the facility and the City of Victoria.
“These are discussions that we’re having with the city of Victoria around local taxes. We’ve had very productive discussions about how they can be one of the contributing partners [to Belleville] and what their contributions can look like,” Fleming said. “In terms of working with Clipper and Coho, we absolutely value the service that they provide. They bring in 680,000 visitors a year.
“This terminal is being rebuilt to be compliant with new border protocols that we have. If we weren’t making today’s investment, that business could collapse entirely or be seriously curtailed.
“We’re going to work with with the private operators who have for many, many decades have a long history servicing American ferry routes to Canada to make sure that this new home … is going to be exciting for them and a good place for them to locate their business.”
The commitment to a new ferry terminal comes after decades of talk, studies, reports and wishful thinking.
It is required to ensure the terminal will be in compliance with the Canada-U.S. Land, Rail, Marine, and Air Transport Pre-clearance Agreement. That agreement allows travellers to complete the U.S. customs and immigration process in Victoria so they can disembark in Washington state with no delay.
The Belleville Street facility, which houses tourism and commercial links with the U.S. through Black Ball’s Coho car ferry and Clipper’s passenger ferry in two locations, currently doesn’t comply because it doesn’t have space for isolation rooms for questioning and searching of passengers.
The first phase of the project will establish a temporary terminal in the CPR Steamship Building and a new wharf to accommodate FRS Clipper and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. That should be complete in 2024.
Canada Border Services Agency and Black Ball ferry operations will continue to use the existing spaces, ramps and vehicle areas.
The second phase will demolish and replace the existing FRS Clipper terminal infrastructure, and create a new commercial goods processing facility.
When completed, the new terminal will bring the Clipper and Coho operations into the same terminal building. The new facility would also accommodate both the Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs, allow for processing of commercial goods and still move people in a fairly seamless fashion for both Coho and Clipper.
The facility will be no more than three storeys high, although the second storey would be at street level. There could be commercial opportunities along Belleville Street and space for passenger pickup and drop-off.
The structure will incorporate B.C. mass timber, feature renewable materials and all-electric systems in a bid to reduce greenhouse gases. The province is also committing to mitigate contamination from past industrial uses of the site, and the buildings and wharves will be raised to accommodate future sea-level rise.
The province is also working with the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations to determine how to showcase the cultural and geographical significance of the project’s location in Lekwungen territory.
Paul Nursey, chief executive of Destination Greater Victoria, said the industry is delighted the project will be a reality, as Belleville is critical to propel forward the visitor economy in Greater Victoria.
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said the reinvention of the site will ensure Victoria makes a strong first impression on visitors.
“Everybody knows, all our mums told us, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression,” she said. “And this one has been pretty tired for a really, really, really long time.”
