Federal help with infrastructure is critical to trade, B.C. Premier Eby says

Article contentVANCOUVER — Federal government investment in provincial transportation infrastructure is crucial to avoid long-term impacts on cross-Canada trade and companies’ willingness to work in British Columbia, Premier David Eby says.Sign In or Create an AccountEmail AddressContinueor View more offersArticle contentEby met with the federal government’s major projects office Wednesday and said he raised work that needs to be done on “trade-enabling infrastructure” such as Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley and the Massey Tunnel, a major route for commuters and truckers going to coastal ports.Article contentWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Article contentArticle contentDays after major flooding closed stretches of Highway 1, Eby said work needs to be done to protect the area.Article contentTop StoriesGet the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.There was an error, please provide a valid email address.Sign UpBy signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterested in more newsletters? Browse here.Article content“The threat, if we don’t address that for the long term, (is) that that highway could face impacts that would last for months, disrupting trade across the country,” he said.Article contentThe premier said if those problems aren’t dealt with, there will be more decisions like the one made by Saskatchewan-based Nutrien to ship its potash to global markets through Washington state, bypassing B.C.Article contentAbbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens said on Friday that the federal government needed to prioritize flood-mitigation, saying that without infrastructure spending, the provincial and national economies “remain unprotected and at risk.”Article contentEby said he was grateful to Siemens for renewing calls for the federal government to recognize this corridor as not just the road, but also a gas pipeline and fibre optic infrastructure that serves the region, and the devastating impacts that could come from an uncontrolled release of water from Washington State into our province.Article contentThe Nooksack River along the border in Washington state burst its banks during last week’s storms, pushing water north into B.C.’s Fraser Valley, flooding homes and farmland.Article contentArticle content“We need the federal government at the table on this. I’m glad they are freshly invigorated on this,” Eby said.Article contentThe premiers are scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney this week, and Eby said he’ll be raising the issue of transportation infrastructure, which should be a huge priority if the government wants to increase transport out of ports.Article content“I am convinced that we can deal with these issues, but it will require attention and focus on those bottlenecks and a real push from the federal government,” he said.Article content“If they have $60 billion to take an hour off of the train ride between Montreal and Ottawa, then I am sure we can reach agreement on moving goods and people around British Columbia without difficulty.”Article contentFour B.C. projects were named on Ottawa’s list of nation-building projects out of the major projects office.Article contentThey are the LNG Canada Phase 2 in Kitimat, the expansion of the Red Chris Mine, the North Coast Transmission Line and Ksi Lisims, a proposed floating natural gas liquefaction and export facilityArticle contentThis report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2025.Article contentTrending Is a $2.75 million portfolio enough for Halifax empty nesters to retire early?

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Personal Finance Canada's population declines for the first time since the pandemic News 'Why let one person in the States change your life?' For Canadian snowbirds, the stay or go dilemma gets complicated Real Estate So long, labour shortage: job vacancies continue to decline in Canada Work World watches as Ottawa's bullish shift on LNG puts wind at the back of two major projects Oil & Gas