Article Synopsis
A new study, prepared for the Nanaimo, Vancouver, and Prince Rupert port authorities, found the three ports handled over 200 million tonnes of cargo worth $409 billion in 2025, nearly 50% of Canada's international trade outside North America. Nanaimo serves as Vancouver Island's gateway to global trade, operating three deep-water terminals connected to a multimodal transportation network. Combined, the ports supported about 152,100 jobs nationally and nearly $25 billion in GDP, including indirect and induced impacts.
A new economic impact study places Nanaimo’s port within a Pacific trade network responsible for a significant share of Canada’s international commerce.
The Economic Impact of West Coast Ports study, prepared for the Nanaimo, Vancouver and Prince Rupert port authorities and industry associations, found the three ports handled more than 200 million tonnes of cargo worth $409 billion in 2025, about $1.1 billion a day. Of that total, $281 billion represented international trade with markets outside North America, nearly 50% of Canada’s trade in that category.
Nanaimo plays a distinct role in that network. A joint release accompanying the study describes the port as Vancouver Island’s gateway to global trade, 30 nautical miles from Vancouver, operating three deep-water terminals that support container, auto, bulk, breakbulk, cruise and logistics services, connected by a multimodal transportation network and industrial land that link the island’s businesses to international markets.
The study also notes a port’s economic function extends beyond its terminals, linking marine transport to trucking, rail and warehousing, and that a disruption at one point can ripple far beyond a port’s physical boundaries.
Across Canada, the three ports directly supported an estimated 60,900 jobs in 2025, including 56,200 in B.C., generating nearly $11 billion in direct GDP. Including indirect and induced impacts, they supported about 152,100 jobs, $13.1 billion in wages and nearly $25 billion in national GDP.
For Nanaimo, the study reinforces that its role extends beyond a single facility, linking Vancouver Island to the broader Canadian and global economy.
