A study of British Columbia's west coast ports has concluded they underpin a substantial share of Canada’s international trade and domestic employment, with Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo together cited as central to $409 billion in trade.
Published by Port Technology International, the Economic Impact of West Coast Ports study, released on 26 August, reports the three maritime gateways support more than 150,000 Canadian jobs and move about $1.1 billion in goods each day, figures the study frames as critical to national economic prosperity.
The report places particular emphasis on the combined economic output linked to the three ports, summarised in the headline figure of $409 billion in trade that the study attributes to activity routed through British Columbia’s western seaboard.
Scale and daily throughput
The study’s daily throughput estimate of $1.1 billion in goods conveys the intensity of cargo movement across the west coast terminals. That flow, the report says, sustains logistics chains and connects Canadian exporters and importers to global markets.
Those daily volumes are presented alongside the employment impact, with the study quantifying more than 150,000 jobs in Canada that depend directly or indirectly on port activity. The study treats those positions as integral to both regional livelihoods and wider national supply chains.
Ports named as gateways
Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo are singled out in the study as the principal maritime gateways on the west coast of Canada. The report frames their combined contribution as the backbone of trade across the Pacific and beyond.
The study does not attempt to apportion the $409 billion figure to individual terminals in the public summary, instead presenting the figure as a collective measure of the three ports’ economic reach. Port Technology International published the study’s findings and the associated summary on 27 August.
Policy and planning implications
By quantifying employment and daily trade values, the study supplies metrics that can inform government, port authorities and industry stakeholders when planning infrastructure investment and regulatory measures. The report’s figures are likely to feature in discussions about capacity, resilience and future demand on the west coast gateway network.
The study’s focus on jobs and daily goods movement highlights both immediate operational pressures and longer term strategic considerations for supply chains that rely on these ports. Stakeholders assessing regional development and trade policy will find the headline figures relevant to forecasting and decision making.
Wider economic context
The publication frames the west coast ports as vital not only to British Columbia but to Canada’s national trade performance. By presenting the $409 billion trade figure alongside employment and daily throughput statistics, the study underscores the ports’ role in sustaining export industries and imports that feed Canadian markets.
Port Technology International’s release of the Economic Impact of West Coast Ports study offers a consolidated account of the west coast gateways’ contribution to trade and employment. The figures supplied in the report provide a baseline for further analysis and public debate over the region’s maritime infrastructure and its place in Canada’s economy.
Notes
The Maritime Gazette’s report is drawn from the study as published and summarised by Port Technology International on 27 August 2026, and from the study’s release dated 26 August.