In June 1871, with the creation of the Confederation, John A. Macdonald looked west and paved the way for BC's accession with the promise of a railroad. However, there was an issue over which route to take. 

The path through the prairies was clear, but several towns and cities in BC each wanted the railroad to go through their towns and boost them economically. Since BC's interior was so rocky and unsuitable for high population growth, and Canada wanted access to the Pacific coast, the terminus would have to be by the flatter west coast. Several towns across the Thompson, Fraser and assorted other river valleys lobbied for their river valley to be the one that the railroad would traverse through. 

The terminus, it was decided, would be the Bute Inlet up north or the Burrard Inlet, in what is now Vancouver. Back then there was a rivalry between New Westminster and Victoria, the two most important west coast cities in southern BC. New Westminster argued for a Burrard Inlet terminus and Victoria argued for a Bute Inlet terminus, hoping to extend the railway across the narrow channel by the northern point of Vancouver Island and down south into Esquimalt. John A. Macdonald eventually chose the Bute Inlet Route, and several in New Westminster called for leaving Canada. However, Chief Engineer Fleming of the project overruled objections by others and established the Burrard Inlet as the terminus instead, which was a strange move considering that little survey work had been done. 

After the Conservative government of John A. Macdonald fell following some scandals, it turned out that little railroad work had been done and secessionist sentiments boiled over on both Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland. The Canadian government's response was to issue promises to both sides, pitting them against each other, and ensuring that BC would be too divided to secede, giving enough time for the railroad to be completed. Historians generally believe that the Burrard Inlet route was the right choice, given that the Bute Inlet route to Esquimalt would have needed seven bridges across rough water for an island-hopping railroad. 

Still, even as the railroad to the Burrard inlet was completed, there was hope that an extension of the railroad or bridge would link the island to the mainland. That hope ended when the BC government blew up Ripple Rock (with one of the biggest ever man made non-nuclear explosions), which sat at one of the deadliest junctions of sea in BC. Over 20 large vessels had damaged themselves around Ripple Rock, because of the rough waves around the undersea mountain. In recorded history, at least 110 drowned because of accidents caused by Ripple Rock. In fact, Ripple Rock was so dangerous and deadly that ships would take longer routes around Vancouver Island to avoid it. However, because Ripple Rock was in between the Island and the mainland, it was seen as a key pillar for any bridge that would span the water. In order to facilitate more sea trade and protect local vessels, the BC government ordered 1,270 metric tonnes of Nitramex 2H to be used to blow the mountain apart. This was all despite fierce opposition from the locals. The boom launched 635,028 tonnes of rock and water 305 meters into the air.

 Afterwards, ships could go through the strait without being damaged or tossed by the deadly currents that Ripple Rock had created, although the grumbling would continue for decades. Some say, if you ever go onto the island, you'll still hear old folks lamenting what could have been a glorious bridge to the mainland. They have a point. Without a direct connection to the mainland Vancouver Island has seen less investment, trade or development, and remains behind the Lower Mainland in wealth, despite having far more arable and flat coastal land compared to other parts of BC.