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ARTICLE · 24 OCTOBER 2022

Contaminated Sites BC: Increased Requirements Proposed In Ministry Discussion Paper

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Earlier this month, the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy posted a discussion paper titled "Making Contaminated Sites Climate Ready." The discussion paper,...

CanadaEnvironment
Rick Williams
Rick Williams
Roark Lewis
Roark Lewis
Maryama Elmi (Summer Student)
Maryama Elmi (Summer Student)
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022, summarizes the ministry's policy proposals to incorporate climate change adaptation and sustainability into the BC contaminated sites framework. These proposals are part of a larger trend of recent amendments to the Environmental Management Act and the Contaminated Sites Regulation, and forthcoming changes to the process for soil relocation.

Below are some key takeaways from the discussion paper:

  • Possible policy changes that will increase reporting and evaluation requirements for people carrying out remediation of contaminated sites;
  • Proposed additional requirements for engagement and consultation with Indigenous communities with respect to contaminated sites;
  • Proposed requirements to consider the impacts of future climate change and extreme weather events as part of remediation plans; and

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