Greater Victoria Harbour Authority unveils its sustainability plan

The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) has released its 2026-2030 Sustainability Plan, setting out a clear environmental roadmap for the next five years. Developed in collaboration with its board of directors and the sustainability consulting firm Synergy Enterprises, the plan defines how GVHA will strengthen environmental stewardship while supporting a thriving working harbour.

At the core of its plan, GVHA defines sustainability as the integration of environmental stewardship, community interest, and economic development into all aspects of its operations. Central to this approach is its commitment to Indigenous governance and partnership with the Songhees Nation and xʷsepsəm (Esquimalt) Nation, honouring their stewardship of the land and water and ensuring their leadership guides the path forward.

The plan has six key areas of focus:

The priorities are being turned into measurable actions throughout the port’s infrastructure and operations. These include reducing operational greenhouse gas emissions, identifying decarbonization opportunities in owned facilities, advancing habitat restoration and biodiversity initiatives, assessing climate risks such as flooding, and creating renewable energy and circular economy action plans. The strategy also includes hosting at least two annual sustainability education events and embedding sustainability criteria into spending and procurement decisions.

GVHA has dovetailed parts of the plan to the Green Marine environmental certification program, dedicating a section of the document to its longstanding participation in the voluntary initiative. Certified since 2010, GVHA highlighted its average level of 3.8 out of 5 across eight performance indicators, including water quality, air emissions, and waste management, for the 2024 certification process. The port’s results surpass the overall yearly average for all the program’s participants by 0.9 points.

The organization presented the certification framework as a tool to identify improvement opportunities and outlined aquatic ecosystems and underwater noise as the main areas of focus in its Green Marine efforts over the next five years, aiming for Level 3 for each of these performance indicators.

Click here to read the full report.