Roberts Bank Terminal 2 receives Environmental Managers Association of B.C. award

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA)has received the Environmental Assessment Award from the Environmental Managers Association of B.C. for its Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project. The award presented at the association’s awards gala June 13 recognizes the methods and completeness of an environmental assessment, and the innovative application of design modifications and mitigation strategies.

Leveraging its extensive experience in leading sustainable infrastructure projects, the VFPA undertook a rigorous 10-year environmental assessment for the project approved by federal and provincial governments in 2023 for the marine container terminal in Delta, British Columbia.

The port authority completed more than 100 technical, environmental, and engineering studies and reports; undertook more than 59,000 hours of fieldwork; led four phases of public engagement; engaged with industry, stakeholders, local communities, and experts from 18 federal and provincial departments, through hundreds of meetings and workshops; and participated in an intensive six-week public hearing. It also consulted with 48 First Nations to ensure the project was guided by their perspectives, interests, priorities, and knowledge, which resulted in a collaboration that led to innovative design modifications, mitigation strategies, and offsetting measures. For example, the port authority will be restoring over 94 hectares (almost 233 acres) of offsetting habitat in collaboration with First Nations to protect priority species, such as juvenile Chinook salmon and Dungeness crab.

Many of the projects were selected based on the First Nations’ priorities. For instance,

a habitat enhancement project on Tilbury Island, which is a priority project for Musqueam Indian Band and Tsawwassen First Nation, will increase marsh habitat and its ecological benefits.