Ministry of Environment

It has been a few weeks since our conference and we have received a good deal of positive feedback from many of you. Your comments are appreciated.

In order to improve our educational activities, we have sent out a survey to all those who registered for the conference. We would appreciate it if you would take five minutes to complete and submit the survey so that we may use your feedback for planning future events. The ministry would again like to thank the conference presenters and organizers who volunteered their time and expertise over the last year.

Most of the conference presentations are now posted at http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/presentations/index.htm and there are more to follow shortly.

If you have any questions or comments please send them to site@gov.bc.ca.

To reflect the switch of our sales tax system from HST to PST/GST, our Site Information Request and File Contents Retrieval Application forms have been updated. We would appreciate your using these updated forms starting today. We expect to prepare fillable pdf versions of these updated forms and of the recently amended Site Risk Classification Report form in the near future.

If you have any questions or comments please send them to site@gov.bc.ca.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources is now taking applications for funding available under the Brownfield Renewal Funding Program. The program funds studies to determine if a site is contaminated and to develop options for site restoration and redevelopment. It is available to private property owners, including local governments, First Nations, non-profit agencies, and businesses.

Application forms can be found online at: http://www.brownfieldrenewal.gov.bc.ca/financial.html, and the deadline for applications is May 17, 2013.

A brownfield is an industrial or commercial property that is abandoned or underused. Brownfield sites are often contaminated and have redevelopment potential. Brownfield redevelopment helps to increase commercial space, creating employment, improving community safety, retaining green space and reducing pressures on undeveloped land.

For more information about this program, please contact Jeff Thom at: jeff.thom@gov.bc.ca or 250-356-2244.

Today, as part of a set of 14 new and revised documents, the ministry released version 2.0 of “Procedure 9, Procedures for Processing Site Profiles,” which comes into effect on April 1, 2013. Changes include amendments to provisions in several of the “freeze and release” scenarios and new sections dealing with contamination not related to site activities and performance assessments associated with statements received from Approved Professionals.

If you have any questions or comments please send them to siteprofiles@gov.bc.ca.

Please note that registration for our March 7–8 Site Remediation in B.C. conference closes on Sunday March 3, 2013. If you are planning to attend, please have your registration complete before the closing date.

If you have any questions, please contact Kerri Skelly at kerri.skelly@gov.bc.ca.

Our conference is fast approaching and there has been a good deal of interest from many to attend. Thank you to those who have already registered. For those who haven’t, space is still available. If you are not sure if this conference is right for you, please check out our updated brochure. We have added program information for the brownfields sessions and included additional quality speakers to the already world class list of presenters. You won’t want to miss out, sign up today.

Please note that the deadline for poster submissions for the Remediation Challenges and Innovative Solutions session is February 22, 2013. If you are interested in submitting a poster, please sign up during your conference registration. If you have any questions, contact Stephanie Gustafson at Stephanie.Gustafson@gov.bc.ca.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Please refer to our sponsorship form or contact Kelli Larsen at Kelli.Larsen@gov.bc.ca for more information on how to support this event.

Are you interested in attending our conference, but not sure what we have to offer?

In addition to the comprehensive sessions provided in our regulatory and brownfield streams, our technical program will tackle topics focused on innovation, sustainable and green remediation. There will be a number of projects showcased in a poster session on remediation challenges and innovative solutions as well as two sessions devoted to case studies detailing innovative approaches to remediation. Discussions on option analysis and the identification of barriers and opportunities for increased use of innovative remediation approaches will also take place. Speakers for this stream include Stella Karnis from CN, Ron Timm with the State of Washington’s Department of Ecology, Lesley Reid and Anne Fitzpatrick with AECOM and Bill Donald from Keystone Environmental Ltd. as well as many other experienced professionals.

Please see our brochure for details and register soon.

Join us for a series of workshops that will highlight the environmental, economic, and social benefits of remediating contaminated sites in B.C. The Ministry of Environment is bringing together experts from a variety of disciplines for an upcoming conference that will contribute to the future of the contaminated sites regulatory regime. The Site Remediation in B.C. – From Policy to Practice conference is to be held March 7–8, 2013 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

There will be presenters from a number of professional backgrounds discussing the regulatory and technical aspects of remediation and the processes required to revitalize brownfields. Carlos Pachon from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation; Michele Beaulieu from Quebec’s Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks; Matthew Lahvis of Shell Global Solutions and Todd Latham of Actual Media Inc. are just a few of those presenting. Local contributors include Ward Trotter from B.C. Brownfield Renewal, Mark Adamson of Golder Associates, William McNaughton of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. Scheduled one on one time with Land Remediation Section staff will be available on Day Two, and of course, staff will be happy to assist you throughout the program.

Don’t miss out. Sign up today.

Registration is now available for our two day conference to be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre on March 7 – 8, 2013. Site Remediation in B.C. – From Policy to Practice will offer opportunities to discuss ideas for regulatory change and to learn about the technical aspects of the B.C. regime that supports how remediation is done today, and how it will move forward into the future. Topics will also include technical, legal and financial concepts related to brownfield redevelopment, innovation and its barriers, and remediation options analysis at both an introductory and advanced level.

For more information, please check out our conference brochure. If you have any questions, please email Stephanie Gustafson at Stephanie.Gustafson@gov.bc.ca.

Alternately, you may go directly to our registration site to sign up now. Early bird rates are available until December 22, 2012.

As part of the government-wide Straightforward BC Forms initiative, a set of portable document format (pdf) fillable forms has just been released on our website. Now you have the option of using either the old or new format versions of the forms. Please note that the Site Risk Classification Report and Exposure Pathway Questionnaire have been combined in the pdf fillable set.

If you have any questions or comments please send them to site@gov.bc.ca.

The Ministry of Environment’s Land Remediation Section has released 14 draft documents for public review and comment by September 30, 2012. The documents deal with several topics which may interest those involved with site profiles, including:

The documents deal with a range of topics, including:
• New and streamlined administrative procedures including amended procedures for site profiles,
• Ministry expectations for communications involving the migration of contaminants.

The documents are all in draft form and do not represent final ministry policy or final requirements on any of the subjects they address. They have been released to obtain feedback from stakeholders, and our intent is to use their comments to improve each document.

Please send your comments to the e-mail address beside each document title listed on our Current Requests for Comments webpage, by September 30, 2012.

If you have any questions please send a message to site@gov.bc.ca.

Under section 4(4) of the Contaminated Sites Regulation, local governments are provided the option of opting out of their duty to administer site profiles under section 40 of the Environmental Management Act.

Having previously opted out, the Corporation of the City of Vernon informed the Minister of Environment that it had decided to opt back in. As of February 1, 2012, persons under the jurisdiction of the City of Vernon can no longer use the provision in section 4(4) of the Contaminated Sites Regulation to be exempted from the duty to submit a site profile.

Fact Sheet 6, "Site Profile Administration: Local Government Opt Out Option" has been amended to reflect this change. Additional information on site profiles is provided under our key topic on site profiles.

If you have any questions, please send a message to siteprofiles@gov.bc.ca.

Last May 17 we made a presentation to a meeting of statutory Approving Officers about site profiles, and the following key topics were covered:

• Description of the site profile process
• How site profiles fit into the local government permitting process (subdivision)
• Understanding site profile response letters
• Future legislative changes

Please review this presentation if you would like current information about our site profile administrative practices and policies. Additional site profile information is available on our website under our key topic on site profiles.

If you have any questions please send a message to siteprofiles@gov.bc.ca.

Today the Land Remediation Section’s new procedures for processing site profile submissions came into effect. Since draft 32 of this procedure document was released in 2008, there have been a few amendments made, and a summary of the substantive changes is provided together with the procedure document itself. Please consult our recent Update for a summary describing how the new site profile processing procedures work.

Our website has been updated to reflect the new site profile processing procedures by:

• Updating
• Administrative Guidance 1, “Completing and Submitting Site Profiles,”
• Administrative Guidance 2, “Site Profile Processing Requirements for Municipalities and Approving Officers,” and
• Administrative Guidance 6, “Site Profile Decisions and Requesting Releases Where Local Government Approvals are Required”
• Updating Fact Sheets 19, “The Site Profile System” and 37, “Site Profile Freeze and Release Provisions”
• Adding two new form letters to our key topic on site profiles for our clients to use to request “no site investigation” decisions and requesting the release of local governments to approve applications for authorizations such as development permits

If you have any questions or comments please send them to siteprofiles@gov.bc.ca.

John Ward
Manager, Operations Management
Land Remediation Section

We have just released an Update (PDF/129 KB) describing the basic features of our new procedures for ministry staff for processing site profiles. The procedures will be coming into effect on June 1.

Please note that a number of the hyperlinks in the update are to draft documents. Over the next week we expect to amend these hyperlinks so they link to final document versions.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments please send them to siteprofiles@gov.bc.ca.

John Ward
Manager, Operations Management
Land Remediation Section

The ministry's Land Remediation Section is pleased to advise that we will be hosting a two-day contaminated sites stakeholder update and consultation session May 19 and 20, 2010.

Location
The meetings will be held in the Fletcher Challenge Theatre (Room 1900) at SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, B.C. More information about the venue is available here.

Topics
In Session 1, ministry representatives will provide general information regarding the implementation of various documents related to the following subject areas:

• Site risk classification
• Site profile processing
• Director’s interim standards for drinking water (aluminum, iron and manganese)
• Soil relocation technical guidance for salt

Current plans for Session 1 also include presentations and discussions regarding additional initiatives the Land Remediation Section has been working on, including those in the following areas:

• Groundwater guidance
• Detailed risk assessment
• B.C. Brownfield Renewal

The session will also provide an overview of proposed amendments to the contaminated sites legal regime and the Section's Annual Report for 2008/09.

Session 2 will provide more technical guidance on implementing key Protocols (6, 12 and 16) and further discussion on Technical Guidance 6. Guidance and discussion during this session will be geared toward Approved Professionals.

Agenda
A draft agenda for the consultation session is posted on the ministry's website.

Registration
Registration will begin on April 22, 2010. The registration form is available on our website. Registration will be confirmed on a first-come first-served basis and registration will not be confirmed until payment is received. Please make your cheque payable to the "Minister of Finance". Please note there are two sessions available. Each session will be restricted to 185 attendees and space may become limited.

Fees are as follows:
Session 1 (May 19 all day and May 20 am only) - $200 per attendee – we ask that stakeholders limit registration for session 1 to three spaces per firm.
Session 2 (May 20 pm only) - $75 per attendee, recommended for Approved Professionals

Questions
If you have any questions about registration for the consultation session, please contact Michele Parker.

Kelli Larsen
Senior Contaminated Sites Officer
Land Remediation Section

Fact Sheet 35 – Requirements for the Environmental Cleanup of Illegal
Drug Manufacturing Sites

Fact Sheet 35 has recently been revised to clarify site profile requirements during the decommissioning of illegal drug manufacturing sites. The fact sheet explains the administrative requirements involved during environmental cleanup associated with the manufacturing of illegal drugs. It also addresses key topics including the risk associated with these activities, identifying responsible parties and remediation options.

We encourage you to refer to this document for current information on this topic.

Fact Sheet 35 can be accessed on the Land Remediation website at: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/fact_sheets/pdf/fs35.pdf

If you have any questions please send a message to siteprofiles@gov.bc.ca

We have just released two new fact sheets on our website which deal with different aspects of the site profile system. Fact Sheet 43, "Site Profile Requirements for Site Decommissioning" and Fact Sheet 44, "Site Profiles and Foreclosure" explain the requirements for site profile submissions in the context of two less frequently encountered site profile submission triggers — site decommissioning and foreclosure. They address key questions such as when and to whom site profiles must be submitted and whether they must be submitted if a site is in an area where the local government has opted out of administering the site profile system.

If you have any questions, please send a message to siteprofiles@gov.bc.ca

John Ward
Manager, Operations Management
Land Remediation Section

In addition to changing the site profile form, the Stage 6 amendments to the Contaminated Sites Regulation (which came into effect on January 1) amended the list of industrial and commercial purposes and activities in Schedule 2 of the regulation. If a person determines that none of the purposes and activities listed in Schedule 2 of the regulation has occurred, then there is no duty to complete a site profile — unless ordered to do so by a Director of Waste Management, or a local government asks for parts of a profile to be completed for their own records.

For easy reference, we have now included a link to Schedule 2 in the text following the description of the site profile form.

If you have any questions, please send a message to siteprofiles@gov.bc.ca

Tyler O'Grady
Senior Contaminated Sites Officer
Land Remediation Section
Ministry of Environment

Under section 4(4) of the Contaminated Sites Regulation, local governments are provided the option of opting out of their duty to administer site profiles under section 40 of the Environmental Management Act.

Having previously opted out, on January 2, 2009, the Corporation of the Township of Esquimalt informed the Minister of Environment that it had decided to opt back in. Thus, as of that date, persons under the jurisdiction of Esquimalt can no longer use the provision in section 4(4) of the Contaminated Sites Regulation to be exempted from the duty to submit a site profile.

Fact Sheet 6, "Site Profile Administration: Local Government Opt Out Option" has been amended to reflect this change. It is available on our website here. Additional information on site profiles is provided here.

If you have any questions, please send a message to siteprofiles@gov.bc.ca

John Ward
Manager, Operations Management
Land Remediation Section
Ministry of Environment

The Stage 6 amendments to the Contaminated Sites Regulation came into effect on January 1 and modified the site profile form in Schedule 1 of the regulation. As well as making latitude and longitude information mandatory, the amendments changed a number of questions in Sections IV - IX of the form. We have posted the amended site profile form on our website.

Please note that all site profile submissions must now be made using this new version.

If you have any questions, please contact Tyler O'Grady.

John Ward
Manager, Operations Management
Land Remediation Section
Ministry of Environment