Crown Land Restoration Branch
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Before: False Creek 1940s
City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 1184-1893 Coal sheds, boat sheds and wharves in False Creek at the foot of Quebec Street, [194-]
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After: Current Day False Creek |
B.C. Brownfield Renewal Strategy
British Columbia has one of the most progressive contaminated sites regulatory environments and one of the most flexible local governance regimes in Canada, but brownfield redevelopment still has a number of impediments. The current policy, regulatory, tax and funding environments do not fully encourage redevelopment of many of the thousands of sites.
The BC Brownfield Renewal Strategy supports commitments in the 2007 and 2008 Speeches from the Throne related to: climate change, reduced urban sprawl and increases in affordable housing. In addition, this Strategy supports the Premier’s commitment at the 2006 Union of British Columbia Municipalities Convention to increase urban densities and “help us create healthier communities.”
CLRB is working with our partner agencies and stakeholders to identify potential changes in the current regulatory and incentives environment along with generally increasing awareness of brownfield development potential and practices. The Strategy will identify opportunities to create policy, regulatory, tax, funding and education ‘tools’, which are consistent with the recommendations of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. Specifically we will seek opportunities to:
Strengthen public policy for environmental liability and risk management by:
- Ongoing streamlining of remediation approvals so that regulations concerning provincial contaminated sites will include clear procedures and guidelines to facilitate approval processes.
- Increasing pollution prevention measures to reduce the number of future brownfields.
- Identifying tax tools to encourage investment in the renewal of brownfield sites.
- Seeking ways to provide enhanced flexibility in liability allocation so that brownfield owners will be encouraged to either sell or redevelop idle properties.
- Broadening brownfield tools for local governments, linking brownfield renewal with government’s proposed Green Communities Initiative to ensure brownfield opportunities can be a part of community revitalization.
Apply strategic public investments to encourage the redevelopment of idle sites through:
- Implementation of a fund with a total of $10 million that will match provincial and private sector investment in the early stage investigations on sites where market forces will not achieve redevelopment and where triple-bottom-line outcomes can be achieved. The fund will be activated by Spring 2009.
Build capacity and awareness of redevelopment tools and opportunities to enhance information about brownfields such as:
- Developing a Certificate in Brownfields Entrepreneurship.
- Creating a series of workshops and other educational materials.
- Having direct “expert” assistance, on a project-by-project basis, for municipal staff involved in redevelopment projects.
Lead by example through the redevelopment of key Crown brownfield sites. Read about our three Crown brownfield pilot projects.
- Soliciting private sector interest in partnership opportunities for the acquisition and redevelopment of Crown owned brownfield sites.
As the strategy progresses and ‘tools’ are developed, we will be providing updates on this Website.
For more information on the B.C. Brownfield Renewal Strategy, please contact Scott Bailey, Manager, at (250) 356.2244.
Check out the new BC Brownfield Renewal website.
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