WHEREAS UBCM Resolutions 2007-B29 and 2007-B70 were passed at the 2007 Convention and no concrete action has been taken: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM strongly urge the provincial government to take immediate steps to implement the previously adopted resolutions 2007-B29 and 2007-B70 in response to contaminated and vacated sites.
Ministry of Agriculture Lands Ministry of Environment The B.C. Brownfield Renewal Strategy BRS, announced in February 2008 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, is a multi-ministry initiative designed to address the barriers to brownfield and contaminated site redevelopment in the province. The BRS was developed partly in response to 2007 UBCM requests regarding the remediation and management of contaminated and vacant sites. In support of implementation of the BRS, the Ministry of Environment is leading several initiatives including i reviewing options for increasing flexibility in the transfer of liability between vendors and purchasers of contaminated sites, and ii streamlining of the provinces contaminated sites regulatory framework to facilitate site clean up and redevelopment. These initiatives, together with those led by other provincial agencies, are designed to reduce many of the barriers that exist today and which can discourage brownfield and contaminated site remediation and redevelopment. Our priorities are to minimize risks to public health and the environment as opposed to matters of attracting redevelopment opportunities. Concerns regarding remediation liability and the regulatory processes of contaminated site remediation have been identified as barriers to brownfield redevelopment in many jurisdictions across Canada including B.C. Any future legislative amendments will depend on a number of factors, some of which are currently under consideration as part of the BRS. These factors include, but are not limited to, the economic climate, corporate portfolios and priorities, resourcing, land values, available funding options and incentives, new or enhanced reporting requirements, such as having responsible parties provide us with an anticipated schedule for investigation and remediation of sites, and a clear understanding of the advantages of undertaking remediation that coincides with redevelopment.