Below, we share a message from the Boundary Bay Conservation Committee.
PLEASE ACT AGAIN FOR THE FRASER RIVER ESTUARY
GCT DELTAPORT EXPANSION – BERTH FOUR PROJECT
DEADLINE, MARCH 30, 2023
Please submit comments and circulate this information
PUBLIC INPUT FOR PROPOSED BERTH FOUR AT DELTAPORT CONTAINER TERMINAL, ROBERTS BANK, B.C.
GCT Deltaport Expansion – Berth Four Project (DP4)
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
To submit a comment, visit:
The Canadian Impact Assessment Registry at iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations (reference number 81010). Participants who wish to provide their input in a different format can contact the Agency by writing to deltaport@iaac-aeic.gc.ca
Currently, the federal Cabinet is deciding whether or not to approve the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project which involves dredging and filling 460 acres of the estuary for a man-made island for containers.
Now the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is seeking public input on yet another proposal at the same location – a fourth container terminal for the existing 3-berth Deltaport Container Terminal at Roberts Bank.
Global Containers Terminals (GCT) Canada Limited Partnership operates the Deltaport 3-berth Container Terminal at Roberts Bank, in the Fraser River Estuary, Delta, B.C.
The company is applying to dredge and build container Berth 4 on the east side of the Roberts Bank Causeway. The Project includes widening the causeway.
Public Input is invited on two documents:
Draft Review Panel Terms of Reference
Draft Canada-British Columbia Cooperation Agreement
Please send in your opposition to the Project and concerns for the estuary. Below are some points for consideration
Concerns for the Estuary
- This is yet another Project that will irreparably harm and alter the globally-significant Fraser River Estuary ecosystem.
- Supporting a wealth of biodiversity, the Fraser River estuary is designated as Canada’s top Important Bird Area (IBA); a Ramsar Wetland of International Significance (RAMSAR); and a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) site. Provincially it is designated a B.C. Wildlife Management area in recognition of its importance in Canada for biodiversity and shorebirds.
- There will be residual significant adverse environmental effects from the Berth 4 Project on migratory birds of the Pacific Flyway; migrating endangered salmon; endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW); coastal birds; and species at risk.
- There is ongoing degradation of the Fraser River estuary from port activities. The Berth 4 Project will cause unmitigable risks to the ecosystem.
- There are particular concerns at the site of the proposed Berth 4 as there has been ongoing degradation of the inter-causeway waters between Deltaport and the Ferry Terminal.
- The Draft Review Panel Terms of Reference and the Draft Canada-British Columbia Cooperation Agreement do not incorporate the ecological significance of the site of the proposed Berth 4 and the need for protection. As a result, the environmental assessment will fail to appropriately and sufficiently address the significant adverse effects the Project will cause
- The Scope of the Assessment is unclear as the statements lack specific guidelines.
Draft Review Panel Terms of Reference
The Mandate of the Review Panel is not sufficiently specific which will result in a general report failing to apply proven, peer-reviewed science.
The Mandate of the Review Panel should include:
- A statement requiring meaningful engagement of all peoples of Canada
- A specific outline of the scope including shipping lanes; anchorage sites; effects on rail lines through BC and the Rockies; effects of container trucks on local roads and highways; and land use for container storage
- A statement recognizing the importance and significance of the Fraser River Estuary ecosystem, internationally, nationally and provincially
- A Statement that the Fisheries ‘No Net Loss’ policy must be included
- A requirement that the Environmental Impact Statement be based on credible, peer-reviewed science which is approved by government scientists
- A requirement that reports and minutes of all consultations and meetings be posted
- A statement requiring application of the Precautionary Principle
- A statement of the need for an evidence-based cumulative environmental effects assessment of past, current and planned Projects and activities
- A statement that alternative options/means for this Project be meaningfully included and not limited to the Project site
- A statement that conclusions and recommendations on mitigation measures must be based on specific, scientifically-proven, measures
- A requirement that summaries of public comments are specific and meaningfully documented
- Requirement that Conclusions and Recommendations of the Review Panel must be based on proven, peer-reviewed science and must correlate with Key Findings
Draft Canada-British Columbia Cooperation Agreement
Canada-British Columbia Cooperation Agreements fail to address provincial interests. In this case, where the federal government takes the lead, there is effectively no provincial-led assessment. Unfortunately, provincial government scientists are only peripherally involved and no provincial science is meaningfully applied.
- Impacts to the local area such as light, noise, and air pollution will not be effectively assessed as they cannot be effectively mitigated
- Impacts of increased truck traffic will not be effectively included.
- B.C. laws and policies will not be effectively included
- The impact on crucial wetland marshes will not be effectively assessed
- Previous promises and plans for intertidal waters were not implemented
- Furthermore, the follow-up plans and mitigation measures lack due process
MetroVanWatch 
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