The following is a report from the Port Community Liaison Committee, a multi-stakeholder body that includes representatives from the community, environment, agriculture, industry and local governments that addresses port-related issues in Delta.
Last year marked the 10-year milestone for many of us on the Port Community Liaison Committee. Established in 2007 – originally as the Deltaport Project Community Liaison Committee when the Deltaport Third Berth project was approved — the committee has evolved and matured into a unique forum where information and ideas on port operations and impacts can be exchanged and where often widely differing views are heard and respected.
The Port of Vancouver Community Office opened in Ladner in 2014, and has provided a base for the committee as well as a place that local residents can go for information about port activities.
Over the last decade, the committee has continued to maintain its core of government, port and industry representatives, which is balanced by a diverse and enthusiastic group of community members from Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta.
Together, they have volunteered many hundreds of hours and shared their experiences and expertise that has helped the group develop and maintain its own voice and identity.
Looking back on 2017, you may be wondering what happened to the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project – the proposed 108-hectare terminal that would double container capacity at Roberts Bank. The Vancouver Fraser
Port Authority submitted its environmental impact report to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency back in March 2015. In order to be approved, it must be demonstrated that the project will not cause any “significant adverse environmental effects,” and if there are any such impacts, that they can be mitigated or compensated for.
Since May 2016, an independent review panel has been reviewing the environmental assessment reports and requesting additional information from the port authority and from various government and regulatory agencies. The estuarine and marine environments around Roberts Bank are recognized internationally for their ecological significance for a wide variety of shorebirds, fish and marine mammals, including the critically endangered southern resident killer whales.
It appears that the panel is being thorough in seeking out information regarding the environmental impacts of the proposed Terminal 2. Some committee members have concerns regarding the assessment process, however, it is not within the committee’s mandate to provide input to the panel or the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency process.
We hope the review panel will move into the public hearing phase in 2018.
If you are interested to learn more about the committee, all of our meeting notes, updates and presentations can be found online at: https://www.portvancouver.com/community/community-liaison/port-community-liaisoncommittee/.
And we welcome your feedback or input at any time at [email protected].
