Ottawa – GCT Canada Limited Partnership is proposing to expand the existing GCT Deltaport Container Terminal, a container storage and handling facility located in Delta, British Columbia. The GCT Deltaport Expansion – Berth Four Project would include the addition of a fourth berth on the east side of the Roberts Bank Causeway. It would also include increased land-based container storage and handling facilities, a short sea shipping berth, the expansion of the intermodal rail yard along the causeway, and dredging to provide safe access for ships.
The project is subject to a federal impact assessment under the Impact Assessment Act and a provincial environmental assessment under British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Act. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) and British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) are working cooperatively to provide a single review process for the project that meets the requirements of both jurisdictions. The project’s federal impact assessment has been referred to an independent review panel that will be appointed at a later date. The provincial environmental assessment will rely on the information collected throughout the review panel process and the panel’s impact assessment report.
The public and Indigenous nations are invited to review and provide comments on the draft provincial Process Order, the draft Joint Guidelines and the draft Joint Assessment Plan for the assessment of the project.
The comment period starts November 10, 2021, and ends December 23, 2021, at 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST).To submit a comment, visit:The Canadian Impact Assessment Registry at iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations (reference number 81010). Comments by email:deltaport@iaac-aeic.gc.ca
Comments received will support the Agency and the EAO to prepare the final Joint Guidelines and final Joint Assessment Plan for the project, as well as the provincial Process Order, which will be provided to GCT Canada Limited Partnership to inform the next steps in the process.
The draft Joint Guidelines outline the project-specific factors that are proposed to be considered in the assessment and provide direction to the proponent on the information and studies required in its Impact Statement / Application. The draft Joint Assessment Plan outlines the assessment process including participation opportunities, general timelines and roles and responsibilities of participants for each phase of the process. The provincial Process Order sets the scope, procedures, and methods of the provincial environmental assessment.
Comments only need to be submitted once to either the Agency or the EAO to be considered in both the federal and provincial assessment processes. Comments submitted to the Agency may be submitted in either official language. Comments received by the Agency or the EAO are considered public and will be published online.(Photo GCT Deltaport)
