'Better shape than we found it': New BC Transit facility earns environmental recognition in View Royal
BC Transit’s new handyDART Centre has been recognized as Vancouver Islands first "Salmon Safe" site.
The certificate was awarded Monday at the View Royal construction site recognizing BC Transit for its efforts integrating water conservation and stormwater management into its redevelopment design, and for the restoration of a stream that runs into the salmon-bearing Craigflower Creek.
The certification came from the Fraser Basin Council and its Salmon-Sage program that recognizes progressive, environmentally-friendly land and water management practices in B.C.
"Salmon-Safe certification reflects exemplary stewardship of urban and agricultural lands," said Theresa Fresco, program manager with the Fraser Basin Council.
"BC Transit has taken great care and leadership at the new handyDART centre to improve the ecology of a previously degraded industrial site, adopt sound water management practices and restore a stream and riparian areas," she added.
The new BC Transit facility was certified "salmon safe" on Sept. 26, 2022. (BC Transit)
BC Transit says it worked with the community on the redevelopment of the property.
"We’ve been working with local stream-keepers, nearby residents and local experts to ensure that we’re enhancing the stream that runs through the site, which is currently the most significant environmental restoration project underway in the Craigflower Creek watershed," said BC Transit chief sustainability officer and VP of asset management, Aaron Lamb.
"This is a great example of how we can partner with the community to leave something in better shape than we found it through redevelopment," he said.
The Fraser Basin Council heralded the site as an example of how future urban developments should be carried out.
Some of the work BC Transit integrated into the redevelopment to receive the certification included realigning the stream to help with flow, placing raingardens along the creek to retain run-off during storms, increasing woodland habitat and replacing trees in a 2:1 ratio.
The certification will last five years and could be renewed at that time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
For the first time in report's history, Canada's air quality worse than U.S.
Thanks to wildfires, air quality in Canada is now worse than in the U.S., according to the 6th Annual World Air Quality Report.
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
DEVELOPING Canada's annual inflation rate ticked down to 2.8 per cent in February, defying expectations
Statistics Canada says the annual inflation rate edged down to 2.8 per cent in February.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.