GCT Deltaport Expansion - Berth Four Project - Public Comment Period & Virtual Information Sessions

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 10, 2021 /CNW/ - 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.

Comments Invited

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).

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. 

To submit a comment, visit:

• The Canadian Impact Assessment Registry at iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations (reference number 81010). Comments can also be submitted by mail, phone and email:

• Environmental Assessment Office's Project Information Centre at projects.eao.gov.bc.ca, click on 'List of Projects' and then search "Deltaport Expansion Berth 4." Comments can also be submitted by mail and fax:

Mail: Brendan Mather, Project Assessment Director Environmental Assessment Office PO Box 9426 Stn Prov Govt Victoria, B.C., V8W 9V1

Fax: 250-356-7477

Virtual Information Sessions

The Agency and the EAO will host joint virtual information sessions on:

• November 30, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (PST)
• December 2, 2021, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. (PST)

The joint virtual information sessions will include presentations on the federal and provincial review processes, a presentation by GCT Canada Limited Partnership and opportunities to ask questions.

For details on how to connect to the information sessions, please visit projects.eao.gov.bc.ca, click on 'list of Projects,' then search "Deltaport Expansion Berth 4." You may also contact the Agency at [email protected] or visit the project page.

Additional Information

For more information on the Agency and the federal review process, visit canada.ca/iaac . For more information on the project and the provincial assessment process, visit gov.bc.ca/eao.

SOURCE Impact Assessment Agency of Canada

For media inquiries on the federal process, contact the Agency's media relations team by writing to [email protected], or by calling 343-549-3870. For media inquiries on the provincial process, contact British Columbia's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy by phone: [phone].

Related Links

https://www.ceaa.gc.ca/