Whereas in January of 2023, the provincial government implemented Protocol 19 of the Environmental Management Act which increased the definition of contaminants in soil and fill provisions; And whereas since this legislation has come into effect, municipal infrastructure projects and housing projects have seen a 200 increase to civil costs due to unavailability of placement locations for fill deemed contaminated under the new legislation: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Province of BC source regional contaminated soil fill locations, for the storage of contaminated soil from locations slated for priority infrastructure and priority housing projects.
Ministry of Environment and Parks Government is interested in supporting communities in determining what to do with contaminated and non- contaminated soil from municipal infrastructure and housing projects. In August 2024, the ministry updated Protocol 19 by providing more opportunities for qualified professional judgement, revising when sampling must be completed and reducing sampling frequencies for metals leachingacid rock drainage, which is expected to reduce costs and project timelines. Ministry staff have developed two processes for soil placement in BC. The first is the waste discharge authorization process, where contaminated soil needs to be placed at an existing permitted landfill or at an alternate location with a new permit. The second is the soil relocation process for non-contaminated soil. Opportunities for placement of non-contaminated soil may include sites where grades are being raised or pits are being reclaimed. The ministry is supportive of solutions that reuse non-contaminated soil rather than sourcing new regional contaminated soil disposal sites.