About Us
In recognition of our expanding scope of work, we will be changing the name of the Crown Contaminated Sites Branch to the Crown Land Restoration Branch effective April 1, 2008.
This name change recognizes the new expanded mandate of the branch to lead the new B.C. Brownfield Renewal Strategy on behalf of the provincial government. Read more about the B.C. Brownfield Renewal Strategy
The Crown Land Restoration Branch will continue to be responsible for the management of provincial contaminated sites.
The Crown Land Restoration Branch (CLRB) within the Crown Land Administration Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, provides clear, accountable cross-government policy for the management of contaminated sites for which the Province is responsible. It improves the information available on contaminated sites, and institutes a provincial framework to establish accountabilities for liabilities and progress. CLRB manages priority contaminated sites using a risk- based approach to ensure protection of human health and the environment.
In response to a report “Managing Contaminated Sites on Provincial Lands, 2002/2003: Report 5” issued by the Auditor General, the CLRB was established in 2003 to assume a lead role for government to take actions toward creating a provincial strategy that reflects stronger leadership and public accountability with respect to the management of contaminated sites for which the province is responsible.
This role differs from that of the Ministry of Environment, which is charged with the regulatory role related to all contaminated sites under the Environmental Management Act and Contaminated Sites Regulation.
The CLRB manages identified priority contaminated and brownfield sites on provincial lands, to ensure protection of human health and the environment. In addition, the CLRB will lead the B.C. Brownfield Renewal Strategy aimed at igniting green development by putting back into productive use "abandoned, derelict or underutilized properties."
A number of significant accomplishments have been achieved, including:
-
Under a Private Public Partnership (P3), EPCOR designed and constructed the Britannia Mine water treatment plant. The water treatment plant has successfully been removing contaminants from the mine water discharge before it enters into Howe Sound since November 2005;
-
Significant ongoing remediation of contaminated soil at Pacific Place in Vancouver;
-
Remedial plan initiated in 2007 for the Yankee Girl mine tailings in Ymir and is currently underway;
-
Remedial excavation was completed in early January 2008 at the Malakwa landfill site, east of Sicamous, with all waste materials removed to permitted landfill facilities;
-
Remedial options have been developed and are currently under review for the Ocean Falls site; and
- Development of an innovative Risk Ranking Methodology to prioritize high risk contaminated sites management action.
Since its inception, the CLRB has been recognized by the Office of the Auditor General, in the November 2004 report "Managing Contaminated Sites on Provincial Lands" for:
- Leadership in developing and implementing the Management of Contaminated Sites Policy;
- Taking significant steps in establishing site inventories; and
- Implementing innovative and effective performance measures.
| 
