A brownfield assessment process begins with a submission of a site profile, which initiates a formal investigation under the EMA and the CSR. This process follows a standardized sequence. Stage One involves a preliminary Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), including a site visit and investigation into historical land use, potential sources of contamination, and types of pollutants. Findings from Stage One are submitted to both the provincial and municipal governments.
Stage Two of the Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) includes physical samples of soil, groundwater, and vapour to assess the extent and determine the level of contamination. If the site is confirmed as contaminated, a detailed report and remediation plan will be developed. This plan requires regulatory approval, financing and must meet CSR’s numerical and risk-based standards.
The British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy is responsible for overseeing the remediation process and issuing a Certificate of Compliance once remediation once a site has been successful. The literature emphasizes the importance of disclosing the entire lifecycle of brownfield redevelopment. Including identifying the source of contamination to the final disposal site of possibly excavated contaminated material. Throughout the research, the theme of transparency appeared repeatedly, highlighting its role in British Columbia’s regulatory framework in promoting accountable and responsible land reuse.
The Policy
The Site Registry is a provincially maintained database, overseen by the EMA. The registry contains a record of sites throughout British Columbia that are confirmed, or suspected to be contaminated, as well as those currently undergoing remediation or previously remediated following British Columbia’s standards. The site registry can be accessed for a fee by the public. There is a growing demand for free, user-friendly access to this information, as well as recognition of Indigenous knowledge systems in the remediation process. This includes Indigenous knowledge systems and voices as partners and decision makers. Currently, many Indigenous communities face barriers to accessing environmental data, such as British Columbia’s Site Registry. The data is accessible to some First Nation communities and members involved in site surveying and remediation efforts.
The Potential
Revitalizing brownfield sites offers many benefits, including increased property values, reduced urban sprawl, increased tax revenue, employment creation, and improved environmental health. However, despite these benefits, brownfield remediation projects frequently stall due to high remediation costs, limited access to financing, regulatory complexity, legal liability issues, and lengthy approval processes.
The EMA and CSR provide a core regulatory framework in British Columbia for defining, classifying, and managing contaminated lands; these systems do not address or outline brownfield redevelopment strategies such as phytoremediation. This technique, using plants to remove and stabilize pollutants, offers long-term ecological and economic value. Conversely, phytoremediation is often overlooked due to regulatory gaps, slower timelines, and limited financial funding.
While phytoremediation is not explicitly referenced in current provincial or municipal systems in British Columbia, it offers a potential for integration into future redevelopment frameworks. Rather, the current standards prioritize faster and quantitative methods like excavation and chemical treatments. To strengthen phytoremediation as a remediation technique, regulations should include developing technical documents that outline suitable contaminants linked to plant species. Regulatory bodies can also support its use by offering extended remediation timelines and phased approval processes to allow developers and remediates to adopt this method.
The Green Municipal Fund emphasizes that lowering development costs and reducing uncertainty can make brownfield projects more viable. Similarly, the “Small Communities Fund Program Guide: Brownfield Redevelopment” highlights that the “… invest[ment] in the remediation and redevelopment of public infrastructure and associated properties [will] contribute to economic growth, a clean environment, and stronger communities.” An argument that could include phytoremediation.