President’s Message
It was great seeing so many of you at the PD workshop and thank you to the PD Committee and the CSAP Society Operations team for all of their hard work putting it together. The lessons learned competition seemed to be a real hit and a special shout out to Erin Robson for taking the gold medal in a room full of experts.
After a couple of years of larger-than-expected submission numbers (especially the Approvals in Principle), the applications coming to CSAP Society have returned to more of a steady state if you will. Our Review Services team continues to be a big success for us while relieving some of ENV’s burden and quickening timelines for our clients.
As per my previous updates I want to take this opportunity to celebrate the success of our members. While the following example is not a “typical” Protocol 6 type project, it is certainly one of the higher profile environmental projects in BC and worthy of showcasing. Thank you to Tara Siemens Kennedy who provided the following summary:
On behalf of Teck Metals, AtkinsRéalis, in partnership with other experts, prepared a Draft Wide Area Remediation Plan (WARP) for a defined Environmental Management Area (EM Area) in Lower Columbia River valley area. The WARP outlines measures to protect human health and the environment from impacts associated with historical air emissions from Teck’s smelter in Trail, BC, and formalizes Teck’s commitment to address these impacts. The WARP includes a Draft human health risk assessment for lead (Pb), which includes an analysis biomonitoring data collected in Trail since the early 1990s. The measured blood Pb levels were used to ground truth the results of the CSR HHRA and were ultimately used to develop a risk-based standard for Pb in soil. The HHRA and the risk-based standard have been reviewed by the Medical Health Officer (MHO), who has included the risk-based soil standard in her recommendation of an alternate risk-based standard for Pb. Her recommendation also includes a target blood Pb level which will be used to measure the effectiveness of Teck’s actions in reducing exposure of young children in the EM Area to Pb. The draft WARP, including the HHRA, have been reviewed by ENV, and community engagement and consultation on the WARP and the MHO’s recommendation are currently underway. Following the completion of the consultation process, gathered feedback will be incorporated into the WARP. Once finalized, the WARP will be submitted to ENV in application for an Approval in Principle. The Draft WARP, HHRA and MHO’s recommendation, as well as a community engagement discussion guide,s are available online here: Trail Area WARP.
As we enter this new year, I wish everyone a happy and peaceful 2025.
Andrew Sorensen
Ministry Updates
2024 marked some big changes for the Site Remediation Program, including a new branch, updated program name, a new ministry name, and a new Minister. The Honourable Tamara Davidson was sworn in on November 18, 2024, as the new Minister of Environment and Parks. The ministry mandate letter was presented on January 16, 2025, highlighting the continued focus on improving permitting efficiencies overall.
Incoming applications have remained consistent for the Site Remediation Program (SRP). The ministry has received 463 Contaminated Site Service applications so far this fiscal year, which is on par with the past few years, for an expected total of over 600 applications. SRP is continuing to decrease the application backlog and has completed over 540 applications to date.
Following the Protocol 6 amendments made August 12, 2024, there was a marked reduction in applications for preapprovals with only 8 received so far this fiscal, compared with 39 and 31 received in the past two years, respectively. A total of 23 preapprovals have been completed to date.
An update on the progress of some of the key projects underway is provided below.
Site Remediation Services Web Application
The ministry is launching significant improvements to the Site Remediation Services (SRS) Web App in Summer 2025! This app includes features to make it faster, easier, and more efficient for CSAP members and other applicants to submit applications online. It will also speed up ministry application processing timelines.
In the app, you’ll be able to:
- Create, save, and submit forms with bundles developed to ensure all forms required are submitted together
- Upload all supporting application documents with no need for email
- Manage applications and view application details
- View the status of your application(s) in the dashboard
- View previously submitted, supporting documentation
To support your use of the app, the ministry is preparing online and in-person training, including webinars and step-by-step guidance. Future communications on training will be coming soon. Work to integrate the Site Registry with the SRS Web App is also in progress. This work will continue after the launch and will be available in the future. The ministry understands that the Site Registry is an important aspect of consulting work. If you need to find information about a site, please continue to visit BC Online Registries and Services.
Standards Project
Section 68 of the Contaminated Sites Regulation (CSR) allows the Minister of Environment and Parks to consider recommendations from a director and conduct a review of the CSR’s numerical environmental quality standards in a 5-year cycle. The ministry is in the process of drafting a Standards Review Framework, which will provide a systematic method that describes how the ministry will conduct maintenance and development of environmental quality numerical standards promulgated in the CSR Schedules 3.1 to 3.4 during each 5-year cycle of review. The work currently in progress also includes: development of a prioritization matrix, which will create a process for prioritizing standards for review and development; updating toxicity reference value (TRV) databases and standards calculation spreadsheets; and exploring which aspects of the work will require external contracts for tasks that cannot be completed in-house by the ministry.
Site Remediation Webpage Updates
The ministry is continuing work to improve the information provided on the Site Remediation webpages including those that provide guidance on remediating a contaminated site and applying for certification. As part of the redesign, some webpages will be removed or relocated. Any information or guidance that is important will be kept, although it may be presented in a new way.
The following webpages will be updated:
- Remediating a site
- Performance verification plans
- Apply for Certification (formerly Certifications)
- Preapprovals
In response to comments received during Indigenous engagement sessions held over the past few years, a new webpage has also been developed specifically for First Nations governments. This webpage contains information, tools, and training for First Nations governments looking to understand more about contaminated sites in their territories. All webpages are currently going through the approval process with the aim of posting them in February 2025.
Making Contaminated Sites Climate Ready
The ministry is looking at ways to improve remediation guidance to address this emerging issue. For example, a new webpage called Considering Climate Change in Remediation has been developed to provide high level guidance to qualified professionals who are thinking about the potential effects of climate change on remediation. The webpage will be available by the end of February 2025.
Protocol 19: Site Investigation and Reporting
The ministry is continuing work on Protocol 19: Site Investigation and Reporting phases 2-5 (for vapour, soil, groundwater, and sediment) to improve the quality and consistency of site investigations for contaminated sites. More information will be conveyed in coming months.
Service Enhancement Review
The ministry continues to review the Site Remediation Section processes and best practices to provide efficient and timely client services with a fee structure that reflects this. Feedback received during public engagement and First Nations information and awareness sessions on a Discussion Paper have been summarized and can be reviewed on Engage.bc.
Site Remediation updates and announcements will be made through the Site remediation news email subscription service.
A summary of previous Ministry updates is available here.
Performance Assessment Committee Updates
There were no Q&A questions received within the last quarter.
A site investigation should include multiple groundwater sampling events to account for seasonal variation, or provide sound rationale why temporal factors are unlikely to influence groundwater concentrations.
Care should be taken to install monitoring well screens within targeted geologic units and not rely on wells screened well below the phreatic surface to characterise shallow AECs. Monitoring well locations should be selected to intercept highest concentrations of potential contaminants at each APEC and at the property boundary for off-site APECs.
When utilizing technical guidance 2 statistics, please provide calculations appended to your report and note the use of TG2 within the summary of site conditions.
When using Protocol 9 regional background concentrations, be sure to verify the location of the regional boundaries on the iMapBC website.
A summary of previous PAC Updates is available here.
Detailed Screening Sub-Committee Updates
Preliminary Screening
- Review Services submissions – Please ensure the certification document from the related submission is included in the submission package.
- Summary of Site Conditions – Sections 4.5 & 4.6 of the SoSC must be filled out, but you may enter N/A if needed. Section 7.3, Arms Length Review, is also a requirement but N/A can be entered here if needed as well.
- CoCs with an AiP in place – Please include the AiP in the submission package when submitting a CoC with an AiP. Please also make sure the correct instrument is listed on the Transmittal Letter / CSSAF (e.g. Certificate of Compliance with an Approval in Principle Numerical Standards).
- Certification Document Templates – Please review templates to ensure they have been updated since ENV’s name change. The name on them should read “Ministry of Environment and Parks.”
Detailed Screening
- As a reminder, the NEW VERSION of the Annotated Summary of Site Condition (V2.0) is available on the CSAP Society website here.
- Further, at the request of ENV, Detailed Screeners will be reviewing Site Risk Classification Records in more detail, with the following review points added to the Detailed Screening Spreadsheet:
| Site Risk Classification Report(s): |
| i. Have SRCRs been included for the Site(s) or all parts of the Site? |
| ii. If the CSSAF indicates that a SRCR was submitted within the last five years, confirm the dates to determine if an exemption applies. NOTE: The five (5) year exemption does not apply if any information in the SRCR has changed. |
| iii. Do the SoSC, CSSAF, and SRCR list the same site classification? |
| iv. If the site classification is high risk or risk-managed high risk, does the application have a Protocol 6 preapproval for a high-risk site to be reviewed by CSAP? |
| v. If concentrations > Protocol 11 UCC are identified in the SRCR and EPQ, have UCC cross-sections and plume/area extent figures been included in the SRCR package? Has the EPQ been completed correctly? |
Review Services Committee Updates
The RSC reviews annual reports and similar documents that are typically produced to satisfy the Director’s requirements located in Schedule B instrument conditions. A reminder that the RSC does not review annual reports associated with SDS related to Scenario 3 release requirements and that those types of reports should be submitted to the Site Identification team at ENV. To familiarize yourself regarding which types of applications are required to be sent CSAP Society (vs. ENV), visit the RSC webpage.
Most submissions reviewed by the RSC are associated with AiPs. We recommend that when it’s apparent that the remedial works are likely to extend beyond the length of time specified in the AiP, that you indicate your plans to request an AiP timeline extension in your annual report. We note that requests to extend the end date of AiPs (or any other changes to the Director’s requirements stated on the compliance document—AiPs or CoCs) should be made directly to ENV outside of your annual or other reporting being submitted via CSAP Society.
Technical Review Committee Updates
The TRC most recently met on November 20 to review the status of each of the Special Projects and consider options for Special Projects for next year. Further details on the three active Special Projects are included below.
Background Soil Concentrations – The purpose of this project is to identify whether there is sufficient information available to support changes/additions to the Protocol 4 background soil concentrations. Active Earth provided the draft report for this project to CSAP Society for review in December, and has now been provided to ENV for final review. Once the final document has been approved, it will be posted to the CSAP Society website.
Background Groundwater Concentrations – The purpose of this project is to expand the dataset such that background concentrations for groundwater could potentially be developed for other regions of the province. PGL Environmental Consultants provided the draft report for this project to CSAP Society for review in December and the TRC expects to complete our review and provide to ENV for its final review shortly. Once the final document has been approved, it will be posted to the CSAP Society website.
Review of Groundwater Plume Stability Assessment Methods – WSP presented the draft report at the Fall PD Workshop on November 7. It included an overview of various methods for assessing groundwater contaminant plume stability and the challenges/benefits associated with each type of assessment. The final report was provided to CSAP on December 3 and is available on the CSAP Society website. The report includes links to the various tools for plume stability assessment.
Scholarships
CSAP Society provides up to three scholarships per year, totalling $17,000, to applicants enrolled in a science or engineering graduate program with a focus on contaminated sites. CSAP Society is now accepting applications for the 2025 scholarships, with the deadline being March 31, 2025.
The Special Project options for 2025 are still being considered.
If you have any suggestions for a topic that you would like the TRC to tackle, please send your ideas to [email protected].
Membership Committee Updates
The Membership Committee is pleased to welcome the newest Approved Professionals to CSAP Society:
- Monte Anions (Numerical Standards Approved Professional)
- Sushil Dogra (Numerical Standards Approved Professional)
- Francini Martins (Numerical Standards Approved Professional)
- Stephen Munzar (Numerical Standards Approved Professional)
- Aio Haberli (Numerical Standards Approved Professional)
- Jennifer Trowell (Risk-based Standards Approved Professional)
- Lindsay DuGas (Risk-based Standards Approved Professional)
Request for Examination Development Volunteers
The committee invites interested APs to put their name forward to volunteer as part of the examination process. The exam development panel will be selected based on experience and a range of locations and company affiliations.
Exam Developer: The time commitment is as follows:
- Attend a two-hour webinar on April 3. [2 billable hours]
- Write and peer review two exam questions by May 2, write 3 exam question by June 3. This is a firm deadline; no extensions will be made. [10 billable hours]
- Attend a 2.5-hour writing workshop on May 6 (Regulatory), and May 7 (Numerical and Risk). [2.5 billable hours]
- Attend a 1.5-day exam development workshop on September 16 & 17 (Regulatory), and 18th & 19th (Numerical) or 22nd & 23rd (Risk). [12 billable hours]
Request for Experience Reviewers
The Membership Committee invites interested APs to put their name forward to review new candidates’ work experience and provide a recommendation.
We encourage past and present Exam Developers to be Experience Reviewers, too.
Experience Reviewer: The time commitment is as follows:
- Experience Reviewers are paired to review each candidate’s experience presentation. [maximum 4 billable hours per review]
- CSAP Society encourages the reviewers to request further information to the candidates if necessary, and to interview them in case they still have concerns and the documents do not suffice for the application resolution. [billable time dependent on case-by-case basis]
- Provide experience review results.
The due date for positions is July 16, 2025. Please indicate which category of Experience Reviewer or Exam Developer (Numerical, Regulatory, Risk) you are interested in by emailing [email protected].
Reminder to all members to maintain adequate insurance
In order to meet the requirements to maintain good standing with CSAP Society, every Member must take out and maintain during their membership in full force and effect the following insurance, in forms and amounts acceptable to CSAP Society and the Ministry Director:
- professional errors and omissions insurance with minimum coverage of $2 million;
- commercial general liability insurance with minimum coverage of $2 million; and
- such other forms of insurance in such amounts as may be required by Ministry Director or the Society from time to time.
Additionally, on the commencement or reinstatement of membership, and on request of CSAP Society, each Member must deliver to CSAP Society certificates evidencing the insurance required above, along with evidence that all premiums for such insurance policies have been paid.
Any Member who fails to maintain adequate insurance is not in good standing and their membership will be deemed to be immediately suspended. Under no circumstances shall a suspended Member hold out in any advertising or public information the fact that the Member is an Approved Professional or conduct any CSAP Society Work, as that term is defined in the Bylaws, until such Member is reinstated in accordance with Bylaw 2.11.
Other good standing requirements include paying the CSAP Society annual fees, completing continuing professional development (CPD) requirements, (every three years) completing the submission requirements, and maintaining good standing with a Parent organization.
Professional Development Committee Updates
Fall PD Workshop
Thank you to those who attended our fall workshop on November 7. Presentations from the event can be found on our workshops’ webpage with the ENV presentations via the Members’ Portal.
Lunch and Learn
We kick off our series with a Members’ Open Forum on February 12 at 12 p.m. The Zoom link was emailed to members in a memo on January 22.
The 2025 dates and topics are as follows:
| DATE |
TIME |
TOPIC |
| February 12 |
12 p.m. |
Members’ Open Forum |
| April 15 |
11 a.m. |
Submissions 101: Quality Control/Assurance |
| May 29 |
12 p.m. |
Risk Assessment Case History |
| July 16 |
11 a.m. |
ENV Site Remediation Services’ Web App |
| September 23 |
12 p.m. |
Soil Disposal with Case Histories |
| December 10 |
11 a.m. |
Members’ Open Forum |
Please note dates and topics may be subject to change. Bookmark the Lunch and Learn webpage for the most up-to-date details.
AGM & PD Workshop
Mark your calendar for June 12, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. More details will be shared in the spring.
Submission Statistics update (as of January 22, 2025)
What’s new at CSAP Society
- This is a reminder that effective January 1, 2025, for submissions with more than five (5) Certificates of Compliance and/or Approvals in Principle, full fees apply to first five (5) certification documents with the higher monetary value, and a discounted rate of $500 applies to each subsequent Certificate of Compliance or Approvals in Principle thereafter. Please note, the discounted rate will not be applied to Certificate of Compliances with Approvals in Principle. There are no changes to BC Ministry fees.
- A reminder 2025 scholarship applications are now open. We offer up to three scholarships annually to science and engineering graduate students whose studies are relevant to the assessment and remediation of contaminated sites. The deadline is March 31, 2025.
In the news
Professional development opportunities
Please note, these are virtual unless otherwise noted.
