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Members' Update

President’s Message

Happy springtime everyone. I hope you are all enjoying the longer days (and I don’t mean by working more).

Dare I say it’s a relatively status quo kind of time in terms of regulatory changes and the professional reliance world. At CSAP, we finished the fiscal year with slightly fewer submissions than anticipated, which is a change of pace from the last couple of years.

As per my previous updates I want to take this opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our members. Much of the work we do is helping our clients redevelop Brownfield sites into something that meets the needs of people, be it housing, community services, or infrastructure. Thank you to Raminder Grewal of Keystone who provided the following summary of their involvement with the Sea to Sky Development in Squamish:

The former Squamish sawmill was built in 1962 and the sawmill operation ceased in 2003 with a large amount (52,000 m3) of woodchips, woodwaste, concrete debris, and contaminated soils left onsite in stockpiles to be dealt with. Extensive environment site investigation and remediation were conducted between 2016 and 2024, and two sets of CoCs and AiPs were obtained in 2018 and 2021, allowing the Site to be redeveloped in conjunction with the remediation required for the AiP Areas to increase the socio-economic value of the Site. A third CoC and AiP will be sought in 2025 for the remaining area at the Site.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the AGM and PD Workshop in June and I hope folks can stick around for the happy hour afterwards.

Andrew Sorensen

Ministry Updates

Incoming contaminated site service applications have declined slightly this past year, likely the result of the changes to Protocol 6 pre-approval requirements. SRP received 577 applications in FY25, down from 624 in FY24. SRP is continuing to reduce the application backlog, which has dropped by ~13% since last year.

Below is a progress update for some of the priority projects that are underway.

Site Remediation Services (SRS) Web App
Following our update in the Winter Newsletter, we are sharing progress on the Site Remediation Services (SRS) Web App, set to launch in Summer 2025. This enhanced platform will streamline the application process for CSAP members and other applicants, improving efficiency and reducing Ministry processing times, including key features such as:

  • Streamlined Submissions: Create, save, and submit forms with bundled templates to ensure all required documents are included.
  • Document Management: Upload supporting documents directly in the app, eliminating the need for email submissions.
  • Application Tracking: Manage applications, view detailed statuses, and access previously submitted documents via a user-friendly dashboard.
  • Future Integration: Work is underway to integrate the *New* Site Registry information services with the SRS Web App, with updates to follow post-launch. For now, continue using BC Registries for site information.

Next Steps: User Testing and Training

The Ministry will begin conducting moderated user testing with CSAP members as part of the next phase of work on the Site Remediation Services (SRS) Web App. During this test, a user researcher guides participants through activities and tasks in the app. The results will give the Ministry’s Digital Services team a better understanding of what works well in the app, and what can be improved. We will begin recruiting CSAP participants shortly. If you are interested, please contact [email protected]

To help you better understand how to use the app and assist your clients, the Ministry will also share training opportunities, including hosting a series of webinars around the launch. Stay tuned for further details.

What You Can Do Now:

  • Sign up for a BCeID.
  • Express interest in user testing by contacting [email protected]
  • Monitor your inbox for upcoming webinar announcements and training opportunities.
  • Continue using BC Online Registries and Services for Site Registry information until integration is complete.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we work to modernize site remediation services. We look forward to collaborating with you to ensure the SRS Web App meets your needs.

Standards Project
SRP’s standards team is currently focussed on a collaborative effort with the Science Advisory Board for Contaminated Sites in BC (SABCS) to review and update the sediment standards. As part of this collaboration, we are planning a dedicated session on sediment standards at the upcoming Canadian Ecotoxicity Workshop (CEW), which will serve as a platform to share progress and gather expert feedback from stakeholders in the field. See you there!

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.

Be clear in specifying the PCOCs selected for each APEC. There have been a few instances recently where PCOCs were investigated but were not listed, resulting in additional review time.

For AiP submissions with data gaps, be specific in the investigation program to be completed as part of the remediation plan, including proposed number of boreholes, locations and depths to be investigated.

Groundwater wells selected for a PSI2 investigation should try to be positioned in a location that intercepts the highest concentration of potential contaminants.  When the groundwater flow direction varies seasonally, use the predominant groundwater flow direction along with supporting information to justify well locations.

When a remediation plan includes a plan to excavate contaminated soil and place it within a management area, a sealed record drawing should be prepared to direct future owners to the precise location (extent and nature) of soil contamination.

When using soil data for statistical analysis, confirm that the soil is of one population.  Imported fill can include multiple populations, and if using it as a single population it may under represent the UCL95.

A summary of previous PAC Updates is available here.

Detailed Screening Sub-Committee Updates

In case you missed it, on April 15 CSAP Society held a webinar on the CSAP submission screening process. It provided an overview of common issues found in preliminary and detailed screenings, outlined below, as well as some of the common issues encountered by ENV’s Statutory Decision Makers. Find a recording of the session here.

Preliminary Screening

  • Changes & withdrawals – as soon as a submission is logged in CSAP Society’s database, the submission cannot be withdrawn and the type of certification document being applied for cannot be changed.
  • Transmittal letter
    • Please ensure the correct certification document is selected on the Transmittal Letter and CSSAF.
    • Please make use of the “Is there anything CSAP and ENV need to know about this application?” box on the first page of the Transmittal Letter. Anything pertinent to the submission screening (e.g. site subdivision or merging, change in civic address, etc.) should be noted. This box can also be used to provide explanations for any inconsistencies in submission documents to get ahead of potential screening questions.
  • CoCs with an AiP in place
    • Include the AiP in the submission package.
    • Make sure the correct instrument is listed on the Transmittal Letter / CSSAF (e.g Certificate of Compliance with an Approval in Principle Numerical Standards).
  • Signatures – signatures and dates missing when re-submitting documents.
  • Submission fees
    • Minister of Finance cheque sent incorrectly by clients to ENV. Both cheques should be sent to CSAP Society.
    • Please use the most up to date fee schedule to calculate submission fees.
  • Determinations
    • CSAP Society does not provide reminders to submit a draft Final Determination after a Preliminary Determination has been released.
    • Submitting AP must email the draft Final Determination and cover letter to CSAP 35 to 60 days of receiving the signed Preliminary Determination from ENV.
    • Please ensure that all content between the Preliminary and Final Determination match.
  • Drinking water – explicit statement not provided in the Summary of Site Conditions, stating whether or not drinking water is deemed to apply to the site (section 4.2 Site Conditions Hydrogeology).

Detailed Screening

Detailed Screenings continue to go relatively smoothly; however, these are the top five issues encountered on a regular basis.

  1. Spelling of substances: the spelling of substances across all sections of the SoSC and in Schedule C of the certification document must match the CSR schedules. Watch for different spellings in the different schedules (e.g., xylenes vs. xylenes, total).
  2. Vapour section of SoSC: In section 4.4 of the SoSC, ensure that the notes in the vapour section (and the land use selections in the table) reflect both current and future use, and provide details on how vapour attenuation factors were selected.
  3. Use of Site Specific Standards (SSS) (P2) or Background Soil (P4) or Groundwater (P9): If SSS, P4 background soil concentrations, or P9 background groundwater concentrations are applied to the Site, check the appropriate box(es) in Section 4.4 of the SoSC, and be sure to list in the notes in Section 4.6 of the SoSC (including the substances/concentrations that have been applied). If you have evaluated to SSS/background (vs. remediated to) revised the certification document template text to indicate “evaluated to”.
  4. Notes in Section 4.6 of the SoSC: The notes in this section must include the Site Type (i.e., 1 or 2) for risk-based submissions, the Site Risk Classification and, as noted, background soil or groundwater concentrations or SSS.
  5. Site Risk Classification Records: ENV has recently requested that Detailed Screeners review SRCRs in more detail as the required information is often not included. They have specifically requested that screeners check for the following information:
  • If the CSSAF indicates that an SRCR was submitted in the last five years, confirm the dates to determination if the exception applies.
  • Do the SoSC, CSSAF, and SRCR list the same site risk classification?
  • If concentrations > UCC are identified in SRCR, have UCC cross-sections and plume/area extent figures been included in the SRCR package? Has the EPQ been completed correctly?

Please double check your submissions for these potential issues prior to submitting to avoid questions being raised during Detailed Screening.

Review Services Sub-committee Updates

Due to some recent questions, this summarizes what the CSAP Review Services Sub-committee reviews and details which include:

  • Non High-Risk Reports prepared in response Director’s requirements which are typically specified and required by clauses in Schedule B of AiPs and CoCs.
  • The Schedule B wording typically requires the Report to be signed by an Approved Professional (“AP Statement”) (unless the compliance document is quite old).
  • Any reports/AP Statements forwarded to CSAP Society for review should follow the process summarized on the RSC webpage.

The following should be sent directly to ENV for review:

  • Reports/AP Statements Reports prepared for HR Managed and HR (unless ENV has requested that you send to CSAP Society).
  • Requests to modify the Schedule B requirements.
  • Requests to extend the AIP timeline.
  • Any reports associated with the SDS process.

Technical Review Committee Updates

The TRC most recently met on April 24 to review the status of each of the Special Projects and finalize the Request for Proposals for the current year’s Special Projects, as well as finalize the scholarship winners for 2025. Further details on these items 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 a revised draft report for this project to TRC for review in March and has now been provided to ENV for final review. The final report is now posted to the CSAP website for members’ use.

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 a revised draft report for this project to TRC for review in March, which has subsequently been provided to ENV for final review. Once the final document has been approved, it will be posted to the CSAP website for members’ use.

Review of Groundwater Plume Stability Assessment Methods – WSP presented the draft report at the Fall PD Workshop on November 7, 2024. 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 to members on the CSAP website under the Research and Technical Studies section. The report includes links to the various tools for plume stability assessment.

New Special Projects – Two new Special Projects are being considered for the 2025/2026 fiscal year, with one RFP expected to be issued for consideration by early May. The first project will build off the Background Soil Concentrations project from last year and will focus on background arsenic in soil, primarily within the Metro Vancouver area but findings may also be applicable to other regions in the province. The second project will take a look at emerging contaminants and provide guidance and information to ENV to be used in future amendments to the Contaminated Sites Regulation standards.

Scholarships – CSAP Society provides three scholarships per year, totalling $17,000, to applicants enrolled in a science or engineering graduate program with a focus on contaminated sites. This year we had eight applicants that met the application criteria.  The recipients will be announced at the June AGM and Workshop.

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 would like to thank everyone who submitted a record of their PD hours by the December 31st deadline. The Committee reviewed the renewal requirements for 31 members who renewed their membership at the end of 2024.

The changes to the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements for members are in effect for 2025. The changes simplify the CSAP Membership Guidelines for CPD while maintaining the intent of the requirement to maintain continued competency and professional development. Please refer to the updated Membership Guidelines.

The 2025 exam development process is underway. The technical exams, along with the regulatory exam, will be offered in multiple-choice format. Thank you to all the Experience Reviewers and Exam Developers that have contributed their time and expertise to aid the Exam Sub-Committee in preparing for this year’s exam process. Please note the following deadlines and dates:

  • Deadline for Applications for new members: April 30, 2025
  • Deadline to pay exam fees: July 31, 2025
  • Deadline to Application for Sitting of the Regulatory Exam for Existing Members (who have not fulfilled the submission requirement): July 31, 2025

2025 Exam Dates

  • Numerical Technical Exam: November 4, 2025
  • Regulatory Exam: November 5, 2025
  • Risk Assessment Technical Exam: November 6, 2025

Professional Development Committee Updates

Lunch and Learn
As noted earlier, on April 15 we held a webinar on the CSAP submission screening process. It provided an overview of common issues found in preliminary and detailed screenings as well as some of the common issues encountered by ENV’s Statutory Decision Makers. Find a recording of the session here. The next session, on risk assessment case histories, will take place on May 29 at 12:00 p.m. Watch for an email with the Zoom link.

Bookmark the Lunch and Learn webpage for the most up-to-date details on all sessions.

AGM & PD Workshop
Mark your calendar for June 12, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. Registration is now open with more details to follow.

Fall PD Workshop
The event will take place on November 12, 2025, at the Marriott Pinnacle Hotel, Vancouver.

Submission Statistics update (as of March, 2025)

What’s new at CSAP

As per a memo sent on April 8, the Board of Directors approved the following fee schedule change to increase the fees for the following certification documents effective July 1, 2025:

      • Certificate of Compliance with an Approval in Principle in place: from $2,000 to $4,000
      • Preliminary and Final Determination from: $2,000 to $5,000.

Please note, there will be no changes to other CSAP submissions fees or BC Ministry submissions fees. The revised fee schedule will be available on the CSAP website on June 30, 2025.

In the news

Professional development opportunities

Please note, these are virtual unless otherwise noted.

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