Services we offer

Environmental Planning

We have developed one of Canada’s best Environmental Planning teams. With extensive project experience in the real estate, energy, transportation industries, our team members are skilled in providing cost-effective solutions to complex environmental issues for all phases of development.

We work with your design/engineering team to identify environmentally sensitive habitats, comply with government environmental regulations, obtain necessary permits and approvals, and liaise with stakeholders and other interest groups on your behalf. Using an adaptive approach in our study designs, we only do what is important and necessary in order to minimize project costs and offer innovative solutions that are better for both you and the environment.

Our Environmental Planning team provides:

Strategic Advice

Strategic advice is provided as part of property acquisitions, environmental due diligence, and development of sustainability strategies. This allows you to identify any serious constraints to development and address environmental concerns. Doing this in the early planning stages of a project reduces the chance for costly work revisions and stoppages once a project is already underway.

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)

Depending on the size, type, location and funding source for your project, some form of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is likely to be a regulatory requirement. EIA is a process to predict the environmental effects of proposed projects before they’re carried out. It includes collection of relevant inventory information, identification of possible environmental effects, recommendation of measures to mitigate adverse effects, and predictions on whether or not the project will result in any significant adverse environmental effects. Inventories may include fish, fish habitat, wildlife and wildlife habitat, vegetation, rare and endangered species, terrain, geology, soils, hydrology, heritage and socioeconomic conditions. We have extensive experience in preparing EIAs on a wide range of project types and sizes. Our EIAs typically include the development of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for your project, which outlines measures to avoid or mitigate adverse impacts and enhance the existing environment. The basic elements of our EMPs include information on avoidance measures, environmentally friendly design features, mitigation measures, habitat enhancement, and environmental monitoring.

A unique form of EIA, particular to watercourses, is the determination of stream setbacks to protect fish habitat and other values. Our staff are trained in the Riparian Area Regulation (RAR) in BC and can make a timely and inexpensive submission on your behalf that expedites the previously cumbersome process.

Regulatory Process Management

A range of permits and/or approvals are usually required before any work can be done on your property to ensure the environment is not adversely affected by your project. The required permits are very site-specific, so it takes experience and judgement to determine what is expected of your project. Some regulators can be subjective which makes this task a challenge. With extensive experience in municipal, provincial, and federal approval processes, we’ll determine the requirements, conduct the studies necessary to obtain those approvals and ensure that you acquire your approvals so that your project proceeds in a timely manner.

Green Development Approvals

The relatively new field of green development is a natural fit for our staff, who appreciate the opportunity to positively affect our built environments. We have several staff accredited under the LEED™ program, and we can take your project through the LEED certification process. We have also developed our own system that allows you to demonstrate the sustainable and beneficial aspects of your project without using the LEED system.

Environmental Monitoring

Environmental monitoring during project construction is an integral part of most approvals and may include construction monitoring, compliance with permits and approvals, as well as monitoring during operations. Using only experienced monitors, we work with your construction crews to ensure protection of the environment and your work schedule.

Land Use Planning

We have extensive experience working with architects, urban planners, landscape architects, engineers, land owners and other professionals in completing land use plans. This includes comprehensive land use assessments, conceptual site planning, environmental protection, agricultural land assessments, guidelines/policy and compensation agreements. Our staff includes professional planners who can lead a project or work with a larger team.

Public Consultation

Before many projects can proceed, some form of public consultation is often required. We can assist you with public input strategy and management, conflict resolution/facilitation, public presentations, workshops, and surveys. For larger projects with a formal consultation process, we can bring in associates with specialized expertise to assist. The input received from consultation allows us to design a project that addresses public concerns.

Mapping

Mapping sensitive habitats on a property is critical to environmentally responsible land development and is an important aspect of many projects.

Using specialized mapping and graphics software and tools, our Geomatics team prepares constraints maps and visual representations of your project. The result is designed to inform you and the design team of environmental constraints early in the planning process. Our mapping also forms the basis for our EIAs and can help communicate the proponent’s environmental responsibility to stakeholders.