Consolidated Environmental Management Plan for Burrard Inlet

Burrard Inlet 

The Consolidated Environmental 

Management Plan for Burrard Inlet 

Approved in 2002, the Consolidated Environmental Management Plan is the 

tool for managing the environment in Burrard Inlet. It is designed to work 

together with other strategic, economic, social and land use plans, such as the 

Vancouver Port Authority’s Port 2010 Plan, Greater Vancouver’s Livable Region 

Strategic Plan and the Official Community Plans of Burrard Inlet municipalities. 

The Plan integrates environmental values with economic and social 

considerations in decision-making affecting Burrard Inlet. 

The Consolidated Environmental Management Plan is a compilation of the 

policies and legislation of decision-making authorities that have 

responsibilities for managing the environment of Burrard Inlet – an excellent 

source of information for those interested in why, how and who is managing 

environmental issues in Burrard Inlet. To enhance and protect the most 

significant marine body of water in the region, the Plan also contains: 

• A series of broad goals, objectives and actions to help manage and improve 

the environmental quality of Burrard Inlet’s ecosystem 

• Agreed-upon actions to be undertaken for the six sub-basins in Burrard Inlet 

• Shared program principles that will be used to guide programming and 

decision-making activities related to Burrard Inlet 

• Strategies for implementing the actions specified in the Plan 

Our Shared Vision for Burrard Inlet is a thriving 

port and urban community co-existing with a 

healthy environment.

Burrard Inlet 

The Environmental Policy Framework 

The Consolidated Environmental Management Plan for Burrard 

Inlet identifies the shared environmental goals and objectives 

that the BIEAP partners have agreed to pursue through the 

next decade and beyond. The key environmental policy 

directions are: 

■ Improved water quality 

■ A reduction of the effects of historical contaminated lands 

and sediments 

■ Improved productive fish and wildlife habitat 

■ Human and economic development activities that enhance 

the environmental quality of Burrard Inlet 

A series of maps highlight selected ecological features 

in Burrard Inlet. These maps provide a basis from which 

decision-making and implementation activities can 

be accomplished. 

An Ecosystem Approach: 


Management Plan is an ecosystem 

approach that focuses on the 

connectivity of geographical areas 

and the interaction of species and 

their habitat. This includes humans, 

and the environmental impacts of 

human settlement. 

UEL 

WEST VANCOUVER NORTH VANCOUVER 

BURRARD 

INLET 

Outer Harbour 

English 

Bay 

Inner Harbour 

False Cr e e k Central Harbour 

VANCOUVER 

NORTH 

VANCOUVER 

CITY 

Working together to ensure sustainability 

BURNABY

Indian Arm 

BELCARRA 

PORT 

MOODY 

Port Moody Arm 

ANMORE 

COQUITLAM 

Putting the Plan into 

Action: Twenty-one Actions 

for Ecosystem Health 

The Plan identifies over twenty-one explicit 

actions to protect, manage and improve 

Burrard Inlet’s ecosystem. These actions are: 

Water Quality and Waste Management 

1. Coordinate the management of liquid waste 

in Burrard Inlet. 

2. Implement a coordinated ambient water 

quality monitoring program for Burrard Inlet. 

3. Review the provincial permit discharge 

standards for industrial wastes. 

4. Explore ways BIEAP could contribute to air 

quality initiatives in the region. 

5. Contribute to the effort to reduce 

non-point source pollution in Burrard Inlet. 

Contaminated Lands and Sediments 

6. Develop Industrial Best Management 

Practices (BMPs) and strengthen partnerships 

with the industrial sector. 

7. Prepare and implement a sediment 

management plan for False Creek. 

8. Develop a database to monitor historically 

contaminated lands and sediments in 

Burrard Inlet. 

9. Develop risk-based sediment management 

plans for historically contaminated areas of 


10. Use global research efforts to provide 

management options for contaminated lands 

and sediments. 

Healthy Ecosystems and Biodiversity 

11. Protect and enhance existing “protected” 

areas in Burrard Inlet. 

12. Contribute information to the Greater 

Vancouver Biodiversity Conservation 

Pilot Study. 

13. Use legislative tools and designations such 

as Marine Protected Area legislation, Wildlife 

Management Areas and ecological corridors to 

protect and enhance valuable areas in the 

Burrard Inlet ecosystem. 

14. Provide resources to municipal, regional 

and port planning initiatives along the shoreline 

and in adjoining watersheds. 

15. Provide support and technical expertise to 

community stewardship groups in their efforts 

to improve the environment in Burrard Inlet. 

16. Identify areas for habitat compensation 

banking. 

17. Develop environmental guidelines for 

recreation access, and park development 

and maintenance. 

18. Update and promote the BIEAP Shoreline 

Development Guidelines. 

19. Develop pilot projects in cooperation with 

the public and private sectors to showcase 

innovative environmentally sensitive designs. 

20. Develop an inventory of archeologically 

significant sites. 

21. Develop models to deal with the 

cumulative effects of development within 


The Plan also identifies ecosystem actions 

for the six sub-basins within Burrard Inlet along 

with a series of communication and education 

strategies.

Ongoing Implementation 

To implement the Consolidated Plan, a Plan Implementation 

Committee will guide detailed annual work programs and 

budgets, and monitor Plan goals, objectives and actions. 

The Plan includes commitments for ongoing program funding 

and identifies agreed-upon strategies for future education and 

communication programs. The BIEAP Implementation 

Committee will create an annual public reporting system on 

the environmental quality of the Burrard Inlet ecosystem and 

the work achieved by the BIEAP partnership. 

The Consolidated Environmental Management Plan for 

Burrard Inlet will be reviewed at the end of the first five years 

to determine whether the goals and actions contained within 

the Plan have been achieved, whether they remain relevant or 

whether new challenges and opportunities require the 

attention of the BIEAP partners. 

Since 1991, the Burrard Inlet 

Environmental Action Program 

partners have coordinated efforts 

to maintain a thriving port and to 

protect the marine environment in 

Burrard Inlet. Collectively and 

individually, BIEAP partners have 

made significant improvements to 

Burrard Inlet’s water quality and 

have completed a series of research 

studies. Over the past ten years, 

the Burrard Environmental Review 

Committee (BERC) has coordinated 

the review of shoreline projects. 

BIEAP partners are: 

BC Ministry of Water, Land and 

Air Protection 

Environment Canada 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada 

The Greater Vancouver 

Regional District 

The Vancouver Port Authority 


Management Plan is the product 

of extensive consultations. It 

was completed with the advice 

of a committee of representatives 

from municipalities in the BIEAP 

area, the Greater Vancouver 

Regional District, the Vancouver 

Port Authority, and the federal 

and provincial governments. 

First Nations, community and 

environmental groups participated 

with the public-at-large through 

a four phase consultation 

process consisting of public 

meetings, workshops and other 

direct consultations. 

How to be involved in the 

continuing implementation of 

this plan… 

Public input and consultation are 

important to the Burrard Inlet 

Environmental Action Program 

(BIEAP) and its partners. For information 

about how to become 

involved or to obtain a copy of 

the full plan document, please 

contact us at: 

Burrard Inlet Environmental 

Action Program (BIEAP) 

Suite 501, 5945 Kathleen Avenue 

Burnaby, BC 

V5H 4J7 

604 775 5756 Phone 

604 775 5198 Fax 

mail@bieapfremp.org 

Or visit our Website at: 

www.bieapfremp.org

Consolidated Environmental Management Plan for Burrard Inlet

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?