For FortisBC, the safety and well-being of the Squamish community is extremely important to us.
We spent 10 years engaging with the community and conducting rigorous environmental protection planning that culminated in the Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and the BC Environmental Assessment Office approving the Temporary Workforce Lodge in 2023.
We are now more than a year into construction on FortisBC’s Eagle Mountain – Woodfibre Gas Pipeline (EGP) Project. Our goal has always been to incorporate community feedback and minimize impacts.
During extensive engagement, we heard the overwhelming preference was a single site to house all non-local workers. Based on this, we developed a plan for a Temporary Workforce Lodge to house all our workers on one site to ease pressure on local services.
The lodge will have its own food, medical support, Wi-Fi, and exercise and recreation services, all to reduce pressure on local housing and community services. The proposed locations for the lodge and Temporary Laydown Yard would keep a significant portion of construction-related traffic outside of town. When workers visit Squamish outside of working hours, we’ll operate a regular shuttle bus service.
We’ve also developed a Worker Code of Conduct that outlines the high standard of behaviour expected at all times of everyone involved in the project. The lodge will have a no-unauthorized visitors policy and 24/7 security on site.
We’ve worked with local Indigenous communities and non-profit groups to develop mandatory education and materials on important issues related to community safety, cultural awareness, and environmental protection.
The lodge would also include a Squamish Nation Elder in Residence to support Indigenous workers and cultural learning opportunities.
The final step for lodge approval is to secure permits from the District of Squamish, including a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) that was first applied for in December 2022.
This would allow the land (currently zoned as resource) to be temporarily used for lodging. We continue to work with the District through this process.
We have emphasized the importance of securing all necessary permits by Nov. 15, 2024 for the lodge to remain feasible and operational prior to our peak construction workforce arriving in summer 2025.
In the absence of timely approvals, we would seek to implement alternative measures to reduce the impact of our workforce on the community. For example, this could include a portion of our workforce living in the Lower Mainland and being transported to the project site daily during peak periods of construction.
While we await the District of Squamish’s TUP decision on the lodge, we have pro-actively implemented measures to reduce existing workforce-related impacts.
This includes:
•Mandatory in-person gender and cultural safety education for the project workforce
•A health and medical clinic for workers’ use, to support well-being and reduce project-related use of local health services
•A third-party reporting line for community members to report concerns regarding the respectful conduct of EGP Project workers in Squamish.
Pending TUP approval, we will also develop a Gender and Cultural Safety Plan, which must be in place before the Lodge is operational. This plan will be developed in consultation with Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw, the District of Squamish and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation.
We’ve been a neighbour in Squamish for over 30 years and we care about the input we receive. We are ready to move forward provided we receive a timely approval with feasible conditions from the District. Whatever the District decides, we will continue to be guided by our values of being a good neighbour and remain committed to working with the community and Indigenous groups to reduce impacts as best we can.
Doug Slater
Vice president, Indigenous relations and regulatory affairs, FortisBC
