Strathcona residents have some major concerns about the proposed expansion of the Centerm container terminal.
“We’re not opposed to the terminal expansion, we just want to ensure it’s done in the most responsible way possible,” said Trefor Smith, a member of the Strathcona Residents’ Association council.
Centerm, which is operated by DP World, handles approximately one-fifth of goods shipped in containers through the Port of Vancouver.
The proposed $320-million expansion project that is currently going through the port authority’s project and environmental review process would involve a series of changes, including a westward expansion of the terminal area and a reconfiguration of the terminal, as well as off-terminal road and rail improvements, according to the port authority.
If the project goes ahead as proposed, it would increase the number of containers that the terminal can handle by about two-thirds and increase the terminal footprint by 15 per cent.
Smith said the association is under no illusion the port is going anywhere, and isn’t necessarily against the proposed expansion, but they do have serious concerns about the impact the increase in truck, rail and container ship traffic will have on the surrounding neighbourhood.
“Our main concerns are the impacts on air quality and what that means for the health of the residents in the community,” he said.
As part of its application, the port authority did a number of environmental assessments, including the current impact the terminal has on the air quality in the surrounding area as well as the projected impact of the proposed expansion.
Smith said while there were concerns, not only from the association but also from Metro Vancouver and the City of Vancouver, about how the air quality study was carried out, it still concluded air emissions from the terminal would double as a result of the increased activity that would come with the expansion.
He added the port does not appear to have any plans to mitigate the increase in air pollution. The port authority has started installing shore power facilities at Centerm, however, even if shore power is available not all container vessels have the needed connections onboard. Shore power allows ships to plug into the land-based electrical power grid and shut off diesel generators, reducing both noise and air emissions.
Despite repeated requests from the Courier, no one from the port authority was made available to comment for this story.
However, in a written response to air quality concerns raised during round two of public consultation, the project team stated the port authority’s truck licensing system includes requirements around the age of trucks, as well as idling limits.
Smith said the other major concern is the impact of increased traffic in the area. Three of the terminal’s main ground transportation routes, both rail and road, run through the community.
“The traffic study is grossly negligent,” Smith said. He added when the port did its traffic assessment, the rail line wasn’t being used but as of January it’s been running six trains a day, almost exclusively carrying containers. According to information from the City of Vancouver, the crossing at Prior and Venables streets currently experiences an average of 12.5 blockages a day at around 6.5 minutes each.
“Our analysis shows that rail traffic will likely double,” Smith said. “We don’t really have a train traffic solution in Strathcona.”
Smith said traffic safety around the rail line is also a big concern as drivers frequently cut through residential neighbourhoods in an attempt to avoid getting stuck at the rail crossing.
“Campbell Street is probably the most dangerous,” he said, adding that there is a school on the other side of the tracks.
The project review process is another bone of contention for the association, and the group has asked the provincial government to step in. In September the group sent letters to Environment Minister George Heyman and the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office asking the province to undertake an environmental assessment of the proposal.
“We believe that there is provincial jurisdiction,” Smith said, adding the group would like to see “a thorough and impartial assessment” of the project.
The port authority is under federal jurisdiction and has its own project and environmental review process.
The provincial process looks at five different areas that could be potentially impacted by a project — environmental, economic, social, heritage and health, Smith said, while the port authority’s environmental review process only considers potential impacts on heritage and the environment.
In a response to the group’s request, Darryl Jardine, associate deputy minister at the Environmental Assessment Office, said the office has been monitoring the proposal as it goes through the project and environmental review process but the intention is to wait for that process to finish before determining if the proposal triggers a provincial assessment.
“Whether to conduct an environmental assessment or grant an exemption will depend on whether the project is assessed to have significant adverse effects, taking into account practical means of preventing or reducing to an acceptable level any potential adverse effects of the project,” Jardine wrote.
“We’re puzzled,” Smith said of the response. “We don’t feel that we got to the bottom of it.”
Don Larson of the CRAB Water for Life Society, which oversees CRAB park, is concerned the potential loss of views and what construction will do to water quality surrounding the terminal and the park. The proposed expansion is roughly seven-acres, the same size as the park, he adds.
“It’s got a world-class view and they’re going to destroy that view,” he said.
He also noted concerns about the port continuing to move hazardous cargo through the densely populated area and the ability to deal with possibly emergency situations — pointing to March 2015 when a fire broke out in a container and residents in East Vancouver and the Downtown Eastside were advised to stay indoors.
If the project goes ahead, Larson said he would like to see some funding from the port’s community investment program directed to improvements at CRAB Park. According to the port authority’s website, it dedicates “up to one per cent of our net income to initiatives that matter to local communities.”
Larson said he would like to see upwards of $10 million for improvements to the park, including improved accessibility, including stairs and an elevator over the train tracks, and renovations to the caretaker’s building and washrooms.
