Transport Canada oversees cleanup of Victoria’s Laurel Point Park

A clean Victoria harbour is an area enjoyed by residents and tourists for generations. It is also essential for the survival of local marine wildlife, as it is an important feeding ground and source of food.

Today, Transport Canada awarded approximately $17.66 million in a contract to QM/JJM Contracting JV to restore the environmental health of Laurel Point Park and the harbour by removing persistent contaminants from the ecosystem.

Between 1906 and 1975, Laurel Point Park, located in the Middle Harbour of Victoria, was the site of a paint factory. Industrial activities left persistent contaminants in the soil, posing a threat to marine life. The pollutants do not pose a risk to residents and park users.

The Laurel Point Park cleanup is the final phase of Transport Canada’s comprehensive Middle Harbour Remediation Project to preserve the harbour and remove persistent contaminants from the ecosystem. The first phase successfully remediated contaminated underwater sediments in Victoria Harbour. Work on the final phase will begin next month and is expected to end by late next year. Workers will dig up contaminated soil at Laurel Point Park, backfill the area with clean soil and re-turf the park.

The Middle Harbour Remediation Project is funded through the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP), which is coordinated by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and provides funding to assess and remediate federal contaminated sites. The Government of Canada is taking action under the FCSAP to preserve our ecosystems for generations to come.