2024 Brownie Award Winners

The 25th annual Brownie Awards were presented on November 18, 2024.

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REPROGRAM: LEGISLATION, POLICY AND PROGRAM INITIATIVES

 

Qualified Persons Community of Ontario - Ontario

This is a new model for working through delays and improvements for the delivery of Records of Site Condition in Ontario, as well as Excess Soil Implementation Programs. They have over 150 members and the support/cooperation of the Brownfield and Excess Soil staff at the MECP.

Project Team 

QPCO Leadership Volunteers, ONEIA Board of Directors and Operations Staff, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Environmental Permissions (Brownfields), Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, Professional Engineers Ontario, and Professional Geoscientists Ontario.

REMEDIATE: SUSTAINABLE REMEDIATION

Vivenda Remediation and Development Project Made Possible using a Novel Approach – Montréal, Quebec

In Quebec, in-situ treatment can take time, and administrative procedures can be even longer if a notice of technical impracticability must be filed. This tends to preclude brownfield development projects in particular because of the difficulty of securing financing.

ALTRA | SANEXEN included in the remedial plan a decision-making flowchart to guide attaining the technological threshold for in-situ treatment.
The MELCCFP approved the remediation plan as part of a voluntary remedial program with retention of contamination on-site, including excavation, in-situ treatment and risk assessment with mitigation measures.

This approach with the MELCCFP allowed the construction of a condominium building simultaneously with the remediation work.

Project Team

Vivenda, Sanexen Environmental Services Inc., Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs.

REMEDIATE: TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

Anaerobic Bioremediation Facilitates Site Redevelopment – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

All soil and groundwater were remediated through anaerobic bioremediation below ground surface on the Site itself. Offsite disposal was entirely avoided. A customized mix of solid and liquid amendments containing micro and macronutrients was mixed into the contaminated soils with an excavator as fine-grained soils made injection methods impractical. Overall remediation costs were approximately 90% less when compared to excavate and remove estimates. Remediation was completed within 2 years and construction of a new fast food outlet is underway. The site will be a source of local employment and increased tax revenue for the city since redevelopment. 

Project Team

R Squared Environmental Inc., Aggressive Outdoor Services Inc., Saskatoon Cooperative Association Ltd., Northstar Innovative Developments Inc., and City of Saskatoon.

RESTRATEGIZE: PARTNERSHIPS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Sp’akw’us Feather Park – Squamish, British Columbia

A joint project led by Matthews West and the District of Squamish, funding was provided in part by provincial brownfields funding and GMF grants. The Park was designed to promote the cultural restoration of the area with significant input, support, and knowledge sharing from the Squamish First Nation. The use of the land in this regard required outside the box thinking to remediate associated exposures. The order to remediate was implemented twenty-five years ago and ongoing management has seen significant reductions in impacts. 

Project Team

Matthews West, Stantec, District of Squamish, and Squamish Nation.

REBUILD: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AT THE BUILDING SCALE

Wonder Condos - Toronto, Ontario

Building on an urban brownfield site, Wonder Condominium intensifies the city’s density, while sustaining the historic streetscape and a neighbourhood landmark. Careful consideration was required to connect the old and new structure while offering opportunities to provide planted, wider public sidewalks and connectivity to the surrounding area with a green courtyard space off the mid-block public laneway. What was once a moderately contaminated industrial site, is now a complex of homes in a re-adapted heritage building flooded with natural light, supplied with ample bicycle parking facilities and new retail frontage to bring needed animation to an otherwise under-utilized arterial street.

Project Team

Diamond Schmitt, GBCA, Greywood, Alterra, and Entuitive.

REBUILD: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AT THE NEIGHBOURHOOD SCALE

Canals Development – Welland, Ontario

This project transforms two historic Brownfield properties with extensive contamination into a vibrant residential community, with several parks and trails along the Welland Canal. The Developer has conducted many public outreach sessions to facilitate the integration of community feedback into the master plan and has worked extensively with the City to align the community features, including a state-of-the-art sports facility and many parks/trails, to the City’s vision. The development also looked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reusing soil between the two properties and reducing the amount that needs to be landfilled or moved off-site.

Project Team

Empire Communities, Armstrong Planning, EXP Services Inc., YORK1, and MBTW.

REFOCUS: VISION OF ALTERNATIVE BENEFITS TO BROWNFIELDS REMEDIATION

Radiance Co-Housing – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

This is a great small project that took a decades-old vacant land, made sustainable, ecological housing and reinvested in a diverse community. This project is a leader in terms of solar, landscaping, and passive housing in harsh climates. Additionally, it ushers a radical approach to living, in your own private condo, yet shared yard with a strong community bond. 

Project Team 

Radiance Cohousing Development Company, BLDG Studio, and Renew Development Cooperative.

BEST SMALL PROJECT

Alberta Environment & Protected Areas Guide to Excluding the Domestic Use Aquifer based on Municipal Bylaws (Guide, 2022) – Calgary, Alberta

This outcome has resulted in the removal of a significant barrier to brownfield (contaminated site) remediation in the province of Alberta. The barrier was the lack of a mechanism to eliminate the non-operable DUA pathway at sites located in urban areas with a bylaw preventing the use of groundwater wells for potable use. The model of excellence is the subsequent process established by the City of Calgary that enables proponents to make applications under the AEPA Guide. Other AB municipalities can look to Calgary’s example to set up their own programs. 

Project Team

City of Calgary, AB Environment and Protected Areas (AEPA), City of Edmonton, Alberta Municipalities Association, and Canadian Fuels Association.

BEST LARGE PROJECT

Union Carbide Property Regeneration – Welland, Ontario

This project aimed to restore a >300-acre site located in a town hit hard by economic layoffs and overseas outsourcing in the 1990s. The “waste” produced by >7700 skilled employees created a unique opportunity for new local jobs and investment, triggering new business and growth opportunities throughout the region and Ontario. The work has required the navigation of multiple evolving Ontario regulations to facilitate resource recovery, reuse of excess soil, and housing development, and includes components aligning to sustainable transportation and resource use, a circular economy, and affordable housing.

Project Team

King and Benton Redevelopment Corporation

BEST OVERALL PROJECT

Richmond Industrial Centre Development – Richmond, British Columbia

In 2009, Montrose Properties recognized the crucial need for industrial space and developed a vision for the Richmond Industrial Centre – a business park to be located on the site of a construction waste landfill. We took a long-term perspective and invested the time and resources to overcome the challenges of redeveloping the site while continuing to operate the landfill. The first building was constructed more than 10 years later, in 2020, with full build-out expected in 10 to 15 years. This long-term project shows our commitment to investing in much-needed industrial space to generate jobs and contribute to the region’s economic growth. 

Project Team

Montrose Properties, PGL Environmental Consultants, City of Richmond, BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, and Omicron.

25th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION: OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN BROWNFIELD ADVANCEMENT

Federal Contaminated Sites Remediation Projects in Nunavut – Several sites across Nunavut

We believe these projects are good examples of long-term dedication to brownfield remediation, and development. QC has successfully overcome the challenges that come with working in remote sites with harsh weather conditions with limited resources. The results were very positive as the traditional hunting grounds could be used again by Inuit communities. 

Project Team

Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, Qikiqtani Logistics Inc., Sanexen Environmental Services, Defence Construction Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

BROWNFIELDER OF THE YEAR

Judy Lam – City of Hamilton

As a long-standing champion of economic development through community revitalization, Judy Lam has advocated for and prioritized the remediation and redevelopment of brownfields as a key pillar of supporting Hamilton’s economic growth. She has been an administrator of the city’s Environmental Remediation and Site Enhancement (ERASE) financial incentive programs, directly helping property owners and developers navigate the financial and municipal hurdles to development and successfully supporting the remediation and redevelopment of numerous brownfield sites. Beyond Judy’s direct engagement in the advancement of brownfields programs and redevelopment with the city, she serves as a mentor and role model to other professionals in the brownfields arena, transferring her knowledge and sharing lessons learned through speaking engagements at various conferences, and has been a long-time supporter of the Canadian Brownfields Network (CBN).

For detailed descriptions of all the winning projects and project champions, click here.