The minister of environment and climate change strategy has determined that the Mud Bay Nature-Based Foreshore Enhancement project will not require an environmental assessment certificate to move forward.

The City of Surrey’s Mud Bay project involves building a nature-based form of flood protection known as a living dike. The project aims to elevate the existing salt marsh to mitigate coastal flooding, reduce wave energy and enhance biodiversity. It will also help protect critical infrastructure, recreational areas, agricultural land, private property, and various significant historical, cultural and archeological resources.

While the project met the threshold to require an environmental assessment certificate, a formal request for exemption was submitted by the City of Surrey. Following review of the exemption request and consultation with First Nations, technical advisors and the public, as well as addressing concerns raised by the federal government regarding the marine environment, the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) recommended the project be exempt from an environmental assessment as it poses minimal risk of significant adverse effects.

The minister has granted an exemption order under the Environmental Assessment Act. The project can now move ahead with permitting on the condition that the City of Surrey notify the EAO when work begins and allow for continued monitoring. The permitting and application process with local governments is comprehensive and examines many of the same factors, including potential impacts on the environment.

An exemption order allows a reviewable project to proceed without requiring an environmental assessment certificate. Exemptions are formally requested by project proponents and are only issued in rare cases in which a comprehensive review by the EAO has established that the project will not result in significant adverse environmental, economic, social, cultural or health effect, or have significant effects on First Nations. This is the first exemption order granted under the Environmental Assessment Act, which came into force in 2019.

Learn More:

To know the reasons for the minister’s decision, visit: https://www.projects.eao.gov.bc.ca/api/public/document/668444c5f9056000223d1ded/download/Mud%20Bay%20-%20Certificate%20Exemption%20Order%20-%20Reasons%20for%20Decision%20-%2020240703.pdf

For information on the Mud Bay Foreshore Enhancement project, visit the link and search Mud Bay: https://projects.eao.gov.bc.ca/projects-list

Or visit the City of Surrey’s project page: https://www.surrey.ca/services-payments/water-drainage-sewer/flood-control-and-prevention/coastal-flood-adaptation-projects/mud-bay 

For more information about the environmental assessment process, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/environmental-assessments

A backgrounder follows.