A grant of $175,000 has been awarded to the City of Richmond to support its studies in improving the soil on the Garden City Lands.
The City of Richmond’s Garden City Lands Remediation Study Project is looking to develop a plan on how to best manage soil contamination on the site.
The study’s main purpose is to “identify, characterize and locate contaminants on the project site” and to make sure the site’s contaminants have been safely managed by receiving a Certificate of Compliance from the Province of British Columbia.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund, which provided the grant, was established to encourage environmental sustainability work in municipalities across Canada.
Garden City Lands is a 55 hectare greenspace in Richmond’s City Centre and is home to the Kwantlen Polytechnic University farm as well as one of the last remnants of the Greater Lulu Island Bog.
The site has been approved by council, as portrayed in the Legacy Landscape Plan, to create a public park for Richmond residents to enjoy.
“One of council’s goals is to ensure Richmond is a sustainable and environmentally conscious city,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie.
“The Garden City Lands is a special site with a sensitive habitat. We’re pleased to see the Federation of Canadian Municipalities supports our vision for the site. The ultimate goal is to develop and implement a plan which will see the Garden City Lands safely offering such functions as food production, recreation and natural interpretation.”
