2026 Finalists

Founded in 2001 by the Canadian Urban Institute, the Brownie Awards recognize the innovative efforts of professionals who rehabilitate sites that were once contaminated, under-utilized, and undeveloped by remaking them into productive residential and commercial projects that contribute to the growth of healthy communities across Canada.

As an annual celebration recognizing excellence in the remediation and redevelopment of brownfield sites across Canada, the Brownie Awards are presented proudly in partnership by the Canadian Brownfields Network and SiteMedia.

Read the 2026 Finalists Announcement on Environment Journal >>

Here’s a good look at the outstanding achievements of the well-deserving finalists for the 2026 Brownie Awards.

REPROGRAM

Legislation, Policy and Program Initiatives

Location: Edmonton, AB

St Albert’s Elysian Fields was home to a former landfill. Rohit Communities purchased the Elysian Fields to build the Chérot community — which will have housing, trails, playgrounds, a recreation centre, and more. While this development is exciting for the City of St Albert, the presence of the former landfill within the community creates development restrictions: Alberta’s Landfill Standard regulates that the minimum setback distance from a non-operating landfill is 300 metres. This significantly reduced the developable area and Rohit wanted a solution that would reduce the setback and allow them to develop on more land.

The project links to brownfields as the Thurber Engineering, Select Engineering, and Associated Engineering team helped navigate the regulatory and approvals landscape to reduce the setback and help Rohit develop more land for people to live and recreate on. With Alberta growing rapidly, more housing is crucial to meet our population growth. Rohit’s Cherot Development will help support St. Albert as it is one of the fastest growing cities in Central Alberta.

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Project Team: Thurber Engineering, Select Engineering, Associated Engineering

Location: Edmonton, AB

The City of Edmonton has had a brownfield incentive program in some form since 2005. The Brownfield Redevelopment Grant Program (BRGP) has gone through multiple iterations in order to improve its effectiveness to encourage brownfield redevelopment since its inception as a pilot program over 20 years ago. The BRGP has been very successful thus far and has issued or committed over $19 Million in grant funding. This has resulted in 15 hectares of urban land being tested and 9 hectares being remediated. The construction value of the redevelopment projects supported by the BRGP is $230 Million, and the redevelopment of those properties has increased their assessed value cumulatively by $355 Million (2025) which has resulted in annual increase in municipal property tax of $4.2 Million (2025). The projects have produced 859 residential dwelling units and 24,140 sqm of non-residential space. After an extensive engagement process, the Local Economic Development team has developed significant changes to the program which will expand its reach and better incentive energy efficiency/green building design, sustainable remediation and affordable housing.

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Project Team: Local Economic Development, Environmental Engineering, Assessment and Taxation, Legal Services and Climate Change and Resilience.

 

Location: Squamish, BC

The Woodfibre LNG project is built on a former pulp mill site near Squamish, B.C., with approximately 100 years of industrial history. When Woodfibre LNG acquired the site in 2013, it inherited significant legacy contamination including contaminated soils, creosote-treated marine pilings, asbestos, a former municipal landfill, and decades of industrial debris. The site is located on the shores of Átl’ḵa7tsem (Howe Sound), a designated UNESCO biosphere.

Woodfibre LNG has invested $50 million in remediation, resulting in the cumulative removal of 471,534 tonnes of solid waste including: contaminated soils, asphalt, debris, and other legacy industrial materials. More than 4,000 creosote-treated wood pilings were removed from the foreshore, eliminating a major source of hydrocarbon contamination that had degraded marine habitat and prevented fish populations from spawning along the shoreline.

The former landfill was capped with an engineered impermeable membrane system, then covered with soil and native seed to create a vegetated meadow. A leachate treatment plant operates continuously to clean remaining contaminated water. Concrete from demolished pulp mill buildings was crushed and reused on site, and regulatory approvals were obtained to safely reuse certain contaminated soils on site, reducing offsite disposal volumes.

Woodfibre LNG is developing the Mill Creek Green Zone restoration project in collaboration with the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), incorporating traditional ecological knowledge to create riparian habitat supporting salmon spawning, bird populations, and larger mammals. An ongoing kelp restoration program with BCIT further extends the project’s ecological impact.

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Project Team: 

  • Norland Pacific Demolition — (Pre construction) all building demolition, material sorting for disposal/recycling
  • McDermott — engineering, procurement, construction contractor
  • Ledcor Bird LNG – main civil subcontractor under McDermott responsible for waste management
  • Keystone Environmental — sampling programs for leachate plant and water quality
  • GFL — transportation and disposal of contaminated soil off-site

REMEDIATE

Technological Innovation

Location: Golden Horseshoe, ON

Pinchin led the design, regulatory approval, and execution of a pilot study that involved a novel sustainable technological approach for the remediation of impacted soil and groundwater using steam. The project was completed in 2025 and 2026 at a heavily benzene-impacted brownfield site in the greater golden horseshoe area where a staged redevelopment plan is currently in its preliminary phases. The redevelopment plan is being evaluated through a combination of remediation and contaminant management approaches, with a focus on identifying a technically effective, economically practical, and environmentally sustainable solution for reducing contaminant concentrations and associated risks.

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Project Team: Pinchin Ltd., Terra Therm, a Cascade Company. New Pro Mechanical Ltd., Sunbelt Rentals of Canada Inc., Terra Nova Environmental Services Ltd.

Location: Hanna, AB

WestMET has made a strong commitment to reclaim of the 30-year-old coal mine in a short, efficient timeline with developing new innovative projects along the way. Working safe, developing a sustainable future land use and supporting the community (Special Areas) has been key accomplishments through the reclamation journey. This reclamation process included GPS on heavy equipment, drone flights, engineered plans, wildlife habitat development, wetland development, to name a few to remediate the legacy reclaim work that was required to decommission and close the remaining coal mine related pits and dumps. This consisted of several thousand hectares of recontouring, soil placement and revegetation work. As reclamation advances towards certification at the Sheerness Mine, WestMET has identified unique opportunities to partner with Indigenous communities and conservation associations to co-develop parcels of land within its mine permit boundary. Early engagement with associations and communities allows for active participation in the reclamation planning phases and landform design, that will provide outcomes above and beyond the minimum legislative requirements that must be adhered to. The co-developed end land use objectives will provide spaces that will be ecologically or culturally persevered through land stewardship for current and future generations. Through the reclamation life cycle of the Sheerness Mine, several new innovations, collaborations, business opportunities and community support commitments were established. The key areas of remediation for the site that were novel included; Solar partnership with a12.5MW development, Community fund program, Soil fabrication development, Drone seeding application and potential partnership on pre-mining lands.

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Project Team:

  • Stakeholders (Special Areas)
  • Regulatory Bodies (Alberta Energy Regulator)
  • Engineering and environmental Staff (WestMET)
  • Partnership (TransAlta)
  • Indigenous partnership (MNA)

Location: Thunder Bay, ON

The Thunder Bay Airport PFAS Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB) Project addressed PFAS and PFOA contamination impacting soil and groundwater at the Thunder Bay International Airport, one of the growing environmental challenges facing airports and industrial facilities across Canada. Awarded by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to Decontie Milestone Inc. (DMI) in September 2025, the $3.77 million project implemented an innovative groundwater containment and treatment solution designed to intercept, manage, and reduce the migration of PFAS-contaminated groundwater.

The project involved the construction of a “Funnel and Gate” Permeable Reactive Barrier system utilizing approximately 165 linear metres of Waterloo Barrier™ sheet piling installed to depths between 5.5 and 6.5 metres below grade. The system was designed to direct contaminated groundwater through treatment gates containing prescribed granular activated carbon (GAC) and sand media blends tailored to site-specific treatment requirements.

In addition to barrier construction, the project included the excavation of approximately 2,000 metric tonnes of PFAS- and PFOA-impacted soil managed conservatively as hazardous waste, construction of an on-site decontamination pad, decommissioning of existing monitoring wells, commissioning of a carbon-based groundwater treatment system, and importation of approximately 400 metric tonnes of clean sand and Type 3 backfill.

By implementing a long-term treatment and containment solution for emerging contaminants, the project transformed a significant environmental liability into a managed remediation system that intercepts contaminated groundwater before it can enter surface water or leave the site, while supporting the continued operation of critical airport infrastructure. The scale and persistence of the PFAS-impacted groundwater plume presented a substantial remediation challenge, particularly given the site’s history of firefighting training activities. By addressing contamination at a scale where more conventional solutions such as “dig and dump” or “pump and treat” were not viable alone, the project demonstrates an innovative and cost-effective approach to managing PFAS impacts and serves as a model for future remediation efforts at airports and industrial properties across Canada.

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Project Team:

  • Transport Canada (TC) – Project Owner
  • Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) – Project Client
  • Decontie Milestone Inc. (DMI) – Prime Contractor (an Indigenous owned & led firm)
  • WSP Canada Inc. – Design Engineer and Departmental Representative
  • Thunder Bay International Airport Authority – Site Stakeholder and Operations Coordination

Project details are coming soon!

REMEDIATE

Sustainable Remediation

Location: Edson Area, AB

PEPSystems is a phytoremediation technology based on a symbiotic relationship between plants and soil bacteria that facilitates plant growth on poor quality/contaminated soil. The bacteria that colonize the root system will breakdown crude hydrocarbons to nontoxic components and the plants will uptake and remove salts and metals. Phytoremediation restores soil in a natural way allowing it to be conserved and reused, avoiding landfill disposal.

Three abandoned oil and gas sites located in the Edson area of central Alberta required restoration of 35,000 m³ of hydrocarbon contaminated subsoil for reuse as part of reclamation and revegetation activities in the area. Due to the volume of soil and remote forested location, disposal and replacement were cost prohibitive.

Phytoremediation, using a combination of Pseudomonas bacteria and agronomic ryegrasses and fescues, was chosen to restore the soil, highlighting the benefits of using a sustainable technology for soil conservation for beneficial reuse prior to reclamation. This option also had significant carbon sequestration benefits as soil restoration using grasses followed by reuse in the area resulted in more than 50% reduction in carbon emissions. The cost benefits of soil restoration and reuse are dependent on accessibility to landfills and locations of the generating and receiving sites. For this project, restoration of the soil using phytoremediation was 54% less expensive than the estimated landfilling costs, providing total savings of $3.9 MM.

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Project Team: Earthmaster Phytoremediation team and Reclamation team

Location: Greenstone, ON

Planning for the 133 hectare open pit Greenstone Mine (the Mine) began with a unique challenge, which wasn’t only because of its shear size: the site is actually a legacy brownfield, shaped by two historical underground mining operations which ceased operations in 1970 and left behind tailings deposits and impacted soil which contributed to water quality impacts in the adjacent Kenogamisis Lake. Nearly 15 million m³ of impacted soil and 4.4 million m³ of historical tailings required excavation and sustainable management to support the Mine development. Accordingly, management of impacted soils and tailings was integrated into the overall Mine plan, design, and operations, with the goal of minimizing the amount of materials that would need to be transported offsite and landfilled. Highlights to date include:

  • Nearly 99.9% reuse of impacted soils on site through use as engineered cover and reclamation activities
  • Relocation of approximately 4 million tonnes of historical tailings and associated soil to the engineered tailings management facility with an additional nearly 2 million tonnes to be relocated to the engineered facility later in mine life. The tailings management facility acts as a closed system, allowing for the capture and management of seepage from the historical tailings, reducing the mass load of contaminants from the historical tailings to the adjacent Kenogamisis Lake.
  • Installation of a seepage collection drain to capture seepage from the historical tailings that remain, prior to discharging to the adjacent lake. Seepage is now treated prior to discharge to the lake, further reducing the contaminant load to Kenogamisis Lake
  • The on-site treatment of 30,000 m³ of PHC and PCB impacted soil using Ontario’s first mobile ECA for high-temperature thermal desorption
    Early stage planning for an on-site bioremediation facility to sustainably treat additional PHC impacted soils.

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Project Team: Greenstone Gold Mines, Equinox Gold, Stantec Consulting Ltd., Nelson Environmental Remediation.

Location: Kitchener, ON

The Kitchener Green Subdivision is a brownfield redevelopment project transforming three previously contaminated and underutilized former aggregate pit properties on the west side of Kitchener, Ontario, into a new residential community. Historical aggregate extraction, the importation of poor-quality fill, and a former unregistered landfill identified by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) in 1986 resulted in widespread soil impacts across the site. Rehabilitation has required extensive environmental investigation, remediation, risk management, and regulatory approvals to support the safe conversion of these lands to residential use.

Comprehensive environmental consulting services have been integral to the project, including materials management planning, pit rehabilitation support, Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), remediation oversight, excess soil management, preparation of Records of Site Condition (RSCs), and development of a site-specific Risk Assessment currently underway to support the proposed land use.

Located within the approved Rosenberg Secondary Plan in southwest Kitchener, the development supports provincial and municipal housing priorities by returning impacted lands to productive use. The completed subdivision will provide a mix of single-detached, semi-detached, townhouse, and medium-density residential units, along with parks, active transportation networks, a designated school block, and stormwater management facilities. The project will provide much-needed housing while improving connectivity, accessibility, and community amenities, demonstrating how brownfield regeneration can transform underutilized lands into a complete and sustainable neighborhood.

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Project Team:

  • Project Owner: Mattamy Tru-Villa Limited Partnership
  • Engineer (Planning/Design/Environmental): MTE Consultants Inc.
  • Contractor: VanRooyen Earthmoving Ltd.
  • Site Surveyor: J.D. Barnes Limited
  • Geotechnical Studies/Material Testing: DS Consultants Ltd.

Location: Stoney Creek, ON

Pinchin led the design of a bench-scale study, municipal approval of the remedial concept in support of a redevelopment grant, and full-scale execution of a soil mixing program. The project involves the redevelopment of a CVOC impacted brownfield in downtown Stoney Creek.

The site of former industrial/commercial works, including that of an historical dry cleaning operation, this property hosted a number of environmental challenges including an historical heating oil UST, poor quality fill, soils heavily impacted with BTEX, CVOCs, PHCs, and metals and most troubling; chlorinated solvents in the groundwater at depth. The shallow soil impacts were easily managed through straight forward excavation works, however, the groundwater impacts at depth represented a unique opportunity for innovation. With vertical delineation at greater than 10 m below grade and tight soil conditions, standard remedial approached became either too costly or not practical. In collaboration with University of Toronto, Pinchin developed and successfully formulated zero-valent iron (ZVI) / granulated activated carbon (GAC) dosing required to remediate impacted groundwater. The field implementation was completed by Green Infrastructure Partners Inc. using their soil mixing equipment. Subsequent sampling has demonstrated more that four quarterly rounds showing non-detect COC concentrations within the treated zone, verifying complete remediation and readiness for the planned development that will bring new residents and business to the area.

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Project Team: KSE Stoney Creek Limited Partnership, Pinchin Ltd., University of Toronto, Green Infrastructure Partners Inc.

RESTRATEGIZE

Partnerships and Community Engagement

Location: Faro, YT

The Faro Mine is one of Canada’s most complex abandoned mine remediation projects, with the Government of Canada responsible for funding the cleanup as owner of last resort. Parsons, as Construction Manager, works with project partners to carry out reclamation activities.

Before mining began in the 1960s, the Ross River Dena Council (RRDC) used the area, known historically as Tse Zul, for subsistence. RRDC regards the operation of the Faro Mine as a symbol of colonialism that disrupted their traditional way of life. The remediation project has become an opportunity to address these historic injustices and ensure Indigenous communities benefit from redevelopment in ways that reflect their priorities.

RRDC identified camp infrastructure as an opportunity for its business, Dena Nezziddi Development Corporation (DNDC). In 2019, Canada, Parsons, and DNDC worked together to build a 112-person temporary camp owned and operated by DNDC. Following this success, the same parties entered into an agreement to develop long-term camp facilities, known as the Tse Zul camp. Construction of this new 288-person camp, which officially opened in August 2026, occurred on a previously disturbed site using existing aggregate materials, wherever possible.

RRDC sees ownership of these camps as a major socio-economic achievement and a direct result of the close collaboration between Canada, Parsons, and DNDC. This initiative has helped DNDC become the largest camp leasing company in the Yukon, serving abandoned and active mines as well as utility companies. As a result, DNDC has grown substantially and now regularly employs more than 50 people.

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Project Team:

  • DNDC – Colin Mackenzie, Operations Manager and Nicole Etzel, Director
  • CIRNAC – Jesse George, Engagement Manager and Carrie Gillis, Engineering Manager
  • PSPC – Cam Malloch, Senior Project Manager and Geoffroy Desmarais, Supply Specialist
  • Parsons – James Carss, Senior Advisor and Ian Goode, Senior Project Manager

Location: Saskatoon, SK

The South Caswell Redevelopment Project demonstrates the collaboration and community engagement in advancing brownfield regeneration. The project brought together the City of Saskatoon (the City), Saskatoon Land, environmental consultants, architects, developers, investors, and community stakeholders to create and implement a shared vision for the future of the former Saskatoon Transit lands. Guided by the Caswell Hill Local Area Plan and South Caswell Concept Plan, the redevelopment balances environmental responsibility, heritage preservation, economic development, and community priorities.

Following the closure of the transit facility, significant effort was invested in environmental assessment, remediation planning, redevelopment strategy development, and public engagement. The City led a transparent redevelopment process that included community consultation, redevelopment proposals, evaluation of development concepts, zoning amendments, regulatory liaising with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, and ongoing stakeholder discussions to ensure alignment with neighborhood goals and long-term sustainability objectives.
A key outcome of this collaborative approach is the adaptive reuse of the historic Caswell Bus Barns as a thriving arts and culture hub. Through coordinated investment and partnership among public and private sector participants, the redevelopment has created opportunities for artists, cultural organizations, businesses, and residents while preserving an important piece of Saskatoon’s history.

The project showcases how strategic partnerships, community engagement, and shared decision-making can unlock the potential of complex brownfield sites. By aligning environmental remediation, redevelopment investment, municipal leadership, and community aspirations, the South Caswell Redevelopment Project provides a model for sustainable urban regeneration and community-building in Canadian cities.

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Project Team:

  • Qiong (June) Lu, AtkinsRéalis Canada Inc.
  • Crystal Bueckert, Designer & Developer, Bldg Studio Inc., Prolog Developments
  • Wesley Wizniuk, P.Eng., City of Saskatoon
  • Patrick Schwinghammer, Schwinghammer Contract Management, Contractor

   

Location: Vaughan, ON

The North Maple Regional Park (NMRP) Master Plan represents the next chapter in one of Ontario’s most extraordinary stories of regeneration. What was once home to two of Canada’s largest landfill sites is being reimagined as a 900-acre destination park that will restore ecological systems, reconnect communities with the landscape, and create lasting public value for generations to come. NMRP is a testament to the power of community vision and environmental stewardship to transform former brownfield sites into a legacy of environmental renewal.

The Master Plan establishes a long-term framework for ecological rehabilitation, public access, and year-round recreation while directing the site’s ongoing remediation requirements and environmental regulations. Spanning a 25+ year time frame for the landfill areas, it introduces passive use trails, hilltop lookouts, an observation tower, and an interpretive landfill-to-park area that tells the story of the site’s transformation. The Ecological Framework Plan transforms the capped landfill into a mosaic of native meadow, prairie, and shrub habitats that restore ecological function and biodiversity. These restored landscapes create habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife while demonstrating how former landfill lands can be successfully regenerated into thriving natural environments.

A comprehensive public engagement process shaped the plan’s vision and priorities, reaching more than 2,500 participants through surveys, workshops, pop-ups, on-site experiences, youth programs, and a Community Advisory Committee. The team also engaged Vaughan C.A.R.E.S., the grassroots organization that advocated for the landfills’ closure in the 1980s and ’90s, ensuring NMRP reflects themes of wellness, recreation, creativity, and community connection.

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Project Team: City of Vaughan, O2 Planning and Design Inc, Dougan Ecology, WSP Canada Inc., Saffy

 

REBUILD

Project Development at the Building Scale

Location: Toronto, ON

CIBC SQUARE represents the regeneration of a complex and underutilized site at the southern edge of Toronto’s Financial District into a landmark employment, transit and public-realm destination. Developed in two phases at 81 and 141 Bay Street, the project transforms lands historically shaped by waterfront fill, rail infrastructure, surface parking and a former bus terminal. Contamination associated with historic commercial, industrial and rail activities required substantial remediation to enable redevelopment, and the City of Toronto provided Brownfield Remediation Tax Assistance to help unlock the project.

The result goes well beyond remediating contaminated land. CIBC SQUARE reconnects an area historically divided by the downtown rail corridor, extending the Financial District southward and strengthening connections to the South Core and waterfront. The development features two major office towers with approximately 3M square feet of floor space integrated into Union Station through new PATH connections, GO train platform access through the enhanced teamway, future access to the Waterfront East LRT, and the new Union Station Bus Terminal in the base of 81 Bay. A one-acre, publicly-accessible park spans the rail corridor, linking the north tower to the south and the Downtown to Toronto’s waterfront.

With both 81 Bay and 141 Bay now complete, CIBC SQUARE demonstrates how brownfield remediation can unlock transformative city-building: converting constrained and contaminated urban lands into a highly connected employment hub while creating new public space, transit infrastructure and pedestrian connections in the heart of downtown Toronto.

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Project Team: 

Owners: Hines and La Caisse

Consultant Team Members:

  • Wilkinson Eyre (Design Architect)
  • Adamson Associates (Project Architect)
  • Public Work (Landscape Architect)
  • Urban Strategies (Planning and Urban Design)


  

Location: Hamilton, ON

St. Mark’s opened in 1877 and closed in 1989. It was headed for demolition until the City of Hamilton stepped in during the 1990s to save it. Then it sat locked and unused for roughly three decades. A boarded Gothic Revival church and a neglected park on a downtown corner in the Durand neighbourhood, producing nothing and costing the City to hold.

Regeneration here meant reuse instead of replacement. The building came back as Magnolia Hall, a public arts, music and cultural venue, delivered across two phases for roughly $6.7M. Renokrew delivered Phase 2 as prime contractor at $5.85M, substantially complete January 2024. Magnolia Hall opened to the public on April 26, 2025.

The environmental case starts with what was not done. Nothing was demolished, nothing went to landfill, and the embodied carbon in 1877 masonry stayed where it was. From there:
Envelope improvements and efficient HVAC, lighting and water fixtures cut energy consumption by 30 per cent.
A new on-site stormwater management system diverts 100 per cent of the site’s stormwater away from the municipal sewer.
Tree canopy was expanded across the site, with new plantings 80 per cent native species.
Hazardous material abatement was completed as part of the exterior and wrought iron restoration.
A new southwest addition added washrooms, a kitchen and barrier-free entrances. The stage is barrier-free. A perennial community garden and outdoor gathering space replaced dead ground.
A closed building on a downtown corner is now in public use every week.

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Project Team: 

  • City of Hamilton — Owner
  • Renokrew — Prime Contractor, Phase 2
  • ATA Architects Inc. — Prime Consultant / Architect
  • Mantecon Partners — Engineering
  • OMC Landscape Architecture — Landscape Architect

 

Location: Toronto, ON

How do you transform a former brownfield into an urban refuge? By bringing together the community to create a vision that will result in a positive transformation for an underutilized space in the heart of Canada’s largest city.

The two-acre park, is the latest addition in Waterfront Toronto’s conversion of brownfield lands into an international destination.

This area was previously located in the Toronto Harbour and was developed through lake filling activities between 1924 and 1930. Following placement of fill and land reclamation, a portion of the park was developed as a TTC Car loop in the 1950s before becoming a Gardiner Expressway off-ramp at York Street and Harbour Street. The remainder of the site was previously used as parkland (Non-Ramp Lands).

For environmental purposes the site was sub-divided into two distinct portions. A modified generic risk assessment (MGRA) was completed for the ramp lands and a due diligence risk assessment (DDRA) was undertaken for the remainder of the site. The RAs identified Risk Management Measures (RMMs) to manage the soil contaminants remaining in place. The key components of the RMMs that were implemented during construction included soil cap barriers and vapour mitigation measures.

Love Park is the new gem of Toronto’s downtown region, reclaiming a relic of the city’s transportation past to become an outdoor oasis for residents, professionals and visitors to enjoy.

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Project Team: WSP, City of Toronto, Waterfront Toronto, Somerville Construction, CCxA Landscape Architects

RENEW

Project Development at the Neighbourhood Scale

Location: Orillia, ON

The Sunshine Harbour development has revitalized the waterfront area of Orillia. The property comprises three parcels of land (the north parcel, central parcel and south parcel). The property was first developed in 1872, with historical ownership including the Midland Railway Company of Canada, the Longford Lumber Company, Georgian Bay Seaboard Railway Company, the Canada Wood Specialty Company, and various petroleum companies. Historical activities included various uses ancillary to rail yards and rail spurs, wood treatment, coal storage, and infilling of a portion of Lake Couchiching. Historical dry cleaning operations existed upgradient of the south and central parcels.

Contaminants of concern included heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated volatile organic compounds. Separate remedial strategies were developed for the three parcels, which included a combination of soil removal to address shallow fill and risk assessment to manage deeper soil and groundwater impacts. Three separate RSCs were filed (one to generic standards and two to property specific standards) to permit residential land use.

Sunshine Harbour has contributed to the revitalization of Orillia’s waterfront by transforming formerly underutilized and derelict lands into a more active, accessible, and connected residential waterfront community. Phase 1, comprising the north parcel, is complete; Phase 2 is currently under construction; and Phases 3 and 4 are planned for future completion.

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Project Team: Stantec Consulting Ltd., FRAM + Slokker, Giannone Petricone Associates

Location: Boucherville, QC

The Landreville Quarry in Boucherville, Quebec, was a large-scale brownfield created by uncontrolled disposal of toxic residual materials from Canada and USA (1968-1981) that sat abandoned for over 25 years. Environmental remediation began in 2018 and was completed in August 2025, following three years of preparation and seven years of intensive remediation work.

The rehabilitation addresses approximately 79,000 m³ of hazardous residual materials through engineered capping, containment of contamination, and the stabilization of the quarry. Capping includes a large-scale waterproofing polyethylene geomembrane and two draintube-type geocomposites layers to drain biogas and groundwater. Furthermore, over 4 million metric tonnes of materials have been received and managed for stabilization purposes and to allow the project to be self-funding, a first of its kind in Quebec.

The potential environmental impacts of hazardous waste left have been addressed by a biofilter for methane emission treatment to support carbon neutrality, a groundwater drawdown system preventing off-site contaminant migration, and a contingency water treatment system should significant degradation occur. These measure follows a risk-based remediation approach, allowing contaminants to remain safely in place while eliminating exposure pathways and protecting future users, flora and fauna.

The result is a transformation of a long-standing environmental liability into a 16 metre-high landscaped knoll which will be a safe, functional public asset. The completed park will be transferred to the City of Boucherville, returning the land to community use and demonstrating how brownfield regeneration can create lasting environmental, social and economic value.

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Project Team: Thomas Drouin, Kevin Randall

Location: Britannia Beach, BC

This project is directly linked to brownfield regeneration through the remediation and redevelopment of a 3.1-hectare former mining site in Britannia Beach. For decades, the property was impacted by historic mining activities, leaving extensive soil and groundwater contamination and limiting its economic and community value.

Rather than leaving the site underutilized, the project combined environmental remediation with neighbourhood redevelopment. An innovative remediation strategy used clean imported fill to create flood protection infrastructure while simultaneously capping contaminated soils, eliminating exposure pathways and reducing impacts to groundwater and nearby aquatic environments. Supported by decades of environmental investigation, risk assessment, and regulatory approvals, the approach enabled the safe redevelopment of land that had long been considered a barrier to community growth.

The project transformed a dormant brownfield into a vibrant mixed-use community featuring 73 townhomes, commercial and retail spaces, employee housing, public trails, a community garden, and recreational amenities. Historic buildings were preserved and integrated into the redevelopment, celebrating the site’s heritage while creating new economic opportunities.

The regeneration of this site has attracted investment, supported local businesses, strengthened tourism, and contributed to the broader revitalization of Britannia Beach. By converting contaminated and underutilized land into a thriving neighbourhood, the project demonstrates how brownfield redevelopment can deliver environmental restoration, economic renewal, and long-term community benefits, while helping transform a former industrial landscape into a sustainable and liveable community.

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Project Team:

  • Developer – Macdonald Development Corporation – Brent Kapler, Development Manager & Donal O’Callaghan, Chief Development Officer
  • Prime Consultant – LEGACY Environmental Ltd., Jason Wilkins, CSAP
  • Sub – consultant – Stantec Consulting Ltd.
  • Sub – consultant – Enterprise Geoscience Services Ltd., John Balfour, P.Eng. (retired)
  • Regulator – BC Ministry of Environment and Parks

 

REMOTE

Remediation in Remote, Rural and Indigenous communities

Location: Puvirnituq, Nunavik region, QC

The Puvirnituq Soil Treatment Platform is a pioneering sustainable remediation initiative that transforms how contaminated soils are managed across Nunavik. Developed by Avataani, an Indigenous joint venture between Sanexen Environmental Services and Avataa, the project provides the region’s first permanent local treatment facility for petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soils.

For decades, contaminated soils generated by heating oil spills throughout Nunavik had to be shipped thousands of kilometres to southern Quebec for disposal. This approach resulted in significant transportation costs, high greenhouse gas emissions, and the permanent loss of valuable soil resources.

Following more than two years of collaboration with the Village of Puvirnituq and Quebec’s Ministry of the Environment, Avataani received approval in 2024 to construct and operate the treatment platform. The facility is authorized to treat petroleum hydrocarbons (C10-C50), PAHs, VOCs and phenolic compounds.

Since becoming operational, the facility has received more than 750 tonnes of contaminated soil, which are being treated and returned for beneficial local reuse rather than being disposed of in southern landfills. This circular economy approach conserves natural resources, minimizes waste generation, reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with long-distance transportation, and restores land that can continue to support community development.

The project also creates lasting socio-economic benefits by providing employment and technical training for local community members who now participate in treatment operations. The facility serves not only Puvirnituq but also neighbouring Nunavik communities, creating a sustainable regional solution that delivers measurable environmental, economic and social value.

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Project Team: Roger D’Amour, Samuel Thomas, Dominique Tremblay, Carl Sauvageau

Location: Southern Shores of Great Slave Lake, NT

Along the southern shores of Great Slave Lake, NT, a railbed remediation project was undertaken to address legacy contamination associated with the former Pine Point mine. The decommissioned railbed was used in the 1970s/80s to transport lead and zinc ore from the mine to Hay River, where it was then shipped south for processing. Now under the care of CIRNAC, the railbed, with prevalent lead and zinc contamination, was frequently use as a transportation corridor by local community members for recreational, traditional and cultural land uses.

CIRNAC commissioned a multi-disciplinary team to assess and characterize the site risks. The risk assessment determined that an unacceptable risk was posed by lead contamination in key areas of the railbed. Through remedial options analysis and engagement with local and indigenous communities, excavation of the lead-impacted material was selected as the preferred remedial option.

Executing the remediation in Canada’s north posed a number of logistical hurdles, which were compounded by a:
• federal election occurring during tendering; and
• change in CCME guidance for assessing lead contamination risk one month prior to mobilization.

These challenges led to schedule delays, pushing the remediation into the winter months with temperatures routinely hitting -40 °C. Additionally, the excavated material was considered hazardous waste (due to lead leachate levels), meaning the material had to be shipped to a landfill facility in Alberta, over 1,100km away. Coordination and engagement of team members from two different Indigenous communities was also an important component of the work.
Despite these challenges, the project was completed in January 2026 with over 900 tonnes of contaminated material removed and the remedial objectives achieved.

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Project Team:

  • Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC),
  • SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd.,
  • Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC),
  • KBL Environmental Contracting

Location: Lansdowne House, ON

The Neskantaga Environmental Remediation and Community Revitalization Project transformed three hydrocarbon-contaminated sites into lands capable of supporting future environmental, cultural and community uses. Located approximately 500 km northeast of Thunder Bay, the sites posed significant risks to soil, groundwater and nearby watercourses and had become barriers to future development.

The project included the treatment of nearly 13,000 m³ of contaminated soil and almost one million litres of contaminated water. A custom-designed mobile water treatment system was deployed, while existing treatment infrastructure was upgraded and repurposed, reducing the need for new construction and minimizing the project’s environmental footprint. Local materials were used wherever possible, and excavated peat and native vegetation were reused to support natural site restoration.

Beyond remediation, the project created the conditions for long-term regeneration. Restored lands can now support future agricultural uses aligned with community food sovereignty objectives, while culturally significant areas on ancestral lands have been returned to safe use. The initiative also evolved into four complementary projects delivered through a single mobilization, creating additional infrastructure and community development benefits.

By removing environmental liabilities and restoring the productive, cultural and ecological value of the land, the project demonstrates how brownfield remediation can serve as a catalyst for community renewal, resilience and future opportunity.

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Project Team:

  • Guillaume Robert, Senior Director, Site Remediation, Englobe – Québec
  • Alexandre Leclerc, Team Lead, Site Remediation, Englobe – Québec
  • Benoit Lefebvre, Senior Technician, Site Remediation, Englobe – Québec
  • Alain Larivière, Project manager, Site remediation, Englobe – Québec
  • Roch Vaillancourt, Project manager, Site Remediation, Englobe – Ontario

 

Location: Ellesmere Island, NU

Located on Ellesmere Island in Nunavut at approximately 80° North latitude, the Eureka High Arctic Weather Station is among the northernmost permanently occupied facilities in Canada and lies approximately 1,100 kilometres from the North Pole. The Eureka High Arctic Weather Station Remediation Project demonstrates how contaminated site management can support environmental stewardship, economic reconciliation, and long-term northern capacity building in one of the most remote and logistically challenging environments in North America.

The project involved construction of a fully engineered Soil Treatment Facility (STF) and the excavation, transport, and placement of approximately 3,995 m³ of hydrocarbon-impacted soil generated from historic operations at the facility. Rather than transporting contaminated material thousands of kilometres for disposal, the project established infrastructure to support the long-term management of contaminated soils in the High Arctic. Contaminated soils were placed within the engineered treatment cell, amended with nutrients, and tilled to support future bioremediation activities as part of the site’s long-term remediation strategy. Long-term treatment performance and remedial outcomes will continue to be monitored and evaluated over time.

The project required all major equipment, materials, and supplies to be planned, procured, and shipped through a single annual sealift, with no opportunity for resupply once the vessel departed.

The project also generated meaningful Inuit participation and economic benefits. Approximately 98% of subcontractor and supplier spending was directed to Inuit-owned businesses, while Inuit beneficiaries contributed more than 3,560 hours of employment during project delivery. By creating northern environmental infrastructure and supporting local capacity development, the project provides a model for managing contaminated sites in remote Arctic environments.

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Project Team:

  • Sudliq Developments Ltd. (JV – Salumaq)
  • Milestone Environmental Contracting Inc. (JV – Salumaq)
  • Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)
  • Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
  • AECOM (Consultant)

REFOCUS

Vision of Alternative Benefits to Brownfield Remediation

Location: Ottawa, ON

The 1010 Somerset Community Hub project represents one of the City of Ottawa’s most ambitious brownfield regeneration initiatives, transforming environmentally constrained former federal and municipal lands into a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable community destination. The project includes the former federal property at 1010 Somerset Street West (industrial warehouse) and adjacent City-owned lands including the Plant Recreation Centre and Plouffe Park. Following extensive environmental investigations, completion of a site-specific Risk Assessment, approval by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), and filing of a Record of Site Condition (RSC), the City of Ottawa successfully removed a significant barrier to redevelopment and enabled the safe reuse of these strategically located urban lands.

The successful approval of the Risk Assessment and subsequent filing of the Record of Site Condition established a regulatory pathway that enabled redevelopment while protecting human health and the environment. The project demonstrates how risk-based environmental management can unlock complex urban brownfield sites and support broader city-building objectives. By addressing environmental constraints through a science-based and regulatory-approved approach, the City created the foundation for long-term community investment and sustainable land reuse.

The redevelopment will create a complete community centered around approximately 300 residential units, including 150 affordable housing units, a new recreation and cultural facility, a new French-language elementary school (now under construction), enhanced public open space, improved active transportation connections, and expanded recreational amenities. The project directly implements the vision of the West Downtown Core Secondary Plan and supports transit-oriented development within the Corso Italia Station District.

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Project Team: City of Ottawa, Dillon Consulting Limited

Location: Iona Island, Richmond, BC

Metro Vancouver is planning to upgrade the Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant to meet regulatory requirements and ensure the continued protection of public health and the environment in a growing region. The project will support regional growth as well as enhance sensitive ecosystems around Iona Island and foster climate resilience. Over the coming years, the four treated sludge lagoons will be transitioned into freshwater wetlands. To support the rehabilitation, WSP conducted a year-long field program assessing the island’s physical and chemical conditions. This included the assessment of groundwater-surface water interaction based on measured water levels, a geochemical analysis of water types and their interactions using natural isotopes. Based on the data compilation and analysis, a geological model of the Site was constructed using Leapfrog and then a hydrogeological Conceptual Site Model (CSM) was developed, to form the basis of understanding of Site conditions and to support numerical model development. Using HydroGeoSphere (HGS), WSP developed a numerical model to analyse the water budget and predict future conditions under sea level rise and climate change for the current configuration of the lagoons. WSP’s calibrated model equips Metro Vancouver with a tool to assess potential environmental impacts of alternative design plans and facilitate decision making for Iona Island’s long-term sustainability based on possible future conditions of the water features on the island, including the transitioned lagoons– will they remain wet and support freshwater ecosystems or become tidally influenced and saline.

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Project Team: Metro Vancouver, WSP Canada Inc.

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