Past Regional Work
Here are highlights of some past initiatives in the Greater Vancouver – Sea to Sky region.
The Fraser Basin Council served as a facilitator for a program led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority called Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) from 2015 to 2023.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority ECHO program — which began in 2014 — is aimed at better understanding and reducing the cumulative effects of shipping on whales on the southern coast of British Columbia.
As whales and ships share the same waters, many of the ships calling at the Port of Vancouver travel through critical habitat of the endangered southern resident killer whales, as well as through other areas of importance to whales, such as the northern resident killer whales and humpback, fin, blue and sei whales. Various organizations operate commercial vessels in the port’s jurisdiction. The ECHO program collaboratively addresses the cumulative effects of vessel activity on whales, involving Canadian and US partners, government agencies, the marine transportation industry, Indigenous communities, and environmental groups, guided by an advisory working group and technical committees.
In December 2023, the ECHO Program concluded its season of voluntary initiatives aimed at reducing commercial ship traffic impacts on endangered southern resident killer whales, focusing on vessel slow-downs in Haro Strait and Boundary Pass. The voluntary vessel slowdown in Swiftsure Bank achieved a record participation rate of 85%, while tugboat route alterations in the Strait of Juan de Fuca reached 95%. The ECHO Program’s ship slowdowns have been shown to reduce whale strike risk by nearly 30% and underwater noise by 50%, addressing key threats like ship strikes and acoustic disturbance.
FBC’s Executive Vice President, Bob Purdy, served as the facilitator for ECHO. After completing his career with the Fraser Basin Council in 2024, Bob continued to work directly with the Port of Vancouver to ensure continuity of services to the program. Learn more about ECHO today at the Port of Vancouver ECHO program.
In the Fall of 2018, Tides Canada Foundation and the Ritchie Foundation approached the Fraser Basin Council to commission an independent analysis of the economic impacts of a land-based salmon aquaculture industry on Vancouver Island, based on Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) technology.
FBC subsequently contracted Dr. Edwin Blewett, a resource economist and principal of Counterpoint Consulting Inc. of Vancouver, to undertake the analysis. The work was informed by several aquaculture experts in industry and government. The report, RAS Atlantic Salmon Industry on Vancouver Island Financial Model & Economic Impact Analysis, was forwarded to a consultant that was undertaking a broader study of aquaculture technologies, led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in collaboration with the BC Ministry of Agriculture.
In 2011 FBC hosted a Lower Fraser Collaborative Initiative to help leaders in the region identify opportunities to secure the long-term sustainability of the lower Fraser River, from Hope to the Salish Sea. FBC brought together all orders of government, along with private and non-profit sector leaders, each with an interest in the river or a responsibility for some aspect of its management. The aim was to assess opportunities to work more collaboratively.
FBC hosted a river tour and two dialogues on issues ranging from diking and flood management, to water use to ecosystem degradation. The project received funding from the BC Living Rivers Trust Fund, Environment Canada and the Real Estate Foundation of BC.
From its inception, the Fraser Basin Council has helped public authorities, agencies and other interests in taking an integrated approach to flood hazard management. In this role, FBC oversaw development of a hydraulic model of the Lower Fraser (which led to a new provincial design profile for dike construction), digital floodplain mapping, flood gauge installations, best practices for environmental protection, and a BC Flood Forum for communities to share lessons learned.
FBC also helped oversee and secure funding for the Fraser River Debris Trap to protect Lower Mainland communities from large volumes of woody debris coming downstream. The trap is now overseen by the Province of BC through a funding partnership.
Moving people and goods across the busy, growing Lower Mainland is extremely. Transportation impacts climate change, air quality, human health, economic productivity and quality of life. Without doubt, it’s a key sustainability issue.
The Fraser Basin Council has helped support steps for more sustainable transportation across BC through multiple programs over the years. That includes support for regional transportation and transit initiatives in the Greater Vancouver Sea to Sky region. As an example, the GVSS Regional Manager assisted Translink in an initiative to track and publicly report on sustainability measures and helped support steps leading to Transport 2040, Translink’s long-range plan for sustainable transportation.
The Fraser Basin Council, through its BuySmart Network for sustainable purchasing education, worked with Metro Vancouver in updating its Sustainable Supply Chain Logistics Guide in late 2011. The guide helped businesses work with their clients and suppliers to avoid waste, make better use of resources, and improve financial, environmental and social performance. The guide was designed for manufacturers, wholesale or retail distributors and logistics companies. Metro Vancouver offered the guide as part of its Sustainable Region Initiative.
In 2009 the City of North Vancouver asked the Fraser Basin Council to assess the City’s policies, plans and programs from a sustainability perspective. The aim was to pinpoint gaps and suggest improvements.
Through the work of Smart Planning for Communities facilitator and the GVSS Senior Regional Manager, FBC reviewed key documents, interviewed City staff on their understanding and implementation of the policies, and considered external sustainability indicators. The City was found to have many successes and also opportunities to further integrate sustainability into their work. The project was profiled in a Smart Planning case study, North Vancouver Walks the Talk, and in a final report, Measuring and Communicating Sustainability Progress Within the City of North Vancouver.
Sustainability Snapshot 2010: Working Together in the Lower Mainland is an FBC report on key measures of social, economic and environmental health in the Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver and Squamish-Lillooet. While doing well on many fronts, these communities are also grappling with the pressures of population growth, coupled with high levels of consumption, waste and pollution, and certain social and economic disparities.
Stickers with QR codes were also distributed and displayed around the region for quick access to the online map. The youth hope that this resource is helpful to those trying to find freely available water and as a tool to showcase local gaps in available water, for future planning purposes.
To support Environment Canada in monitoring the health of the Georgia Basin ecosystem, FBC conducted indicators research and a multi-sector survey of professionals and decision-makers for their views. The first survey was completed in 2007, with further research undertaken in 2010.
In the view of survey participants, the greatest impacts on the health of the Georgia Basin ecosystem are human population growth and development, consumption of resources, climate change, waste and pollution, issues related to fragmented governance, transportation, homelessness and food security. Survey participants cited sustainability conflicts and tensions over land use and density, transportation, population growth, the cost of living and homelessness. Also high on the list were solid and liquid waste management, air quality and food security and supply.
Many participants said that they were measuring sustainability in their own work, but were not necessarily collecting the appropriate data and information on Georgia Basin ecosystem health. To take action on priority concerns, participants recommended adaptive governance, leadership and clearer roles and responsibilities.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (dubbed SMES) are businesses with fewer than 500 employees. They are a critical part of the BC economy. As of 2008, there were about 350,000 SMES, contributing 30% of the provincial GDP and 58% of private sector jobs.
In partnership with VanCity Savings Credit Union, FBC oversaw a survey on the sustainability practices of small and medium-sized business in the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Southern Vancouver Island.
There were 331 respondents to the survey, and most reported some sustainability initiatives underway. Their efforts included waste reduction (92.5%), ethical purchasing (61%), GHG and energy reductions (51%) and water conservation (40%). Social initiatives included charitable contributions and employee volunteerism (45%). The survey allowed businesses to self-select, so it’s not clear how representative the findings were of SMES as a whole. It was clear, however, that there are many strong sustainability champions in this sector.
