Work under the Government of Canada's multi-year Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP) has moved into a new phase. With it come new opportunities for DCC to contribute to environmental clean-up work at military sites across the country.
Unlike the previous three phases that focused on assessment and remediation of federal contaminated sites, the fourth phase focuses on remediation, explains Maria Drake, Regional Service Line Leader, Environmental Services.
The fourth phase will continue until 2024, with an enhanced emphasis on cross-government collaboration, and effective service delivery. New performance metrics and reporting requirements are key factors in the new $1.16 billion program. Climate change impacts and Indigenous benefits are just some of these enhanced requirements.
Historically, DCC delivers approximately 70% of DND's FCSAP program. For Phase IV, a DCC team is working directly with the DND program manager to support the work to be done, including reporting on progress, monitoring overall program delivery as well as support across the country to ongoing projects.
Inter-governmental involvement also informs work at the regional and site level on hundreds of FSCAP projects, allowing for two-way communications. DCC representatives from the sites and regions also sit on FCSAP regional integrated planning boards and on working groups dedicated to issues such as emerging contaminants, Indigenous benefits and procurement performance.
DCC brings many years' experience and knowledge to the work, Drake notes, with contaminated sites practitioners having strong relationships with their clients and knowing DND operations well—so well, that they can provide invaluable support, Drake explains. "You can't underestimate that history."