Question Period Note: Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan

Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan

• The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the environment and reducing environmental risks from contaminated sites.

• There are over 23,600 identified federal contaminated sites. Of these sites, over 16,800 are now considered “closed” or no longer posing a risk.

• Of the remaining 6,800 federal contaminated sites, 5,000 are being actively remediated or assessed.

• The Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan is the main program that the federal government uses to address contaminated sites.

• An amount of $5.7 billion has been dedicated to cleaning up federal contaminated sites, between 2005 and 2024. As of March 2019, $3.9 billion of these funds has been spent.

• To date, this funding has resulted in approximately 20,700 jobs created.

The Government of Canada addresses contaminated sites through a number of programs, but the main one is the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP).

The FCSAP was established in 2005 as a horizontal, cost-shared program with the objective of reducing human health and environmental risks from known federal contaminated sites and associated federal financial liabilities in the Public Accounts of Canada.

Contaminated sites pose or are likely to pose an immediate or long-term hazard to human health or the environment. These sites are often a legacy of past practices. There are estimated to be tens of thousands of contaminated sites in Canada, most of which are privately owned or have reverted to municipalities and provinces.

Federal contaminated sites exist on lands owned or leased by the federal government, and sites on non-federal lands for which the federal government has accepted responsibility for the contamination. The Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory (FCSI) lists over 23,600 federal sites across Canada. Of these sites, over 16,800 have been closed, either because the sites have been remediated or no action was required following assessment.

Of the approximately 6,800 sites remaining:
• Approximately 5,000 are actively being assessed or remediated. 2,300 of these have liabilities recorded in the Public Accounts.
• Approximately 1,800 sites are listed as suspected because it has not yet been determined if contamination exists.

Funding of the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan

The program was renewed in 2019 for another 15-years with $1.16 billion for Phase IV from 2019-20 to 2024-25, for a total federal allocation of $5.7 billion (2004-2025).

FCSAP funding is allocated on a priority basis to federal departments, agencies and consolidated Crown corporations (custodians) which also pay a share of the assessment and remediation costs. Under the Treasury Board Policy on the Management of Real Property, custodial organizations are responsible for managing contaminated sites, including those that are not eligible for FCSAP funding.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Roles and Funding

Environment and Climate Change Canada has three roles under FCSAP. First, Environment and Climate Change Canada operates the Secretariat along with the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and provides leadership for the program. Environment and Climate Change Canada also provides technical advice and scientific expertise to custodians on the management of their contaminated sites. Environment and Climate Change Canada also receives funding as a custodian department to assess and remediate contaminated sites under its responsibility.

Contaminated Sites Litigation

There is currently one active litigation matter, the Pacific Environment Centre (PEC) site. The Sydney Tar Ponds litigation was recently concluded.

Question Period notes as provided by the Department to the Minister’s Office