Provincial regulator orders WLNG workers onto Squamish floatel – BC News

The ante has been upped in the Woodfibre LNG floatel saga. 

The provincial Environmental Assessment Office has issued an order for Woodfibre LNG to relocate all its workers currently housed at “unauthorized locations” to the marine-based work camp by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 21.

The EAO says an inspection on June 10, found approximately 350 workers for the project were residing elsewhere, and subsequently issued an order on June 17 for those workers to be housed on the floatel within four days.

Woodfibre LNG has been waiting on a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) from the District of Squamish to move the floatel, currently moored in Nanaimo, to its worksite location seven kilometres from town on the shores of Howe Sound. 

The permit was first effectively rejected by council, and then brought back for reconsideration.

Most recently, at its June 4 meeting, council referred the TUP back to muni staff to gather more information. 

Staff is to come back to council—it is on the docket for Tuesday’s council meetings—for information with the proponent on four points; an increase to the security deposit from $2 million to $10 million; the risk (if any) that the Henrietta Lake poses to the floatel; for WLNG and FortisBC to work together in identifying cumulative impacts resulting from their projects; and “an understanding of current compliance with project conditions.”

But the provincial regulator has stepped into the fray ahead of that meeting, noting in its inspection report that as part of WLNG’s Environment Certificate, it had to house any worker who did not reside in the District of Squamish prior to Sept. 20, 2023, on the floatel.

According to the report, 300 project workers are being housed at a construction camp in Port Mellon and 30 workers at a local hotel in Squamish.

An additional 87 workers are housed elsewhere.

“The EAO continues to monitor the site to make sure all requirements are being met and will re-inspect for compliance,” reads the release.

The Squamish Chief has reached out to Woodfibre LNG, the District of Squamish and My Sea to Sky for comment and will update this story when we hear back. 

~With a file from Scott Tibballs/The Squamish Chief