Sustainability is a key value for BCTC. We plan, manage and operate B.C.’s electricity grid taking into account its potential impact on the environment. Our first environmental priority is understanding the effects of our business and managing our system to minimize the impact of those effects. We work cooperatively with Aboriginal Peoples and stakeholders on resource management to ensure that we have a sustainable electricity grid.
As a part of our commitment to the environment, we support local sustainability projects. For example, in Nanaimo, BCTC worked with Ducks Unlimited Canada on the conversion of a 22-hectare parcel of farmland into tidal marsh in the Holden Creek area. Upgrades to dikes and the creation of ponds restored traditional fish channels and waterfowl habitat.
We also ensure that all major projects meet provincial environmental standards through review by the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO). The EAO is a neutral provincial agency that coordinates assessment of the impacts of major project proposals in B.C. They provide a framework to address a broad range of environmental, health and safety, socio-economic, community and First Nations issues through a single, integrated process. This process ensures the concerns of all interested parties are considered.
We are committed to building and maintaining an electricity transmission system that is both reliable and environmentally sustainable.