July 23, 2010
Funding Home Run for Canada's Tournament Capital

KAMLOOPS - Twelve more brownfield renewal projects will be approved and receive a share of $800,000 from the B.C. Brownfield Renewal Fund, announced Agriculture and Lands Minister Steve Thomson today.

"The successful projects will span all regions of the province, and they all have tremendous potential for redevelopment, giving these areas a new lease on life," said Thomson. "Brownfield site remediation begins this process, and more importantly allows these sites to be returned to their community and active use, while at the same time promoting local economic activity and encouraging further land development."

The announcement was made from the former Rayleigh Correctional facility site owned by the City of Kamloops, which is one of two successful Kamloops-area locations. The site encompasses 120 ha on the west side of the Yellowhead Highway. Past activities on the site have included: a correctional centre, munitions area, automobile maintenance shops, fuel storage and waste disposal. The City has been awarded $96,070 to undertake environmental investigations for plans to remediate the site, supporting recreational, sporting and agricultural activities. 

"This project and others made possible under the B.C. Brownfield Renewal Fund, leads to neighbourhood and community revitalization through the creation of new recreational and business opportunities," said Mayor Peter Milobar, City of Kamloops. "In this case, we want to clean up and utilize adjacent land to the new Rayleigh Slo-Pitch Park, which will ultimately help increase Kamloops' profile as Canada's Tournament Capital."

Funding of $44,000 has also been awarded to Tranquille on the Lake, the other successful Kamloops applicant, located alongside Kamloops Lake with a history that dates back to the early 1900s. The small community housed a sanatorium, tuberculosis facility, fire hall and had a strong agricultural base. Today, the site has derelict buildings, hazardous waste materials and other public safety hazards.

"The redevelopment of these brownfields gives new life to valuable land that can meet the needs of a growing community," said Terry Lake, MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson. "These projects exemplify the kind of collaboration we are encouraging to help spur brownfield redevelopment into action through the Brownfield Renewal Strategy." 

Plans for Tranquille on the Lake involve designing a town of approximately 4,000 people around a state-of-the-art organic farm, including greenhouses and a vineyard. The town will include: lakeshore pathway systems, a public beach, a marina, a five-star hotel and a mix of single and multi-family housing.

"Brownfield remediation and renewal are foundational elements of the Tranquille vision, which is based on the integration of urban farming with the development of a new sustainable community, made possible through the B.C. Brownfield Renewal Fund," said Tim McLeod, development manager for the Tranquille Limited Parternship. "This new community will generate an enormous amount of economic activity and tourism opportunities for Kamloops and the Thompson Nicola Regional District."

The other ten successful projects for the third intake of funding will be announced over the coming weeks.

Brownfields are abandoned, vacant, derelict, or underutilized commercial and industrial properties, where past actions have resulted in actual or perceived contamination. These are sites that have great potential for redevelopment when the issue of contamination is addressed.

In March 2007, the Province announced its Brownfield Renewal Strategy, which included the multi-million-dollar Brownfield Renewal Funding Program. In April 2010, the Province announced the third intake for the program and applicants were invited to apply by May 19, 2010. Last year the program approved 17 projects totalling over $1.6 million.

The B.C. Brownfield Renewal Strategy is designed to encourage more brownfield redevelopment across British Columbia. The strategy helps reduce risk and uncertainty in brownfield redevelopment. The funding program supports the initial environmental work by providing up to $40,000 for preliminary site investigations and up to $125,000 for other types of environmental work. Eligible applicants include First Nations, local governments, non-profits, private companies and individuals.

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