The environmental assessment for the Whistler Sliding Centre project on Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler was conducted by Federal Department of Canadian Heritage under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEEA). The screening commenced in September, 2004 and was completed on June 1, 2005.
A number of local, provincial and federal agencies participated in the extensive review of the project including: VANOC, Squamish First Nation, Lil’wat First Nation, BC Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, BC Ministry of Forests, Land and Water BC, Vancouver Regional Health Authority, Environment Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Service, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Health Canada, Natural Resources Canada – Geographical Survey of Canada, BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Resort Municipality of Whistler, and Whistler-Blackcomb (Intrawest).
In consideration of VANOC’s implementation of mitigation measures, commitments and assurances, Canadian Heritage, as the federal Responsible Authority, has determined that the proposed Whistler Sliding Centre is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. Construction of the facility can now begin.
Location
The Whistler Sliding Centre will be the venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It will feature a 1,450 meter track and access road. The venue will occupy approximately 15.6 hectares of Crown land. The land required for the project is currently under long term tenure to Intrawest, the operator of Whistler and Blackcomb Mountain ski operations. VANOC has received approval in principle from the Province of British Columbia, Intrawest and the Resort Municipality of Whistler for use of the site.
Size, Scope and Phasing of the project
Construction of the Whistler Sliding Centre will include land preparation, road and parking lot improvements, track construction, infrastructure construction and the installation of a track refrigeration plant. Track and access road construction will require forest clearing, mainly within an area of second growth forest.
Scheduling
VANOC is planning Whistler Sliding Centre construction so that the venue is operational for test events and athlete training beginning in the winter 2007/2008 season. Construction will take place over a 28 month time frame commencing on June 6, 2005 and continuing until October 2007. Most of the track-related construction will be completed during 2006 and 2007.
Conditions of the CEAA Screening Determination
As a result of the CEAA screening and review, VANOC has provided a number of commitments to protect the environment. These measures include:
- surveys of nesting birds will be conducted in advance of tree clearing
- removal old growth trees will be avoided wherever possible
- water quality will be monitored
Posted in Vancouver 2010, VenuesComments (0)
Vancouver 2010 – Site Preparation Work on Schedule at Whistler Nordic Competition Venue
Posted on 08 June 2005.
venue, site of biathlon, ski jumping, Nordic combined and cross country
ski events in 2010, has become an active construction zone as site
preparation work continues on schedule. The on-time start earlier this
year supports VANOC’s commitment of early venue completion to allow
time for testing and to provide Canadian athletes with two years of
training time to help them prepare for the 2010 Games.
Construction
of the Nordic venue is moving ahead following a rigorous review
involving consultation with the public, stakeholder groups and First
Nations. British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office deemed that
the project presents no significant adverse environmental, economic,
social, heritage and health effects. The project also underwent a
screening review by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. The
review was completed in April 2005. For more details see the attached
backgrounder.
Phase 1 (May/June 2005) Site access preparation
Resource
Business Ventures Limited Partnership, a Mount Currie-based First
Nations company, is nearing completion of a contract to prepare the
site access at the Nordic competition venue. This contract represents a
fulfillment of a Vancouver 2010 Bid commitment made in the Shared
Legacies Agreement to offer “significant contracts in the Callaghan
Valley to be undertaken directly by the [Squamish and Lil'wat First]
Nations.”
Phase 2 (July to October 2005) Site Preparation
Phase
two at the Nordic competition venue involves clearing, grubbing and
rough grading for the compound areas to support the temporary
requirements for the 2010 Winter Games and road building. This work
will be awarded in July. Four British Columbia firms have pre-qualified
for this phase of work, work that represents approximately 10 per cent
of the total Vancouver 2010 Bid Book budget for the Nordic venue of
C$102 million.
Public Safety
As
part of VANOC’s comprehensive plan to achieve the highest standard of
safety, signs have been installed around the site and trail access is
limited in the Callaghan Valley as follows: mid flank trail and
lowerline road will be closed through the construction zone with
alternate access routes around the site currently being developed.
The Whistler Nordic Venue
The
new Whistler Nordic venue is part of a C$620 million investment for
2010 Winter Games venues funded equally by the Governments of Canada
and British Columbia.
The 250-hectare project involves
competition trails, ski jumps, a biathlon facility, three temporary
stadiums each with spectator capacity of 12,000, sewer/water/power
services, access roads and internal roads, parking lots, a lodge and
other related infrastructure facilities in the Callaghan Valley, south
west of the Whistler Resort. The competition venue design reflects the
best elements of similar facilities designed for previous Olympic
Winter Games.
Post-Games, the Nordic facilities will serve as a
legacy for the enjoyment of local residents, visitors and athletes in a
variety of ways from recreational uses to high performance sport.
An
additional 50-75 kilometres of recreational trails are proposed around
the Nordic competition site. Designs are being developed by VANOC and
will be assessed under an environmental review process involving the
Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations and federal and provincial agencies.
VANOC
VANOC
is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of
the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010.
The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler
from February 12 to 28, 2010. Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter
Games from March 12 to 21, 2010
-2010-
Posted in Vancouver 2010, VenuesComments (0)
Vancouver 2010 – Preliminary Site Preparation Begins on Schedule at the Whistler Sliding Centre
Posted on 08 June 2005.
For Immediate Release
Preliminary site preparation begins on schedule at the Whistler Sliding Centre following environmental screening approval
Whistler
- The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and
Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) is commencing the first phase of
construction this week of the Whistler Sliding Centre, the venue for
the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions during the 2010 Olympic
Winter Games. This on-time start supports VANOC’s commitment of early
venue completion to allow time for testing and to provide Canadian
athletes with two years of training time to help them prepare for the
2010 Games.
A comprehensive environmental screening process was
conducted under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and approval
was granted by federal authorities on June 1, 2005. The attached
backgrounder provides further detail.
PHASE 1 (June/July 2005): Preliminary Site Preparation
The
Whistler Sliding Centre will be located just above Parking Lot 8 on
Blackcomb Mountain. The first phase of development will site
preparation of the venue footprint. Whistler-based Coastal Mountain
Excavations has been awarded the contract for this phase of the
project, including tree cutting, site clearing and the assigning of
merchantable timber.
PHASE 2 (July – late fall 2005): Site Servicing, Grading and Road Access
The
second phase of the construction project includes site servicing,
grading, and development of the venue access road. Four British
Columbia-based companies have pre-qualified for this contract, which
will be tendered later this month. This contract represents
approximately 10 to 15 per cent of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Book sliding
centre budget of C$55 million.
PUBLIC SAFETY
The public
is reminded that the area is now an active construction zone and VANOC
is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety. As such,
safety signs and some fencing have been installed around the site and
public access will be strictly limited. Certain mountain bike trails
are impacted by the construction: the Rollercoaster trail is closed
during active construction activity and will be re-routed at a later
date and Little Spearhead trail is rerouted around the construction
site.
WHISTLER SLIDING CENTRE BACKGROUND
The
Whistler Sliding Centre is part of a C$620 million investment for 2010
Winter Games venues funded equally by the Governments of Canada and
British Columbia. The venue design reflects the best elements of tracks
constructed for previous Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, Lillehammer,
Lake Placid and Salt Lake City and promises to provide a competitive
challenge for the world’s best sliding athletes for the Games and
opportunities for training and tourist usage post Games.
The
ongoing operations of the Centre will be supported by an endowment
trust established by the federal and provincial governments as part of
their C$620 million investment.
The project will feature a 1,450
metre concrete track, refrigeration facilities, access road and venue
capacity of 11,650 during the 2010 Winter Games.
VANOC
VANOC
is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of
the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010.
The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler
from February 12 to 28, 2010. Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter
Games from March 12 to 21, 2010
-2010-
Posted in Vancouver 2010, VenuesComments (0)
Canada’s Hydrogen Highway- Development for the 2010 Vancouver and Whistler Winter Olympics
Posted on 23 May 2005.
Sign me up! I’m *so* buying a hydrogen car as soon as they come out.
Prime Minister Paul Martin announced Canada’s plans to build a Hydrogen HighwayTM from the Vancouver Airport to Whistler for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The Hydrogen Highway is two things. First, it is a metaphor for the
transition to the hydrogen economy and a sustainable future. A world
leading industry will develop along this road, providing economic and
social benefits to British Columbia and all of Canada. Second, the
Hydrogen Highway is a coordinated, large-scale demonstration and
deployment program intended to accelerate the commercialization of
hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
Today, it consists of seven nodes
– each with plans for its own sustainable microcosm with hydrogen
fueling infrastructure as well as a range of transportation and
stationary applications.
By creating an early adopter community of technology developers and
users throughout British Columbia, the Hydrogen Highway will play an
integral role in removing barriers for hydrogen and fuel cell
commercialization. The project will develop a critical mass of
expertise, knowledge, and experience in the area, provide data for
developing international codes and standards around implementing the
technology, stimulate demand for the technology by allowing the media
and general public to feel, touch and see the benefits of a hydrogen
economy, open doors for international partnership and create a hydrogen
infrastructure legacy in association with a high profile international
event.
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