Construction of Coastal and River Flood Protection Works to retain recurrent flooding in Tsulquate 4 on Gwa'sala-‘Nakwaxda'xw Territory - Public Comments Invited

February 13, 2023 – Infrastructure Canada must determine whether the proposed Construction of Coastal and River Flood Protection Works to retain recurrent flooding in Tsulquate 4 on Gwa'sala-‘Nakwaxda'xw Territory, located in Port Hardy, British Columbia, is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

To help inform this determination, Infrastructure Canada is inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. All comments received will be considered public. For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website (https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/Protection?culture=en-CA).

Written comments must be submitted by March 16, 2023 to:

Moumen Kamnaksh, Environmental Review Officer, Infrastructure Canada (moumen.kamnaksh@infc.gc.ca)

The Proposed Project

The proposed project consists of four main components to protect the Tsulquate 4 reserve on Gwa'sala-‘Nakwaxda'xw Territory from flooding:

1. A sea dike with a flat engineered beach along the foreshore slope connected to a river dike along the Lower Tsulquate River;

2. The area behind the new dikes would be raised to the flood construction levels;

3. Existing houses and services will need to be raised or replaced;

4. The bridge river crossing at the Lower Tsulquate River would need to be raised to protect against bridge wash out from flooding with new bridge approaches.

The Gwa?sala-?Nakwaxda?xw community near Port Hardy BC is subject to recurring coastal and river flooding. Floods in the past have flooded portions of the community causing extensive damage to residential areas. With the onset of sea level rise the frequency of this low lying community is expected to increase. Flood mapping to define the consequences of the hazard have been completed along with mitigation options. The most cost effective and sustainable option of an Engineered Beach and River Dike has been selected and a preliminary design prepared. This work would include replacement of the sole bridge and raising lands behind the new dike and rebuilding the lower community at a higher flood construction level.