Public notice

Shoreline adaptation and restoration - Whey-ah-Wichen (Cates Park) - Public Comments Invited

May 22, 2025– The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority must determine whether the Shoreline adaptation and restoration - Whey-ah-Wichen (Cates Park), located at Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park, North Vancouver, is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. 
 

To help inform this determination, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada are inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. All comments received will be considered public and may be posted online.  For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website. In addition, your contact information may be shared with third parties, e.g., the tenant, other relevant agencies, to help respond to your questions and inform possible mitigations.
 

Written comments must be submitted by June 21, 2025 to:

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
Project and Environmental Review
100 The Pointe, 999 Canada Place
Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6C 3T4
per@portvancouver.com
 

The proposed project

The District of North Vancouver (DNV) and s?lilw?ta?/Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) propose to implement approximately 1.3 km of shoreline adaptation and restoration at Whey-ah-Wichen (WaW; Cates Park). The shoreline is eroding and likely to worsen with sea level rise and climate change, which threatens archeological resources, shoreline habitat, park infrastructure, and cultural sites.
 

The project will include the placement of approximately 26,000 cubic metres of fill and rock materials in the mid and upper intertidal and restoration planting above the high-water mark. The approximate footprint is 29,500 square metres. Planting will include dunegrass and riparian habitats. Restoration works will occur within the Fisheries Least Risk Windows and in two phases, with each phase lasting approximately a year:
 

Phase 1 – Roche Point and East Beach (~2025-2026)

• Pre-construction invertebrate salvage
• Mobilization and site clean-up
• Placement of fill materials and construction of access points
• Demobilization
• Riparian and dune grass habitat planting

 

Phase 2 – West Beach, Central Beach, Little Cates (~2026-2027)

• Pre-construction invertebrate salvage
• Mobilization and site clean-up
• Placement of fill materials and construction of access points
• Demobilization
   

To reduce environmental impacts, construction will primarily take place at night during low tides, including weekends (i.e., 24/7). Existing infrastructure (outfalls) may require upgrades (outfall extensions) to facilitate the project.
 

Material will be delivered to the site by barge or via trucks.