Public Notice

Old Cell House Demolition – Chemtrade Electrochem Inc. – Public comments invited

 

August 11, 2025 – As part of its Project and Environmental Review process, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority must determine whether the proposed Old Cell House Demolition – Chemtrade Electrochem Inc., located at 100 Amherst Ave, North Vancouver, are likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. 

To help inform this determination and a decision on whether or not to approve the proposed project, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is 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 September 12, 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

 

Chemtrade Electrochem Inc. is proposing to demolish the Cell House structure that was originally constructed in 1956 at their terminal located at 100 Amherst Avenue in North Vancouver. The building has been abandoned for the last 18 years and requires demolition as the structure poses a security and safety risk. The above-ground components of the building are to be demolished to the existing slab and no excavation is being proposed as part of this Project. The parcel of land will remain dormant until future development opportunities arise.
 

Approximately half of the building is located within the District of North Vancouver's jurisdiction, while approximately 1700 square metres of the building is located within the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority's jurisdiction.

 

Proposed works within the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority's jurisdiction include:

• Demolition of the old cell house (approximately 1700 square metres within VFPA's jurisdiction) down to a level slab, backfill of abandoned trenches, and hazardous materials abatement
• Dismantling and removal of abandoned structures, mechanical equipment and redundant piping
• Decommissioning and removal of chamber components, followed by trench backfilling and site grading
• Elimination of obsolete process vessels, supporting steel frameworks, electrical cabling and piping
• Partial demolition of structural bridge with electrical and mechanical disconnections
• Removal of abandoned hydrogen cooling infrastructure, including mechanical and electrical systems
• Partial demolition of structural bridge while ensuring the retention of essential sump pumps (partially within DNV's jurisdiction)
• Installation of modular lubrication storage building to replace old lubrication room (within port authority's jurisdiction)