An unfinished flood berm in Britannia Village is drawing growing concern from residents, though the SLRD and the province say a management plan is in discussion.
A flood berm in Britannia Village is drawing concern from some residents, who say it is incomplete, and seems to have a number of safety and environmental issues, as well as being an eyesore.
The berm, which has no vegetation nor topsoil, is located adjacent to a new townhouse development (351 Copper Drive) along Britannia Creek.
Residents’ concerns
Some residents have been looking for definitive answers about the berm’s completion.
Britannia Village resident of seven years Jonathan Mahec is one of them.
He said the “unsafe eyesore” has been bare for approximately the last two years, and appears to be attracting invasive species of plants in its disturbed soils, in which there is already “unsafe rubble.”
In April, Mahec showed The Squamish Chief scraps of rebar and metal protruding from the berm’s surface, also in the ditches dug either side. He said he worries children from the townhouses, who play on and around the berm, may be particularly vulnerable to injury from the metal.
Mahec had contacted a government of B.C. engineer in March to ask for an approximate timeline for the berm’s completion, and for the assessment and removal of any safety hazards.
“It is my understanding that the Crown (province) bears responsibility for the final completion of this berm, including the application of topsoil and either hydroseeding or appropriate landscaping works,” Mahec wrote in an email to the engineer, which he shared with The Squamish Chief.
“The community had hoped to see these important erosion control and stabilization measures completed in reasonable time following the structure’s construction … The delay is a source of growing concern among residents.”
Mahec, who owns and operates local contracting company South Shore Designs, also offered in the email to carry out the finishing work on the berm himself alongside other contractors in the area, saying there “is genuine interest and capability within the community to take this on.”
Mahec told The Squamish Chief that residents wish to have a landscaping plan prioritized. He suggested that water features, such as drinking fountains, would be an effective addition to the village’s commercial development.
Copper Drive resident of two years and Britannia Beach strata councillor Duncan Reid backed Mahec’s concerns. Reid clarified that, as Mahec said, some of the community would welcome the opportunity to complete the berm themselves, as well as maintain it.
“The kids are currently tripping over the berm. It’s a good two foot drop in. There’s wrought iron lying around that’s not being cleared up, and other dangers that keep coming out from underneath the hard rock,” Reid said.
“As a person who’s purchased here, our minimum is getting what we were sold. The value of our property will be better if we’re not next to a rubble building site that looks a mess. We would like to have some conversations, rather than it just be like this in six years time.”
A change of plan
MacDonald Corporation development manager Brent Kapler, who has worked on-site at Britannia Village for the last four years, said the berm’s construction has been delayed since 2024 because the original grading plan was altered by the province’s consultants.
The original plan, Kapler clarified, would have had the entire site slope away from the townhomes. The grading was then proposed to slope towards the town homes, which would thereby, Kapler continued, create some drainage issues. He said there is now a large drainage swell that runs adjacent to the townhome site.
“In [MacDonald’s] opinion, the landscaping could have been done during the first year,” Kapler said.
“From that point on, I have no idea what the holdup has been. We have been in touch with the province constantly, trying to find out what the timeline is, and what their plans are. I can only surmise as to why the plan was changed.
“I understand that with the province, they must go through a public process, and so sometimes these things aren’t as simple as they should be, so I sense the frustration of the community.”
Response from the province and regional government
The province’s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, which regulates and authorizes flood protection structures and dikes, explained in a statement to The Squamish Chief last month that they were not responsible for the berm’s construction, and suggested that local government are best positioned to provide community information on hazard protection for the area.
The Squamish Chief thereby contacted the Squamish-Lilooet Regional District (SLRD), who clarified in an emailed statement that the berm is owned by the province as it is situated on provincial land. The berm, the spokesperson wrote, was put in place as part of the adjacent site redevelopment in 2024, and that plans to develop the berm are now being enabled.
What is currently being done?
The SLRD wrote that they are working with the province “to update tenures/licenses associated with the [berm], which will include a management plan.”
Hydroseeding and revegetation have been identified as future next steps,” the statement reads, though at the time of print the SLRD are yet to confirm a timeline for the berm’s completion, or specific stages of further development.
The province is currently advertising for contractors to work on the The Britannia Mine Remediation Project- Crown Lot Landscaping, which includes the flood berm site (crown parcel) via BC Bid.
The berm site is listed under opportunity RFPCCSP2027-03, with a closing date of June 26, 2026 at 4 p.m. for bidders.
The project’s request for proposal (RFP), which is listed on the BC Bid website, was issued by the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship on May 20.
“The Ministry has recently remediated a crown parcel in the Britannia Beach fan area by installing an engineered impermeable cap consisting of compacted aggregate and soils,” the RFP reads.
“The general scope of work for this project is to complete a simple predesigned surface finishing plan for the Crown parcel that compliments the surrounding areas, while incorporating a number of existing features (e.g. the surface drainage swale and rip-rap flood protection wall).”
The RFP also includes a procurement schedule, which lists contract dates for work on the berm’s site, starting July 13, 2026, and ending October 31, 2027.
Following the contract award (on July 13), according to the RFP, there will be a project initiation meeting with the Ministry to review the work scope and schedule. A project communication plan will be established after that.
Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief’s Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter.
This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada.
By Ina Pace, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Jun 05, 2026 at 16:06
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