Vernon, B.C. — Tolko Industries Ltd. (Tolko) today announced that the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy granted Tolko an extension to submit the Detailed Site Investigation (DSI) report for its decommissioned Kelowna property.
The extension was granted on May 4, 2021 following a Ministry review of Tolko’s stage 1 and stage 2 Preliminary Site Investigation reports and the Site Risk Classification Report. The revised date for submitting the DSI report is February 20, 2022.
The extra time has allowed for the decommissioning and removal of many of the site buildings and structures, which will allow the testing team to complete their investigations in support of the DSI. The Ministry by default gives one year to complete the DSI, however it is not uncommon to receive extensions on this process — the Kelowna site is large and complex with a long history of industrial activity, and extra time is required to ensure a thorough investigation.
“The third-party team conducting the site study have used provincial protocols to confirm that the site is not high risk to the environment or human health,” says Bob Fleet, Tolko’s Vice President, Environment and Forestry. “While detailed analysis is ongoing, we are pleased with the overall condition of the site given the history of industrial operations.”
Demolition of surface buildings is proceeding, as authorized by the Ministry and the City, with the stipulation that the underlying soil is not disturbed. In-ground structures such as foundations will not be removed before the DSI is completed, and one of the last major structures to be removed through the summer and fall of 2021 will be the plywood plant building. Several smaller buildings may still remain standing on-site at the end of the year.
For more information, contact:
Chris Downey, Communications Advisor
Tolko Industries Ltd.
M: 250.306.0929
Chris.Downey@tolko.com
