Uncategorized - Envision Canada

Guichon Creek Restoration Project Featured in Water Canada

2-November-2025

The Guichon Creek Restoration project was featured in the November/December issue of Water Canada Magazine.

British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Guichon Creek Restoration project earned Envision Platinum from ISI in May, 2025. The project was prompted due to the formation of a sinkhole caused by a failing culvert on campus adjacent to one of the buildings on BCIT’s south campus, in Burnaby, B.C. Urgent remediation works were recommended following a site visit that identified the sinkhole would likely grow, posing risks to infrastructure as well as life safety.

When the Burnaby campus was developed, a section of Guichon Creek was culverted to flow underground from the south to north of campus. The project leveraged the BCIT Campus Plan to develop a prompt strategy that would both address the current sinkhole and mitigate risks of future sinkholes. This solution not only offered enhancements to campus with new green space, but also supported resilience strategies by removing the risk of future culvert failures and sizing the creek’s capacity to accommodate 100-year storm events. Other benefits of the project included installing a fish ladder to support fish migration efforts, contributing to the campus’s Living Labs program, and demonstrate BCIT’s focus on sustainable solutions.

The Water Canada article also cited other Envision-aligned water projects in Canada. In each case, the project teams considered the needs and aspirations of their projects through a multi-faceted sustainability lens — committing to deliver the infrastructure in ways that addressed critical social, environmental and economic aspects. Link to the article.

York Region’s 2nd Concession Project Receives Envision Bronze Award

6-December-2022

ISI has awarded an Envision Bronze Award for sustainable infrastructure to the 2nd Concession Project, a major north-south arterial corridor under the jurisdiction of the Regional Municipality of York (York Region). Located in the Town of East Gwillimbury, this is the second project in Ontario to earn an Envision award for sustainability and the first project in the transportation sector in the province to do so.

The project in brief

The 2nd Concession project—the largest project ever undertaken by York Region’s Transportation Services Department—was a necessary investment in infrastructure to accommodate the tremendous growth in York Region and the Town of East Gwillimbury in particular. The six-kilometer corridor, extending from Bristol Road to Queensville Sideroad, crosses the Rogers Reservoir, a popular conservation area and recreational trail in the East Holland River watershed, which the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority manages.

This project widened the 2nd Concession from two lanes to four and included trails, three bridges, retaining walls, active transportation facilities, and stormwater management.

Some of the unique elements of this project included:

—An elevated wooden boardwalk through wetlands and marshes connecting forests with growing residential communities.
—Benches, bike racks, and a flagstone meeting area.
—A wooden-clad pedestrian bridge in the Rogers Reservoir overlooks the historic canal and lock system, which the project protected and preserved.
—Bridges spanning an active rail corridor and the Holland River.
—Curvilinear and terraced tree-patterned retaining walls.
—Dedicated cycle tracks (the first in the Region).

Quotes

“Congratulations to York Region and its project partners on earning an Envision Bronze award for sustainable infrastructure for the 2nd Concession project. This award results from tremendous teamwork, leadership, and community collaboration. Everyone in the area should be proud of this achievement. Protecting and enhancing the corridor area as an important resource for residents was given high priority in the planning and construction of the project, with a context-sensitive design maintaining or improving the natural systems and community quality of life aspects receiving careful attention.”
— Melissa Peneycad, ISI’s managing director.

“Yesterday was the first time we took our dogs for a walk along 2^nd Concession. The view from the bridge is amazing. The viewing platforms on the bridge are a nice touch. The boardwalk for the trail blends in well with the environment. You and your staff have done a wonderful job on this project.”

— R.W. a long-time resident living in the project corridor

This project had verified sustainability achievements in the following areas, among others: meaningful stakeholder engagement; improved infrastructure integration; improved mobility, safety and access; and wetland restoration.

View the full announcement in our Project Directory.

Terminal Expansion Project at Port of Vancouver Receives Envision Platinum Award

31-March-2022

The Centerm Expansion Project and the South Shore Access Project at the Port of Vancouver have obtained an Envision Platinum Award for Sustainability.

This design-build project centers on terminal expansion and improvements which will increase container and vessel handling capacity, but includes off-terminal improvements to the adjacent road and rail network. The combined project will help meet the increasing export and import demand for containers shipped through the Port of Vancouver.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is concurrently delivering these improvements with project partner WSP Canada, Inc. (the lead Envision Firm); AECOM; Centennial Expansion Partners (CXP), a joint venture between Dragados Canada, Jacob Brothers Construction, and Fraser River Pile & Dredge Inc.

This award recognizes the success of the project team in achieving sustainability goals in these areas:

— Prioritizing the needs and goals of the local communities through meaningful investments.
— Meaningful and credible stakeholder engagement.
— Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions
— Sustainable siting and innovative marine restoration.

View the full announcement in our Project Directory.

CSCE & ISI Partner to Accelerate the use of Envision® in Canada

7-December-2021

A French message will follow / Un message en français suivra

CSCE & ISI Partner to Accelerate the use of the Envision® Sustainable Infrastructure Framework in Canada

Washington, D.C., December 7, 2021 – Communities across Canada are looking for ways to improve the sustainability and resiliency of the built environment, address infrastructure deficits, spur economic recovery, and meet climate change commitments. Recognizing the importance of these crucial goals, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) and the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) are pleased to announce their partnership to accelerate the use of the Envision® sustainable infrastructure framework more broadly in Canada.

View the entire announcement in English & French.

La Société canadienne de génie civil et l’ISI s’associent pour accélérer l’utilisation du cadre Envision® pour les infrastructures durables au Canada

Les collectivités de partout au Canada cherchent des moyens d’améliorer la durabilité et la résilience de l’environnement bâti, de combler les lacunes en matière d’infrastructure, de stimuler la reprise économique et de respecter les engagements en matière de lutte contre le changement climatique. Consciente de l’importance de ces objectifs cruciaux, la Société canadienne de génie civil (SCGC) et l’Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) sont heureux d’annoncer leur partenariat visant à accélérer l’utilisation du cadre Envision® pour les infrastructures durables à plus grande échelle au Canada.

View the entire announcement in English and French.

Envision Packet

29-November-2021

Are you looking for a way to showcase Envision® sustainability and help others fully comprehend exactly what it can do? The 14-page Envision packet may be precisely what you need.

You can download the packet on our Resources page.

Northeast False Creek Earns Envision Platinum from ISI

21-October-2021

Consisting of an area of approximately 58 hectares, Northeast False Creek is the largest remaining underdeveloped waterfront area in the city of Vancouver. Northeast False Creek has a long and vibrant history; it was an important area for fishing, harvesting, and hunting by the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, on whose unceded traditional homelands the city of Vancouver is situated. It was an active center in Vancouver’s industrial past, with rail yards, lumber mills, and shipbuilding activities dominating its shores in the early 20^th century. Later, Northeast False Creek welcomed the world to Vancouver as the site of the Expo ’86 World’s Fair. Since then, the land has remained largely vacant, hosting temporary events and serving as an event-staging area for two nearby entertainment arenas.

The existing Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts were completed in the early 1970s as part of a plan for a larger freeway system that was never constructed. The viaducts, one of the only elements of the freeway plan to be finished, continue to act as main thoroughfares to and from Vancouver’s downtown core.

In 2015, Vancouver City Council chose to move forward with planning initiatives to replace the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts with a reconfigured ground-level road network. Replacing these viaducts unlocks many opportunities and benefits, including:

– adding public spaces, facilities and amenities;
– replacing seismically vulnerable infrastructure with safe, reliable, and resilient infrastructure networks that enhance the City’s emergency preparedness and remain adaptable to meet future challenges; and
– improving the transportation and utility networks to support increased mixed-use commercial and residential development in Northeast False Creek.

The Vancouver City Council approved the Northeast False Creek Plan, of which the viaduct replacement project is a foundational part, in 2018. The Plan presents a self-funding model for achieving public benefits through development potential and provides Vancouver a significant opportunity to embrace the rich history and culture of the area. The plan makes the most of existing local assets and the area’s proximity to the water and establishes a new community that better connects Vancouver’s east and west sides.

View the full announcement in our projects directory.

Academic Committee folks

3-February-2021

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Training and Credentialing Committee

3-February-2021

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Burnaby’s Willingdon Linear Park Earns Envision Silver

25-June-2019

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced today that the Willingdon Linear Park located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada is the recent recipient of the Envision^®Silver award for sustainable infrastructure.

The project consists of approximately 1.17 kilometres of park and trail development, spanning thirteen city blocks. The road rehabilitation and construction of the park included milling of existing asphalt, asphalt replacement, construction of a new multi-use pathway, extensive landscaping, retaining walls, and other features.

The Willingdon Linear Park accomplishes several goals and meets the needs of the community by:

incorporating multi-use pathways;
offering safe pedestrian and cyclist road and laneway crossings;
integrating rest areas and pocket parks;
enhancing user comfort through park furnishings, lighting, trees, and other features; and
establishing character and distinction to the area.

The City of Burnaby worked closely with Eurovia British Columbia and ISL Engineering to deliver this award-winning sustainable project.

Learn more about the project by visiting the PROJECT PAGE.

Events

8-May-2019

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