News & Insights

Woodfibre LNG Named Among Canada’s Top Remediation Projects

May 20, 2026

Some of the most important work at Woodfibre LNG happened before construction began.

Years of ongoing environmental cleanup at the former pulp mill site near Squamish have earned Woodfibre LNG a place on Environment Journal’s Top 25 Remediation Projects list, a national ranking of major cleanup efforts across Canada based on total investment. The recognition reflects the scale of work undertaken by our team to transform a heavily impacted industrial site on the shores of Átl’ḵa7tsem (Howe Sound).

Woodfibre’s construction did not begin on a blank slate. What is taking shape today as a state-of-the-art LNG export facility — the first in the world to operate with net zero emissions — used to be a brownfield property shaped by legacy contamination, aging infrastructure, shoreline impacts, and a former municipal landfill requiring long-term intervention.

Thus far, Woodfibre LNG has invested $50 million dollars to make that intervention a reality.

A Site with a Long Industrial History

In decades past, some projects built in and around Átl’ḵa7tsem (Howe Sound) unfortunately contributed to serious environmental degradation in one of Canada’s most naturally rich and beautiful regions. Species, habitats, and communities surrounding the projects were all negatively impacted.

When Woodfibre LNG acquired the former pulp mill site in 2013, we also took on responsibility for cleaning it up. That work became a critical early phase of the project, ensuring our future facility would be built on a stable, clean, remediated foundation.

Cleaning Up the Shoreline

One of our first major milestones was in the marine environment.

More than 4,000 creosote-treated wood pilings were removed from the foreshore. Creosote contains compounds that are harmful to marine life and had long contributed to degraded shoreline habitat in Howe Sound.

Their removal was a visible sign of progress and a meaningful step toward reducing contamination and improving nearshore conditions for species such as Pacific herring.

Removing Contamination from the Ground Up

The shoreline work was only one part of a much broader remediation effort. We also undertook an extensive brownfield cleanup program across the site, including excavation and responsible disposal of contaminated material.

To date, the project has seen the cumulative removal of 471,534 tonnes of solid waste, including:

contaminated soils
asphalt
debris
and other legacy industrial materials

This work required careful planning and environmental controls to manage erosion, runoff, and sediment movement throughout the cleanup process.

Addressing the Former Landfill

Another major challenge sat uphill from the site: a former municipal landfill that had been generating leachate into the surrounding environment.

To address this, Woodfibre LNG capped the landfill with an engineered impermeable membrane system, then covered it with soil and seed to create a vegetated meadow. This significantly reduced leachate production while allowing any remaining leachate to be treated on site.

It is one of the clearest examples of how remediation at Woodfibre LNG has focused on long-term environmental management, not just short-term compliance.

Restoring the Conditions for Recovery

Remediation at the site has done more than address legacy contamination. It has also helped create conditions for ecological recovery.

Following the removal of industrial debris, including tires, rebar, concrete mats and abandoned infrastructure, native vegetation and stabilization measures were introduced to reduce erosion and support restoration of the surrounding environment.

Part of a Bigger Standard

Woodfibre LNG’s remediation story is part of what makes the project distinct more broadly.

The project is being built on the traditional territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and is the first industrial project in Canada to recognize a non-treaty Indigenous government as a full environmental regulator. That oversight has helped shape our project’s environmental approach from the beginning.

Why the Recognition Matters

Being named one of Canada’s Top 25 remediation projects reflects both the scale of the work undertaken at Woodfibre LNG and its broader environmental significance.

We are privileged to build in Átl’ḵa7tsem, and our commitment since day one has been to build the right way. Responsible development begins well before operations start. Our story is about making a cleaner, safer foundation for future development, while supporting the continued recovery of Howe Sound and the communities that call this region home.