New gender and cultural safety initiatives
Our proposal for the Temporary Workforce Lodge was approved in 2023 by Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and the BC Environmental Assessment Office. We continue to work through the Temporary Use Permit (TUP) process for the Lodge with the District of Squamish based on our application submitted in December 2022, with a focus on securing approval in time to house our workforce peak anticipated in 2025.
Arlette La Freniere, FortisBC’s senior manager of workforce development says, "We know how important it is to reduce impacts related to the EGP Project’s workforce in Squamish. While we wait for the District of Squamish decision on the TUP, we’ve voluntarily implemented additional measures to support gender and cultural safety in the community now. We developed these new initiatives with direct input from local Indigenous and community groups."
The new initiatives we’ve recently launched to support gender and cultural safety include:
- in-person gender and cultural safety education for the EGP Project workforce, to expand information about unique patterns of vulnerability for Indigenous women and girls and the types of personal conduct that supports gender and cultural safety
- a health and medical clinic for EGP Project workers’ use in Squamish, supporting their mental health and overall well-being
- a third-party reporting line for any member of the public to call or email about alleged conduct by an EGP Project worker occurring within the Indian River Watershed area and a 10-kilometre area around the District of Squamish in violation of the After Hours and Respect for Community section of the EGP Project Worker Code of Conduct, including harassment or violence
Additionally, FortisBC's amended Environmental Assessment Certificate for the project requires us to have a Gender and Cultural Safety Plan in place before the Lodge is operational. Pending TUP approval, this will be developed in consultation with Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), the District of Squamish and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation.
Ongoing initiatives to reduce workforce impacts in Squamish
Arlette notes that the EGP Project team initially developed several workforce mitigation measures with a focus on community safety and services before construction work began. "At the outset of construction, one of the workforce mitigation measures we established was the EGP Project Worker Code of Conduct to set the standard of conduct expected of everyone engaged in work related to the construction of the EGP Project."
In addition to the EGP Project Worker Code of Conduct, workforce mitigation measures implemented since construction began include:
- a cultural awareness orientation, which was developed in collaboration with Indigenous communities and is required for all EGP Project construction personnel
- voluntarily paying the Municipal Regional and District Tax to local hotels for remittance to Tourism Squamish until operation of the Lodge
As we await a TUP decision on the Lodge, we’ll continue working with the Squamish community to help reduce any impacts associated with the presence of a temporary workforce in Squamish.
