View Royal, British Columbia | Traditional Territories of the Lekwungen Peoples

This LEED Gold-certified transit facility goes beyond sustainability—it embodies healing the land as an act of reconciliation. Integrating 275 meters of reconstructed fish-bearing stream (connecting to Craigflower Creek), the project is the first of its kind to achieve Salmon Safe Certification on Vancouver Island. It sets a new standard for ecological responsibility in infrastructure, honoring the interconnected health of land and water.

Restoring a Degraded Site

Once a dumping ground for highway construction material, the degraded site bore the scars of polluted soils, invasive species, and a choked, degraded stream. Key challenges included:

• Designing for fish, ecosystem health, and future generations, not just human convenience.

• Gaining public trust after an initial rejected proposal by others.

• Ensuring stormwater treatment protected adjacent and downstream habitats, a critical reconciliation commitment.

Collaborative & Community-Driven Design

After early public opposition, MDI discovered an overlooked stream, leading to its relocation and enhancement as a fish bearing stream.

Sustainable Design Highlights

• Rain gardens treat 100% of site runoff before releasing it into the restored stream.

• Fish-Bearing Stream & Habitat: The reconstructed channel supports salmon and other keystone species, with a diverse native riparian planting strategy encouraging natural succession. Runoff from the site supports life in the stream.

• Stormwater treatment: Rain gardens filter runoff pollutants including 6ppd-quinone to support aquatic life.

• Native & Adaptive Planting: Riparian zones feature self-sustaining native species, while site plantings include drought tolerant, native plantings that will naturalize over time, contributing to improved biodiversity and urban forest canopy.