B.C. environmental regulator orders LNG company to deploy 'floatel' near Squamish
![Floatel This photo shows one of the hundreds of rooms intended to house LNG workers on a floating hotel near Squamish, B.C.](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/5/9/floatel-1-6881203-1718668939768.jpg)
A British Columbia government agency has ordered a liquefied natural gas company to deploy a cruise ship that's been renovated to house workers near Squamish, B.C.
A statement from Woodfibre LNG says it has received a compliance order from the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office requiring it to move the vessel to its designated area in Howe Sound from its current mooring off the coast of Nanaimo.
The District of Squamish has yet to issue a temporary use permit allowing the so-called floatel to be anchored offshore at the LNG construction site.
But an inspection record from the B.C. assessment office says the project carries a requirement that any workers who didn't live in Squamish before Sept. 20, 2023, must reside on the floatel unless they've been granted an exemption.
It says the inspection found about 300 workers were living at a construction camp in Port Mellon, north of Gibsons, B.C.; 30 were in Squamish hotels; and a further 87 workers weren't living in either of those locations.
The document says those accommodations aren't in compliance with Woodfibre's environmental assessment certificate for the project.
The floatel ship arrived in B.C. waters in January after a 40-day journey from Estonia, where it had been converted to shelter Ukrainian refugees.
A report from Squamish district staff related to Woodfibre's temporary use permit is listed as an agenda item for the district's meeting on Tuesday.
Squamish councillors voted three to four against a one-year permit at a meeting in May, where those opposed to the plan raised concerns about the safety of women and girls, traffic issues, waste management and potential natural hazards.
Councillors have since voted to refer the issue back to staff and direct them to work with Woodfibre on increasing the security deposit for the floatel to $10 million.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6940448.1719339188!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'Why did I have this surgery?' Ont. mother seeks answers after son's tonsil surgery
An Ontario mother said it looked like a horror movie when she flicked on the lights of her son’s bedroom to find him projectile vomiting blood after his tonsils were removed at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
No charges for driver in 2023 Manitoba bus crash that killed 17 seniors: RCMP
Manitoba RCMP and Crown prosecutors will not lay charges against the driver of a bus involved in a crash with a semi-truck in 2023.
Biden pardons potentially thousands of ex-service members convicted under now-repealed gay sex ban
U.S. President Joe Biden pardoned potentially thousands of former U.S. service members convicted of violating a now-repealed military ban on consensual gay sex, saying Wednesday that he is “righting an historic wrong" to clear the way for them to regain lost benefits.
Gassy cows and pigs will face a carbon tax in Denmark, a world first
Denmark will tax livestock farmers for the greenhouse gases emitted by their cows, sheep and pigs from 2030, the first country to do so as it targets a major source of methane emissions, one of the most potent gases contributing to global warming.
'Deeply unserious': Vancouver councillor claims mayor turned city hall boardroom into gym
A Vancouver city councillor is calling out Mayor Ken Sim for apparently limiting access to a city hall boardroom and turning it into a makeshift gym.
Fed up with the U.K. Conservatives, some voters turn to the anti-immigration Reform party for answers
Britain is going to the polls to elect a new House of Commons at a time when public dissatisfaction is running high over a host of issues, from the high cost of living and a stagnating economy to a dysfunctional state health care system and crumbling infrastructure.
One of Canada's most popular vehicles recalled over transmission issue; 95,000 impacted
One of the country's most popular vehicles is being recalled in Canada due to a transmission issue that may impact tens of thousands of drivers.
Puppy mills now illegal in Ontario, but advocates say little will change for dogs
Puppy mills are now illegal in Ontario after the province recently passed legislation banning them, but critics say the new law will do little to curb the problem.
Calgary feeder main repairs complete, water service could be restored sooner than expected
Repair work on Calgary’s broken water main is progressing faster than anticipated, but there are still a few more steps crews need to complete before water restrictions are lifted in the city.