BC pauses $162M Malahat-widening project amid environmental concerns for Goldstream

For more than three years, Carl Olsen (ZȺWIZUT), a W̱SÁNEĆ elder, has stood on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway where it passes Goldstream Park to protest a highway expansion he said could cause significant damage to the waterway and surrounding forest.

It seems his calls to protect the area are finally being answered. The province announced Thursday that it was pausing the $162M project that would have widened the highway near Goldstream and added a median along the Malahat corridor.

“I'm very happy about that decision,” Carl told Capital Daily. “But I'm going to remind myself that they did use the word ‘paused’ in their statement.”

Since the expansion project was announced, Carl has said widening the highway would cause significant damage to the stream and forest. For years, he’s been volunteering with the Goldstream Hatchery, which works to improve salmon spawning in the stream, and he knows how fragile the ecosystem is.

A year ago, Carl told Capital Daily salmon numbers were beginning to increase in Goldstream. The stream had been hit by a combination of ecological disasters—oil spills, development, and climate change—over the years, making this population increase a positive sign.

But the threat of the impending widening project had the potential to irreparably damage the stream, Carl said. The proposed removal of 700 trees had the potential to cause the stream to heat up, killing off salmon eggs and fry. Losing these trees could also remove homes for a variety of wildlife and lead to more debris and runoff ending up in the water, according to studies conducted by WSANEC.

Environmental activism struck a chord with the province

It appears these concerns have finally given the province pause. In its announcement, it said “additional work” was required to “address environmental considerations in this sensitive area.”

The BC government’s plan was to add a concrete median along the Malahat corridor to reduce crashes near Goldstream, where a collision can lead to significant bottleneck traffic as the area has no alternative exits.

The province said 60% of the Malahat corridor is protected with permanent concrete median barriers (the project would have brought this total to 75%). Portions without a concrete median have flexible centreline delineators to clearly divide traffic. Both of these will remain in place in lieu of the $162M project, the province said.

The Ministry of Transportation says it will update its 2012 Highway 1 Malahat Safety Review to include current information about the highway’s condition and crash data. This new report will be used to determine future short-, medium- and long-term improvements that can be made to the corridor without damaging the surrounding environment.

The province said the updated report—slated to be released later this year—will be covered by existing ministry operating budgets and funding for the widening project will be reallocated to “other transportation priorities.”

Rob Botterall, MLA for Saanich North, told Carl on a phone call, shared on social media, that pausing the project is “first step to it being fully cancelled.”

Carl says the ministry’s change in direction—including the acknowledgment that further environmental assessments were needed—made him question the thoroughness of the province’s initial assessment.

But he also thinks the province was listening to him and his fellow protesters, and that their advocacy helped inform the province’s decision to pause the project.

“We pointed out the losses outweigh a lot of things there, the salmon, the trees and the whole canopy for the stream, which changes the temperature of the water,” Carl said. “I think they were listening to that.”

Carl Olsen at his weekly protest in support of Goldstream protections. Photo: W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Committee

Alternatives to highway widening should be considered, says Carl

Carl has no plans to stop his weekly protests. Goldstream, he says, still needs protection.

“It's about saving the environment in restoration of Goldstream, or in our language, SELE₭TEȽ,” he said. “Yeah, I'm going to remain there.”

Carl’s son Adam Olsen, former BC Green MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, said he was “elated” when he heard the highway widening project had been cancelled.

“I’m really proud of my dad,” Adam told Capital Daily. He pointed to Carl’s steady approach to protesting, saying he never wavered in his consistency.

“It was all about raising awareness.”

Adam and Carl both say they’d like to see alternative traffic-calming measures explored by the province.

Carl says slowing the speed limit from 80 km/h down to 60 km/h could make a significant impact. Getting people to stop texting while driving through the area—something he says has become a growing problem—could also reduce the number of collisions.

Adam says reopening a portion of Island Rail for shipments could help reroute commercial trucking traffic from the Malahat corridor.

“There's a bunch of different ways that you could creatively solve the problems that have been expressed, without having to take down a small forest and further damage an already fragile ecosystem and watershed,” Adam said.