The City of Burnaby and BCIT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2001 to protect and restore Guichon Creek. The MOU is intended to provide a higher level of environmental protection than is offered by the BCIT Campus Master Plan. It is a formal agreement with the City and was hailed in 2001 as an impressive commitment to sustainable ecosystems.
The MOU agreement promises to protect and restore the existing portion of Guichon Creek, and actively pursue options to daylight the underground piped portion of the creek as campus redevelopment opportunities arise. BCIT also agreed to meet or exceed regulations set out by the Streamside Protection Regulations and Land Development Guidelines. The forested portion of BCIT’s south campus will be protected in perpetuity, with new development focusing on parking lots and other already developed lands. Finally BCIT committed to use best practices and site design to improve the watershed and support the efforts of BCIT students, staff and programs such as the Rivers Institute, Ecological Restoration Degree Program and the Fish, Wildlife and Recreation Diploma Program in their work to improve the creek ecosystem.
The full MOU is available through the City of Burnaby’s website.
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