Still Creek

We have been working with local partners and neighbouring municipalities to rehabilitate and enhance Still Creek, with the goal of creating a more naturalized creek corridor.

Key goals

Daylighting buried portions of the creek, where possible.
Make room for water by implementing the Still Creek Nature-based Flood Management Project which widens and daylights the creek corridor incrementally.
Build new green rainwater infrastructure practices throughout the watershed to capture, clean, and infiltrate rainwater before it enters Still Creek.
Protect groundwater flows to Still Creek.
Work with community partners to support Still Creek restoration.

Still Creek urban watershed

Beyond providing a habitat for wildlife, Still Creek plays an important role in Vancouver's natural and urban systems:

It's one of the few remaining salmon-bearing streams in Vancouver.
It helps prevent flooding by collecting and conveying rainwater from the urban watershed.
We call it an “urban watershed” because over time land development has changed some of the natural boundaries, altering where water flows.
All the water within the Still Creek urban watershed drains through Burnaby, Coquitlam and New Westminster, before reaching and joining the Fraser River.

Review a map of the entire Still Creek urban watershed (482 KB) - map provided by Space2place from the Still Creek Watershed Enhancement Opportunities Study

Renfrew and Rupert Station Area Plan

On July 8, 2025, Council unanimously approved the Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan.

The project reconfirms plans to open buried sections of Still Creek and adds new protections for groundwater flows. This will keep Still Creek flowing for generations and help to prevent surface-level flooding in Vancouver.

Review the plan (21.8 MB) or learn more

Rainwater integration in the Still Creek watershed

Explore the several projects that are being advanced to better manage rainwater in the Still Creek urban watershed.

Studies and plans
The Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan

The Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan (July 2025) will guide land use changes over the next 30-years around the Rupert and Renfrew SkyTrain stations.

The plan highlights the important ecological and drainage functions Still Creek plays within in the area. By connecting Renfrew Ravine south to the larger Brunette-River watershed into Burnaby, the long-term goals to daylight the buried portions of the creek have been reconfirmed.

To support the Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan, an Integrated Water Management Strategy: (26 MB) was created. This report describes the utility upgrades and interventions required to enable development, protect Still Creek, and adapt to a changing climate.

Through redevelopment opportunities, Still Creek will be widened and daylighted, creating more room for water and new opportunities for residents to enjoy this unique area while also helping to reduce surface-level flooding.

Still Creek Watershed Enhancement Opportunities Study

The Still Creek Watershed Enhancement Opportunities Study (10.8 MB) (August 2023) is a technical study that will guide future enhancement work in the Still Creek watershed, including creek widening, daylighting, and green rainwater infrastructure projects.

It is an update to the prior Still Creek Rehabilitation and Enhancement Study (9.3 MB) (March 2002), which guided watershed enhancement work for 2 decades.

Policies like Rain City Strategy, VanPlay, Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, and the Climate Emergency Action Plan also govern how we value natural assets such as Still Creek in the city of Vancouver.

Integrated Stormwater Management Plan

From Pipe Dreams to Healthy Streams: Integrated Stormwater Management Plan for the Still Creek watershed (18 MB) (May 2006)

The goals of this plan are to:
- Reduce flooding
- Reconnect people with Still Creek and its natural beauty
- Improve long-standing environmental issues throughout the Still Creek watershed
This is a multi-jurisdictional plan with Burnaby and Metro Vancouver.
Restoration projects
2900 Nootka project (310 KB) (completed in 2011)

As part of the long-term action plan for Still Creek, we collaborated with Metro Vancouver on a major enhancement project to:
- Remove the concrete flume that had forced the creek into a narrow channel for the past 50 years
- Reconstruct the creek bed and banks to improve stormwater capacity while providing a more naturalized habitat for fish and other species
- Provide a seating area, pedestrian bridge and path for public access across Still Creek that improved access to nature and helped link the neighbourhood
The project features an asphalt pedestrian path that is permeable, allowing rainwater to soak into the ground while allowing access for people with mobility challenges.

3300 Cornett Road project (completed in 2009)

As part of the rezoning for the site at 2820 Bentall (Canadian Tire), we required the developer to:
- Bring Still Creek to the surface, also known as "daylighting"
- Pay for the daylighting of the creek
- Dedicate the required right-of-way
The new stream channel was completed with a more naturalized habitat in 2009. When the site to the north redevelops, the creek will be widened.

3400 Cornett Road project (271 KB) (completed in 2007)

The design of this project:
- Removed two abandoned rail bridges along the creek
- Replaced invasive species with native species
- Installed fish habitat features
3003 Grandview Highway project (516 KB) (completed in 2005)

Improvements included:
- Replacement of non-native blackberries with native vegetation
- Creation of a centre island
- Creation of a viewing platform with interpretive signage to enhance public access and understanding of the Creek
A community planting event followed completion of project construction. Now reshaped and planted with native species, the section of creek will mature into a naturalized area that supports more biodiversity and can better manage rainwater.
History and maps

The disappearance of Vancouver's streams

Just over 100 years ago, Vancouver was covered with old-growth forests that were stewarded by the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). After European settlers arrived, they logged the area and began to urbanize it into what is now the City of Vancouver.

Through this process, most of Vancouver's creeks and streams were placed into pipes and culverts underground to manage stormwater and waste as the city expanded. This type of engineering has changed over time, and we are now incorporating more natural infrastructure into our system.

Still Creek urban watershed

Still Creek and Brunette River watershed map (15.9 MB)

Still Creek is part of the larger Brunette River watershed. Before development, the headwaters of Still Creek started near the Metrotown area of Burnaby, flowing west into Vancouver and through the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood.

The creek heads under Highway 1, entering Burnaby and eventually flows into the Brunette River, which joins the Fraser River.
Chum salmon return to spawn in Still Creek

Salmon were last seen in the Vancouver portion of Still Creek during the fall 2024 spawning season. If you want to get involved, the Still Moon Arts Society has a citizen salmon-spotting program you can participate in.

Learn more about the great work the Still Moon Arts Society does in the watershed

Watch a short clip on the restoration of Still Creek and the return of salmon, produced by the Rivers Institute at BCIT.
Get involved