CRD-RELATED SEWAGE NEWS:
- ARREST BOARD MEMBER KAREN JAMES INTERVIEW ON CFAX
- AGENDA - ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE, 27 JUNE
- CALWMC MET 13 JUNE - 1 ITEM ON PUBLIC AGENDA
- ESQUIMALT RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION MEETING INCLUDED SEWAGE TREATMENT UPDATE, 20 JUNE
GENERAL SEWAGE-RELATED NEWS:
- VICTORIA: HARBOUR PROPERTIES ADDED TO OTTAWA'S FOR-SALE LIST
- VICTORIA: "COUNCIL SETS PRIORITIES AS CUTS LOOM"
- VANCOUVER: EXPAND WASTE HEAT RECOVERY PLAN: REPORT
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ARREST BOARD MEMBER KAREN JAMES INTERVIEW ON CFAX
Karen says for anyone who missed the live interview last Thursday and is interested in sewage issue. This audio clip runs about 25 minutes.
Thank you Sonia for the opportunity to speak live on CFAX and the creation of the audio file.
Thank you Sonia for the opportunity to speak live on CFAX and the creation of the audio file.
Audio of Karen Jame's interview:
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ARESST: Note that the sewage discharge temperature regulation relates to the several sewage heat recovery projects proposed in
the CRD core area.
AGENDA - ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE, 27 JUNE
June 27, 2012, 9:30 am
Board Room, 6th floor, 625 Fisgard St
6. #ERM 12-40 Environmental Resource Management – 2011 Annual Report
7. #EEE 12-44 Sewage Discharge Temperature Regulation Bylaw No. 3842
9. Core Area Sewer Infrastructure Projects for 2012
11. Report from Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan – Public and Technical Advisory Committee
12. Report from Roundtable on the Environment
Next Meeting: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 @ 9:30 am
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CALWMC MET 13 JUNE - 1 ITEM ON PUBLIC AGENDA
ARESST:
I attended the CALWMC meeting on 13 June:
Very short public part of meeting, with only agenda item being
I attended the CALWMC meeting on 13 June:
Very short public part of meeting, with only agenda item being
Private, Non-Profit and Educational Sector Information Updates (EHQ 12-39).
The report, introduced by Larisa Hutcheson, CRD General Manager of Environmental Sustainability, proposed a
The report, introduced by Larisa Hutcheson, CRD General Manager of Environmental Sustainability, proposed a
one-time-only public event that would feature private sewage equipment and service providers, as well as NGOs, to
present their products and interests.
Discussion by CALWMC was brief and to the point that most didn't think it was a good enough idea to carry forward for
further development. Most of CALWMC comment seemed to focus on how a venue with competing businesses might
impair their Request For Proposal and Request for Qualification process - legal issues mostly. Nobody mentioned the
other part of the proposed event as to how NGOs might use it to get updates or to provide input.
After only about 20 minutes discussion decision was to vote it down by about 3 for to 5 against. With that, the public
part of meeting finished and their incamera meeting was going to start.
John Newcomb
Report on Private, Non-Profit and Educational Sector Information Updates (EHQ 12-39):
http://www.crd.bc.ca/reports/
Report on Private, Non-Profit and Educational Sector Information Updates (EHQ 12-39):
http://www.crd.bc.ca/reports/
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ESQUIMALT RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION MEETING INCLUDED SEWAGE TREATMENT UPDATE, 20 JUNE
AGENDA
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
7:00pm – 8:30pm
Esquimalt Chamber of Commerce
#103-1249 Esquimalt Road
1. Call Meeting to Order and approval of the Agenda – Chair (1 min)
2. Adoption of previous meeting minutes – Sonia (2 min)
3. Gorge Festival Update – Lorne C (10 min)
4. Park and Rec Committee Update – John (5 min)
5. ERA Fund Raising Follow up – Bruce (10 min)
6. ERA use of the Esquimalt Chamber of Commerce – Bruce (10 min)
7. ERA Membership/Website Update and ideas – Bruce (10 min)
8. ERA Buccaneer Days Follow Up – Lorne A. (15 min)
9. Policing Issues Update – Peter (5 min)
10. Sewage Treatment Update – Karen (5 min)
11. Additional issues – (5 min)
12. Next Meeting
13. Adjournment
------------------------------
VICTORIA: HARBOUR PROPERTIES ADDED TO OTTAWA'S FOR-SALE LIST
Transport Canada looking for deals on 12 pieces of its local property
Rob Shaw
Times Colonist
June 15, 2012
Prime real estate in downtown Victoria is up for sale as the federal government continues to get rid of extra land along the city's Inner Harbour.
Twelve pieces of property are being eyed for sale or transfer by Transport Canada, including park space near the Inn at Laurel Point Hotel, an old coast guard building near the Johnson Street Bridge and waterfront lots around the Upper Harbour.
"Transport Canada is committed to divesting all of the department's properties in Victoria Harbour into local hands," said spokeswoman Sau Sau Liu in a statement.
Ottawa has sold or transferred 90 per cent of the land it once owned in Victoria's harbour in the past 10 years, she said. It is now in "stage three" of its divestiture program.
Last week, Transport Canada announced a $2.8-million deal with the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations to sell 1.71 hectares of waterfront land in Rock Bay. The sale is to be finalized by 2016, after the federal government finishes clean up of the contaminated site.
And Ottawa also sold waterfront land behind the Janion Hotel to a Vancouver developer who recently bought the historic but dilapidated building from a Victoria resident for $2.49 million.
In total, the remaining federal land covers roughly 2.5 hectares in 12 lots.
One of the most visible properties is the city-run Laurel Point Park and pond in front of the Inn at Laurel Point Hotel, near Montreal and Quebec streets.
Transport Canada also owns multiple walkways, paths and harbour-front lots in and around the nearby dock facilities.
Laurel Point general manager Ian Powell said he has always been led to believe the federal government would divest the land to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority or the city.
It's important to the hotel to see it preserved as a park space, he said.
"Nobody has ever spoke to us about it being sold commercially," Powell said.
There isn't even access to the park site without going through hotel-owned property, because of the lot's shape, he said.
The land is zoned for park use. The City of Victoria said it had not been part of any discussions on the property.
Transport Canada wants to sell the park land, but isn't currently negotiating with anyone because it is still reviewing its clean-up options for contamination at the site, said Liu.
Meanwhile, Transport Canada has hired local company Pemberton Holmes to sell property at 202 Harbour Rd., near the Dockside Green development on the Vic West side of the Johnson Street Bridge.
The 26,000-square-foot property, the site of two former coast guard buildings, is listed at $2.29 million and billed as "prime for redevelopment."
Ottawa is also negotiating an agreement to transfer ownership of fill land at Turner Street East, near the existing crushed rock and gravel companies. It's not clear who is negotiating to obtain the land.
Transport Canada said it is contacting other property owners near its remaining federal land in the harbour - including waterfront fill lots behind Capital Iron, and at the ends of Swift and Fisgard streets - "to determine their interest in acquiring those properties."
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ARESST: Will be interesting to see how City of Victoria, as well as other members of CRD core sewage area, try to hide the significant costs of a
sewage treatment plant. Perhaps as a fee-for-service and not as a tax?
VICTORIA: "COUNCIL SETS PRIORITIES AS CUTS LOOM"
Public transportation, service review rank high on list
Bill Cleverley
Times Colonist
June 19, 2012
Letters: letters@
Working with consultants, councillors ranked more than 115 initiatives, ranging from developing transportation options such as bus-only lanes on the Douglas Street corridor (ranked high) to considering a dog park downtown (ranked low).
Council has resolved to limit future tax increases to 3.25 per cent, which means it has to cut about $6 million in spending over the next three years - $2 million from the 2013 budget alone.
"The bottom line for the purposes of this discussion is you don't have enough money," consultant Jerry Berry told councillors.
The rankings will now be sent to city staff to report back on implications for service, staffing and costs.
"We've identified a lot of priorities and we've done the first preliminary cut at ranking them, with the realization that we're only going to be able to move forward on a select few," said Mayor Dean Fortin.
The goal is to decide what needs to be done now, what can wait until next term and what can be put off for the forseeable future, he said
Three items that emerged as top priorities for councillors were: the need to stay focused on budget reductions, public transportation and undertaking a review of city services.
The latter review would identify which services the city can afford and what should be eliminated as new priorities emerge, Fortin said.
"That will be the challenge for the future - what do we stop doing?" Fortin said.
"And that is the next step, because ultimately, a $6-million reduction over three years means we have to start now."
One of four strategic planning sessions held to date, Monday's priority setting workshop was originally set to be held behind closed doors.
It was held in public after Coun. Lisa Helps asked why it needed to be discussed privately, and the motion to go in-camera failed for lack of a second.
Other initiatives that ranked high included a review of parking-business options, approval of the new Official Community Plan, undertaking public consultation on Crystal Pool options and updating the comprehensive housing strategy.
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VANCOUVER: EXPAND WASTE HEAT RECOVERY PLAN: REPORT
Expand waste heat recovery plan: report
JEFF LEE
VANCOUVER SUN
JUNE 12, 2012
A city utility that uses waste heat from sewers to provide heat and hot
water in the Olympic Village has been so successful that it should be
expanded into a major new development, city staff recommend.
A report going to council today recommends spending $3.6 million to expand
the system to a new educational campus being developed on industrial land
along Great Northern Way.
The Great Northern Way Campus is a new digital arts area owned and
operated by the University of B.C., Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr
University of Art + Design and the B.C. Institute of Technology.
The staff report says the city has an abundance of low-carbon heat
available through the utility, which uses temperature differences between
its sewer pipes and the ambient temperature to create energy.
The $24-million Southeast False Creek utility system began as an Olympic
pilot project to see if waste heat recovery from city sewers made economic
and environmental sense and would reduce demand for natural gas and
electricity.
It has become such a success story in driving down greenhouse gas
emissions in the Olympic Village and surrounding redeveloped neighbourhood
that other developments are looking at installing their own privately run
utilities, said Peter Judd, the city's general manager of engineering.
"Others are now being explored that would not be run by the city. That was
our intention: show the way, show how you can do it, show how you can save
money and reduce greenhouse gases," Judd said. As examples, the developers
of the East Fraser Lands, the Oakridge redevelopment, even the proposed
new B.C. Children's and B.C. Women's hospitals are considering installing
their own neighbourhood energy utilities, he said.
The city says that in the first four months of 2012, its utility has
reduced greenhouse emissions in the area by 74 per cent, all while
maintaining competitive utility rates. Last year, the city added Science
World to the utility grid and is continuing to add other new developments
as they come up.
The report says the development of the Great Northern Way Campus lands
will generate sufficient demand for heat and hot water to make the
extension of the city utility into the False Creek Flats economically
viable.
Judd said adding the Great Northern Way Campus will accelerate the
utility's profitability.
jefflee@vancouversun.com
Twitter.com/sunciviclee
Blog: vancouversun.com/jefflee
http://www.vancouversun.com/
JEFF LEE
VANCOUVER SUN
JUNE 12, 2012
A city utility that uses waste heat from sewers to provide heat and hot
water in the Olympic Village has been so successful that it should be
expanded into a major new development, city staff recommend.
A report going to council today recommends spending $3.6 million to expand
the system to a new educational campus being developed on industrial land
along Great Northern Way.
The Great Northern Way Campus is a new digital arts area owned and
operated by the University of B.C., Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr
University of Art + Design and the B.C. Institute of Technology.
The staff report says the city has an abundance of low-carbon heat
available through the utility, which uses temperature differences between
its sewer pipes and the ambient temperature to create energy.
The $24-million Southeast False Creek utility system began as an Olympic
pilot project to see if waste heat recovery from city sewers made economic
and environmental sense and would reduce demand for natural gas and
electricity.
It has become such a success story in driving down greenhouse gas
emissions in the Olympic Village and surrounding redeveloped neighbourhood
that other developments are looking at installing their own privately run
utilities, said Peter Judd, the city's general manager of engineering.
"Others are now being explored that would not be run by the city. That was
our intention: show the way, show how you can do it, show how you can save
money and reduce greenhouse gases," Judd said. As examples, the developers
of the East Fraser Lands, the Oakridge redevelopment, even the proposed
new B.C. Children's and B.C. Women's hospitals are considering installing
their own neighbourhood energy utilities, he said.
The city says that in the first four months of 2012, its utility has
reduced greenhouse emissions in the area by 74 per cent, all while
maintaining competitive utility rates. Last year, the city added Science
World to the utility grid and is continuing to add other new developments
as they come up.
The report says the development of the Great Northern Way Campus lands
will generate sufficient demand for heat and hot water to make the
extension of the city utility into the False Creek Flats economically
viable.
Judd said adding the Great Northern Way Campus will accelerate the
utility's profitability.
jefflee@vancouversun.com
Twitter.com/sunciviclee
Blog: vancouversun.com/jefflee
http://www.vancouversun.com/
------------------------------
END.
