May 5, 2013


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 ACTION!
UPCOMING ACTIONS: 

ERA ALL-CANDIDATES MEETING 7 MAY, 7PM, ESQUIMALT LEGION
- CORE AREA LIQUID WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, 8 MAY, 9:30AM
WATCH FOR CANDIDATES MEETINGS IN YOUR RIDING 

ONGOING ACTIONS:

SEND A FACEBOOK/TWITTER MESSAGE TO PARTIES
- BANNER WAVE CALENDAR & ARESST EVENTS CALENDAR
EASILY SEND EMAILS TO ELECTION CANDIDATES!
- DOWNLOAD STOPABADPLAN  ESQUIMALT SLUDGE PLANT FACTSHEET

PAST ACTIONS

VIDEOS OF PRESENTATIONS TO CRD - 24, 26 APRIL MEETINGS
CRD SEWAGE NEWS

CTV SEWAGE SLUDGE NEWS CLIPS
CHAMBER WANTS STAND FROM LOCAL CANDIDATES (SEWAGE PLANT MENTION)
PROMISE  NOT TO OVERRIDE ESQUIMALT ON SEWAGE COULD SET PRECEDENT: SAANICH MAYOR
- HAS CRD UNINTENTIONALLY PUSHED RESET BUTTON ON SEWAGE TREATMENT PLAN? 
CHAMBER FEARS POTENTIAL EXODUS DUE TO BIOSOLIDS FACILITY
IF ESQUIMALT CAN VETO SEWAGE PLANT, SAANICH CAN TOO, SAYS MAYOR


LETTERS

WHY ISN'T SEWAGE PLANT INCLUDED IN QUESTIONS? (Atwell)
VIEWFIELD ROAD SITE HAS HIGH RISK FACTOR (Keller)
- HARTLAND SAFER FOR SLUDGE PLANT (Newcomb)

 - SEND IN YOUR LETTERS!

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ACTION!:

UPCOMING ACTIONS: 

ERA ALL-CANDIDATES MEETING 7 MAY, 7PM, ESQUIMALT LEGION

Sewage plant and sewage sludge plant will be amongst the questions!

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CORE AREA LIQUID WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, 8 MAY, 9:30AM
Meeting Wednesday, May 8, 2013, 9:30am.
Board Room, 6th floor, 625 Fisgard Street

AGENDA ITEMS OF INTEREST:

4. Presentations/Delegations:
To present, submit online form before Monday, 4:30pm:

5. 2013 Terms of Reference for the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee. Report: http://www.crd.bc.ca/reports/corearealiquidwastem_/2013_/may_/20130508srmcloughlin/20130508srmcloughlin.pdf

6. McLoughlin Point Design Guidelines Ideas Workshop and Open House (CAL 13-13). Report:

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WATCH FOR CANDIDATES MEETINGS IN YOUR RIDING 
AND ASK THEM ABOUT THIS SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT ISSUE:

- MCLOUGHLIN POINT SEWAGE PLANT,
- VIEWFIELD ROAD SLUDGE PLANT,
- DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE SLUDGE,
- COSTS,
- LACK OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND
- HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT...

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SEND A FACEBOOK/TWITTER MESSAGE TO PARTIES

BC Liberal Party  - Twitter / Facebook
BC NDP  - Twitter / Facebook
Green Party of BC  - Twitter / Facebook

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ONGOING ACTIONS:

BANNER WAVE CALENDAR

Watch the Banner Wave Calendar for our posting this week's banner wave locations, times soon

Stop A Bad Plan Community Events Calendar:

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SIGN PETITION!

BANNERING EVENTS THIS WEEK

Check our Bannering Calendar:  http://stopabadplan.ca/banners.shtml

Will be continuing weekly street bannering by STOP A BAD PLAN members in various parts of the region. Our focus is now on Esquimalt and Vic West neighbourhoods.

Bring $20 to get your STOP A BAD PLAN yellow tshirt!

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SEND YOUR EMAIL EASILY TO SEVERAL ELECTION CANDIDATES!

Please take a moment to find out where the main parties currently stand on the CRD sewage plan, the McLoughlin sewage plant and the Viewfield sewage sludge plant and how you can use your vote to help protect our environment. 

If you share our concerns about this bad CRD sewage plantake action now by getting in touch with the candidates in your riding and asking them to go on record  with their own views about the CRD sewage plan, and what they would do about the lack of environmental impact assessment, health impact assessment, poor siting and no idea where the final destination of the digested sewage sludge will really be if they got elected. This will help us hold candidates to account if they win - and if enough of us make our voices heard, we can press parties to take a stronger stance against the CRD's bad sewage plan in the run up to the election on May 14th.
Take action!
1. Email your candidates using this handy website. Just fill in your contact details and your message will be sent to all the candidates in your riding. We’ve prepared a sample letter below to get you started. 

2.. Go further. Ask questions at an all-candidates meeting in your riding, or phone your candidates and request a face-to-face meeting. 
The upcoming election is a significant opportunity to translate the recent groundswell of public opposition to this bad CRD sewage plan into concrete action to put a stop to its bad plants. Together, we can help shape the important public conversation about CRD's sustainable future that will be had in the coming month, and give our next government a strong mandate to protect CRD's marine, land and social environment now and for the future.
    

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PAST ACTIONS

VIDEOS OF PRESENTATIONS TO CRD

Richard's video series: 

On April 24, 2013 Justine Semmens Ash spoke at the inaugural meeting of the CRD's Core Area Wastewater Treatment Project Commission.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB0x4hb3qRU&hd=1
Key point was how the choice of Viewfield Rd. as a preferred site for a sewage sludge processing complex right in the middle of Esquimalt and Victoria West neighbourhoods and is totally inappropriate.

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On April 26, 2013 Richard Atwell spoke at the inaugural meeting of the Core Area Wastewater Treatment Program Commission

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWVDYul8wUI&hd=1

Key point made by Richard is that the CRD has failed to follow critical steps along the way to establishing a commission that is now in control of the procurement of the CRD's sewage treatment project.

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On April 24, 2013 John Newcomb spoke at the CRD's Planning, Transportation and Protective Services Committee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLdsyfhOjF8&hd=1

Key point is how CRD has unwisely rejected Environmental and Health Impact Assessments necessary to guide its sewage treatment project development process which is especially critical given the proximity of the Viewfield site to the residential neighbourhood surrounding it.

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On April 24, 2013 CRD Planning, Transportation and Protective Services Committee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCXv_wJQawc&hd=1

I've put together this video to demonstrate how decision making in a vacuum has led to the situation we are in today. It also highlights the weak logic used in the decision making process and shows the vast contrast in thinking that exists at CRD committee tables.

It is a prime example of decision-based evidence making that we witness so often at the CRD. For some, minds are made up even before the meetings have begun as you'll hear in the video.

Background:

The Township of Esquimalt brought a request from the CRD back to the CRD for clarification which ended up in the PTPS committee.

CRD Directors, under recommendations from staff were considering whether or not the sewage treatment facility the CRD wants to locate at McLouglin Pt. meets the terms of the CRD's Regional Growth Strategy (RGS).

Each municipality has a binding Regional Context Statement (RCS) in addition to an Official Community Plan (OCP):

http://www.crd.bc.ca/regionalplanning/growth/regionalcontext.htm

Neither Esquimalt's OCP or RCS support a sewage treatment plant at McLoughlin Pt, so what's the CRD's solution? Modify them.

The staff report discussed in this video makes no mention of the articles of Esquimalt's existing RCS and concludes that because a sewage facility can be located within the region's urban containment boundary, the facility in this location would satisfy the RGS with minor modifications.

Staff comments (see this video)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csx7li7XurQ&hd=1

...also state that any site selected to host a treatment plant, as part of a Liquid Waste Management Plan, does not require a rezoning of the property which comes as a surprise to many because the CRD has applied to Esquimalt to rezone the property.

This video is an analysis of the decision making process of the CRD Directors guided by the staff recommendations. In it you will hear from 4 Directors who spoke in favor of the proposed treatment plant meeting the RGS and 2 who spoke against.

The final vote was 6-4 in favor of the staff recommendation.

Staff report criticisms from Esquimalt Residents:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT0AjGXa-eM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg3viOTYGHY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps5i_oKT6r4

Agenda:

http://crd.bc.ca/agendas/planningtransportati_/2013_/20130424agendaptpsc/20130424agendaptpsc.pdf

Report:

http://www.crd.bc.ca/reports/planningtransportati_/2013_/04april24_/ppsjdf20130410esquim/ppsjdf20130410esquim.pdf



Plaza petitioning Saturday, John, Lorne and guest Jim

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CRD SEWAGE NEWS

CTV SEWAGE SLUDGE NEWS CLIPS

CTV sewage-sludge news clips 1 May (may have to scroll down to find the two clips):

Sewage hits fan on provincial election campaign: 
http://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=917603

Potential dangers fuel biosolid backlash: 
http://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=917611

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CHAMBER WANTS STAND FROM LOCAL CANDIDATES (SEWAGE PLANT MENTION)

Bruce Carter on why he loves amalgamation: 

“The opportunity is if we had a co-ordinated regional leadership and vision, we wouldn’t end up in the debacle over sewage treatment we are in now; that we can appeal to higher levels of government with a united and singular voice and can rally around an issue,”

Times Colonist
30 April 2013: 

READ ARTICLE HERE: 

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PROMISE  NOT TO OVERRIDE ESQUIMALT ON SEWAGE COULD SET PRECEDENT, SAANICH MAYOR SAYS

BILL CLEVERLEY
TIMES COLONIST
APRIL 29, 2013

Provincial politicians promising not to override Esquimalt if it refuses
to rezone property for regional sewage-treatment facilities could be
setting a worrisome precedent, says Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard.

“Even if it is not a precedent, people might just try to draw it in. We’ve
just got to think through how that might change things,” Leonard said.

Waste-management facilities such as landfills and sewage plants are
notoriously difficult to locate, Leonard said. But municipalities
reluctant to approve them know the province has the ability under the
Waste Management Act to override their decisions.

“That motivates a council to compromise, because you can say: ‘We’re
better to have some influence on this outcome than none.’ ”

Last week, New Democrat platform chairwoman Carole James said an NDP
government would not consider overruling Esquimalt if the township refused
to rezone a Viewfield Road property to allow a sewage biosolids facility.

Esquimalt-Royal Roads Liberal candidate Chris Ricketts also has said he is
opposed to the provincial government overruling Esquimalt’s wishes, but
acknowledges he doesn’t speak for his party.

But if the province were to refuse to override Esquimalt, Leonard wonders
if it would also refuse to use its authority under the Waste Management
Act in other jurisdictions.

The Capital Regional District announced last month it had negotiated to
buy a Wilson Foods warehouse site on Viewfield Road in Esquimalt for $17
million, as a potential location for the region’s sludge-treatment plant.

The announcement sparked outrage from Esquimalt councillors and residents.
Not only is the Viewfield site located near houses and schools, but
because the main treatment facility is to be located at Esquimalt’s
McLoughlin Point, the township believes it is bearing an unfair share of
the CRD’s $783-million sewage-treatment system.

The CRD had originally proposed to treat sewage sludge at Hartland
landfill in Saanich and still might opt for that option.

Leonard said provincial inaction in Esquimalt could have repercussions in
Saanich.

“If the folks at Hartland and Willis Point find something objectionable,
they might be saying: ‘Why was Viewfield Road ruled out by the province
and not ours? [Or saying to Saanich council] ‘Why are you even considering
this. Why don’t you just say no like Esquimalt did?’ ” Leonard said.

bcleverley@timescolonist.com

http://www.timescolonist.com/promise-not-to-override-esquimalt-on-sewage-could-set-precedent-saanich-mayor-says-1.142652

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HAS THE CRD UNINTENTIONALLY PUSHED THE RESET BUTTON ON THE SEWAGE TREATMENT PLAN? 

LESLIE CAMPBELL AND DAVID BROADLAND, 
FOCUS Magazine (Click here to view article)
MAY 2013

Excerpts with Richard's comments:

Corps noted, “Most of the time, these things operate well, and are a totally acceptable solution. But most of the time they are not put in residential neighbourhoods,” and showed slides of a number of such facilities in more rural areas. Citing a statement from an association for anaerobic digesters in the UK, he claimed that there had been 62 accidents in such facilities, some of which were serious, with three deaths in Germany and one in Britain, though these were mostly within the site boundaries."

- If you had to err on the side of caution, why would the CRD even think of putting this right next to homes?

"That the CRD would choose to pay $17 million for a property with an assessed value of $12.9 million (the land is assessed at $5.4 million; the existing building, which would have to be demolished, is valued at $7.5 million) in the hope that the CRD could use it for a purpose that it could have foreseen would be highly controversial, suggests a disinterest in what the public thinks."

- The CRD will be paying almost $12M to demolish two buildings (plus demolition costs!). Good grief! How reckless with money is that? (I was the speaker at the meeting, who raised this point).

"The CRD’s Andy Orr told Focus, “Our region has an abundance of fresh water which is very unusual, but makes water recovery not really worth it.”"

- That thinking isn't congruent with the CRD's plan to build a 205M biosolids facility that will be recovering resources at a rate of $3M by the year 2030! When you factor in the min $15/yr operating costs from 2018-2030, that's only $385M invested to generate $3m/yr from that point.

NO WONDER THE CRD WON"T SPENT $20,000 ON A BUSINESS CASE.

"At the end of his presentation Corps said, “I would be less restrained, but the media would have to leave the room.” He carefully stated: “I’m a former government director, designated from treasury board. This is not appropriate. This is not how the province works; this is not how business works. Sorry to say but this is incorrect…I’m terribly sorry that you’re living the experience. I would not have chosen this and I advocated against it.”

Awesome article!!!


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For those in Esquimalt who may be wondering what's going on at the debates in the other ridings on the sewage topic, this short clip is worth watching:

http://youtu.be/HcZC-fp9oRw

Thanks to D. for this video.

Barb Desjardins: So in Saanich they here concerns as well. Interesting response from Ms Popham doing a dance, not saying anything specific.

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CHAMBER FEARS POTENTIAL EXODUS DUE TO BIOSOLIDS FACILITY

James Gardner
CFAX 1070
May 01, 2013

The Esquimalt Chamber of Commerce says it has new evidence of a potential exodus of businesses from the Esquimalt  Industrial Park if a biosolids facility is allowed to go ahead.

President Chuck Palmer says one of the Chamber's key members has just been advised by two of his tenants that they will leave the area if the biosolids plant is allowed to proceed on Viewfield Road.

Palmer says it's very important that the Capital Regional District and all levels of Government be made aware of the economic downdraft that may unfold in the event this site becomes a reality.

He is urging the Capital Regional District to reconsider the site in favour of a more appropriate location.

The Chamber believes the biosolids facility will disrupt the existing community, discourage future investment and create unecessary economic hardship on the community as a whole.

http://www.cfax1070.com/News/Top-Stories/Chamber-fears-potential-exodus-due-to-biosolids-fa

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IF ESQUIMALT CAN VETO SEWAGE PLANT, SAANICH CAN TOO, SAYS MAYOR

Luke Simcoe
Metronews Victoria
3 May 2013

Election candidates promising Esquimalt a veto over a proposed sewage treatment facility could be setting a dangerous precedent, says Saanich mayor Frank Leonard.

Under the Waste Management Act, the province can override local councils if they choose not to re-zone property for sewage treatment. However, the NDP’s Carole James and Liberal candidate for Esquimalt-Royal Roads Chris Ricketts, have both said they would avoid exercising that power.

“I have no problem with candidates taking positions in provincial elections,” Leonard said. “But if any party says they won’t use the Waste Management Act to achieve the sewage plan, then a lot of us would consider that a precedent and we would want equal treatment.”

The Capital Regional District originally proposed a secondary biosolids treatment facility at the Hartland landfill in Saanich, but recently purchased a $17-million property on Viewfield Road in Esquimalt as a possible alternative. CRD officials insist both locations remain on the table.

Leonard pointed out the Hartland site itself is an example of the province overruling the decision of municipalities. The landfill was expanded in the early 1990s, without council approval.

“The people close to it sure didn’t like it, but it was part of a plan,” he said.

Under the $783-million sewage treatment plan, which has been approved at the provincial and federal levels, the primary facility will be located at McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt. Councillors and residents from the township have said forcing them to live with the second facility as well would be unfair.

However, should campaign promises become reality, Leonard says they could bring the sewage plan to halt.

“I doubt you’re going to see municipalities offer themselves up for waste management. That would be pretty politically dangerous,” he said.


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LETTERS

WHY ISN'T SEWAGE PLANT INCLUDED IN QUESTIONS? (Atwell)

Re: “Chamber wants stand from local candidates,” April 30.

Times Colonist
4 May 2013

The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce’s “Economic Agenda for Our Vibrant Community” candidates’ questionnaire has left sewage treatment out of the section on infrastructure priorities.

The chamber has stated that “this list identifies the projects with the greatest economic impact.” It has included the McKenzie/Admirals overpass, “LRT,” improved cycling infrastructure and other projects from the region’s wish list, but the CRD’s $1-billion sewage project apparently has no economic impact, at least not a positive one.

What a glaring omission when you consider the Nov. 23, 2012, press release only days ahead of the federal byelection that stated: “Tourism Victoria and the chamber agree that our sewage requires additional treatment and that treatment should be implemented as soon as possible.”

Why aren’t the provincial candidates, who we’ve heard a diversity of opinion from, not receiving an opportunity through this survey to weigh in on this controversial topic, considering that a massive cost-of-living increase will immediately follow the construction of these facilities?

Richard Atwell
Saanich

http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/letters/why-isn-t-sewage-plant-included-in-questions-1.145469

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VIEWFIELD ROAD SITE HAS HIGH RISK FACTOR (Keller)
   
Re: “Sewage promise could set precedent: mayor,” April 30.

Times Colonist
4 May 2013

Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard doesn’t have a leg to stand on with regards to his “worrisome precedent” argument.

The 2009 Capital Regional District Biosolids Waste Management Plan compared the Hartland landfill and a site in the Upper Harbour in a risk matrix for possible sewage sludge sites. Hartland came out ahead, “with a cumulative total of 46 compared to Upper Harbour, which scored 85.” The higher the number the higher the risk.

Of note, the Upper Harbour site was already in a heavy industrial zone with no homes or schools in the vicinity.

If we plugged Viewfield Road into the same matrix, I’m sure we’d get a risk factor closer to 100, given that the site is light industrial at best and is surrounded by homes, daycares and schools.

The decision by the CRD to purchase the Viewfield Road site as a possible sewage-sludge processing plant is one of many ridiculous decisions they’ve made throughout this debacle.

Tania Keller
Esquimalt

http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/letters/viewfield-road-site-has-high-risk-factor-1.145471

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HARTLAND SAFER FOR SLUDGE PLANT (Newcomb)

Letters
Saanich News
April 30, 2013 

The CRD now plans to operate a sewage sludge plant in Esquimalt (a site also close to Vic West family housing and schools) but most News readers may not be aware that the previous plan to operate this sewage sludge plant at Hartland landfill was safer for our community.

The Esquimalt property planned for the privately-operated sewage sludge plant is only 1.7 hectares in area, but a CRD report notes that a minimum of two hectares is needed for the factory complex (which would include several biodigester tanks up to 14 metres high) so quite likely the Esquimalt-Vic West site would be built right out to the property line to accommodate this major operation.

An earlier CRD report also reveals that this sewage sludge processing plant would not be suitable for residential neighbourhoods, a point emphasized by sewage resource expert Chris Corps to an overflow audience at the recent Vic West public forum.

This plant could actually include several industrial processes:

• sewage sludge screening

• thermophilic anaerobic digestion complex

• energy and heat extraction building for sewage sludge management

• sludge dewatering building

• thermal drying

• unenclosed receiving station for fats, oils and grease and organic waste

• operations building

• gas flaring units

• phosphorus (struvite) recovery facilities

• odour control facilities

• biogas treatment and scrubbing facility.

Several of those processes are likely to be biologically hazardous, chemically hazardous, or both, demanding special equipment and training for firefighter rescue units, as well as emergency preparedness for the many families living near to this risky sewage sludge plant.

This operation should not be sited anywhere close to these dense Esquimalt-Vic West neighbourhoods.

John Newcomb
Saanich


 - SEND IN YOUR LETTERS!