June 16, 2013

Click here to join us on Facebook


ACTION:
UPCOMING: 
**VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NOW FOR FLYER DROPS!

- CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CRD'S SEWAGE SLUDGE REPORTS NEEDED
- JOIN VIEWFIELD NEIGHBOURS MARCH TO CRD SEWAGE SESSION 24 JUNE
PAST:

- AUDIO AND VIDEO OF ACTIONS AT CRD SEWAGE COMMITTEE 12 JUNE:

- RICHARD ATWELL
- KIM BELLEFONTAINE (Audio)
- BETH BURTON-KRAHN
- DESJARDINS-KARAGIANIS (Audio)
- JOHN NEWCOMB
- CAROLE WITTER

CRD SEWAGE NEWS
- ITS NOT TOO LATE TO RETHINK OUR SEWAGE 'SOLUTION'
- EDITORIAL: RED TAPE STIFLES POSSIBLE SOLUTION
- VIDEO: VIC DERMAN SPEAKING ON SEWAGE SLUDGE APPLICATION
- VICTORIA ADVOCACY GROUP PUSHES FOR AUDIT ON SEWAGE PLAN

LETTERS

- FEDS SHOULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED SOONER (Atwell)
- SEWAGE PLAN WON'T ELIMINATE DRUGS, HEAVY METALS (Kissinger)
- MACAULAY POINT NOT RIGHT FOR SEWAGE PLANT (Burton-Krahn)
- BETTER THINKING NEEDED ON WASTEWATER PROJECT (Witter)
- SEWAGE COMMITTEE IS UNDEMOCRATIC (Glegg)
- PLANT STILL PLANNED FOR MCLOUGHLIN POINT (Mayor Desjardins)

 - SEND IN YOUR LETTERS!
------------------------------
ACTION:
UPCOMING: 

**VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NOW FOR FLYER DROPS!

Richard says:

The second flyer drop is today, Sunday June 16 and we are meeting at 12:45pm at 1245 Esquimalt Rd. at Stop A Bad Plan's community campaign office to divide up the work. 
If you would like to deliver on Monday or Tuesday please pick up flyers today, Sunday.

The areas remaining areas in Esquimalt are not quite walking distance from the office so bring transport.

Two hours of walking per person to deliver 150 flyers. If you want to do more or less, just ask.

Please RSVP ASAP to stopabadplan@gmail.com so we can know how many flyers to print!

Latest Schedule:

Flyer Esquimalt on Sunday June 16 ahead of Wednesday meeting
Royal Canadian Esquimalt Legion

Next weekend drops:

Flyer James Bay on Saturday June 22 ahead of Monday meeting
Burnside Gorge Community Centre, Activity Centre

Flyer Viewfield on Sunday June 23 ahead of Thursday meeting
Da Vinci Centre , Upper Hall

I'm now having second thoughts about flying these two:

Flyer Royal Oak on Sunday June 16 ahead of Tuesday meeting
Greek Community Hall, Main Hall

Flyer Oak Bay on Sunday June 23 ahead of Tuesday meeting
Oak Bay Windsor Pavilion, Sports Room

I think it might increase the proportion of anti-Esquimalt Vic West input based on the long distance from the sites and it's well out of the way of the majority of volunteers.

Thoughts? Send feedback ASAP to stopabadplan@gmail.com.

------------------

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CRD'S SEWAGE SLUDGE REPORTS NEEDED

CRD's sewage sludge open house material has just been posted online. Comments so far on SABP website suggests that CRD using visuals to degrade value of Viewfield site as residential area, emphasizing the industrial nature of it. 

We'll need to dig in to critically analyze the reports and to able to present our verified concerns both at the open houses and to the media. 

CRD SEWAGE SLUDGE PLANT REPORTS NOW ON CRD WEBSITE:

------------------

JOIN VIEWFIELD NEIGHBOURS MARCH TO CRD SEWAGE SESSION 24 JUNE


Vic West Community Centre is on 521 Craigflower Rd (mapped)

----------------


-----------------------

PAST:

- AUDIO AND VIDEO OF ACTIONS THIS WEEK:

RICHARD ATWELL


Richard Atwell speaks to the CRD sewage committee (CALWMC) 12 June and explains how the 2007-2010 Technical and Community Advisory Committee (TCAC) failed in its mandate to advise the sewage committee.

---------------------

KIM BELLEFONTAINE

Kim Bellefontaine of STAG (Sewage Treatment Action Group) on CFAX:


Kim talks about..well everything wrong about this project! Topics include:

STAG's submission to the Auditor General for Local Government as well as STAG's letter to Premier Clark asking her to pause the sewage project to obtain a full understanding of the project's costs.

------------------

BETH BURTON-KRAHN

June 12, 2013 CRD Video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xMAosYlwgs&hd=1

Beth Burton-Krahn speaks to CALWMC 12 June and explains why NIMBY really means when infrastructure gets dropped into a neighbourhood without forewarning or proper consultation with the public that is directly affected by it.

----------------------

DESJARDINS-KARAGIANIS

Mayor Barb Desjardins & MLA Maurine Karagianis were on CFAX 10 June:

http://stopabadplan.ca/media/130610_CFAX_Barb_Desjardins.m4a

There was talk of the federal MPs Randall Garrison and Murray Rankin still seeking confirmation that there is no funding deadline but it's been two months since the March 23 rally at Saxe Pt when this was originally announced and so far there has been no confirmation.

The bigger question is, what can be done at the provincial level? I'd like to know what options are available that our local MLAs can take in a cooperative fashion to pause this project?

---------------------

JOHN NEWCOMB

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta3tS-Pw20Q&hd=1

John Newcomb speaks about TCAC details for the CRD's sewage committee (CALWMC) 12 June members - how a technical and community advisory committee should be staffed to maximize the knowledge required to fully understand the impacts of the CRD's sewage proposal.

-----------------------

CAROLE WITTER

June 12, 2013 CRD Video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgJbbi_l0zA&hd=1

Carole Witter speaks at the CRD sewage committee (CALWMC) 12 June to remind the committee that its own peer review team concluded that McLoughlin Pt was too small. Carole asks why the CRD is pursuing secondary treatment and the land applications of sewage sludge when tertiary and waste to energy systems are now the status quo.

Why has the CRD not spent $20,000 on a life-cycle cost analysis when it has spent $50,000 for a PR campaign to "educate" the public, Carole asks.

"It's time to change the way you do business and to change course on this project".

-------------------------------

CRD SEWAGE NEWS

ITS NOT TOO LATE TO RETHINK OUR SEWAGE 'SOLUTION'

DR. SHAUN PECK
TIMES COLONIST 
JUNE 12, 2013

The recent announcement by the Capital Regional District board that it has decided not to pursue a single site for a sewage treatment plant on Department of National Defence land adjacent to the Macaulay Point pumping station (or adjacent to the McLoughlin Point site) is a big disappointment.

I have walked and cycled around this area several times — it is obvious that there is plenty of underused land. If land is acquired from the DND with appropriate consultations and assessment, a single sewage-treatment plant could be built.

This would likely save taxpayers some of the huge projected expense for land-based sewage treatment plants (currently $783 million — the equivalent of nearly 10 Blue Bridges). The reasons given for not pursuing this land are mostly similar to those given more than five years ago. The main reason stated recently was that the time required to acquire the land would result in “significant delay in the program schedule.”

There is no urgent need to build the land-based sewage treatment plants, because it is impossible to define in measurable terms that there will be any benefit to public health or the environment from this construction. The deadlines have been arbitrarily created by regulators and the CRD.

All levels of government — federal, provincial and municipal — have been made aware of the judgment of marine scientists and public health officials that the current deep-sea outfalls are highly effective in enabling the sewage effluent to be treated naturally by the marine environment. No credible scientist has presented evidence to counter the judgment of the University of Victoria marine scientists.

There has never been a comparison of the overall environmental harm created by the proposed plants compared with the current minimal effect on the marine environment created around the deep-sea outfalls.

It is understandable that the project team wishes to get on with the planning. The newly formed commission needs an updated, approved plan to implement. However, this question needs to be continually asked: “Is this in the best interest of the taxpayers?”

Federal and provincial funding was announced 11 months ago, but there is still no signed legal agreement in place for this funding. The CRD is taking on a significant financial risk by continuing the planning without this agreement.

I continue to hope that the CRD will have the wisdom and courage to challenge the federal regulations. Given Victoria’s unique marine receiving environment, will they seek an exemption to the federal wastewater systems effluent regulations?

The Victoria sewage-treatment issue is a battle between policy based on the best science and that based on populist, political decision-making.

The federal regulators have taken a one-size-fits-all approach to all sewage treatment in Canada, irrespective of the receiving environments. It is like saying every city should have so many snowplows, irrespective of the annual snowfall.

In the 1980s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized that where there are unique receiving environments (similar to the Victoria bight) that land-based treatment was not needed.

The World Bank, supported by the World Health Organization, considers deep marine outfalls to be effective and sufficient treatment where there are unique marine receiving environments.

The provincial regulator (Ministry of Environment) for years acknowledged that if a 100-metre diffusion zone was allowed, Victoria’s deep sea outfalls do meet the regulated standards that have been developed. Even so, in 2006, the CRD was required by the province to come up with a plan for land-based treatment.

Most of the CRD politicians seem to be driven by their belief that it is the right thing to do, regardless of the best science, the cost and the lack of definable benefit.

There is still time to rethink the present plans before irreversible decisions are made.

- Dr. Shaun Peck was the medical health officer for the CRD from 1989 to 1995.


------------------------

Appears that Shaun's op-ed above triggered this related TC editorial, as well as letter to editor below:

EDITORIAL: RED TAPE STIFLES POSSIBLE SOLUTION

TIMES COLONIST 
JUNE 13, 2013

Cumbersome bureaucracy is the wrong reason for the Capital Regional District to abandon its pursuit of federal land for sewage-treatment facilities.

The CRD has been ordered to conform its sewage treatment to the federal and provincial sewage and wastewater regulations, and to stop discharging its sewage into the ocean. It has chosen a former petroleum-storage facility on McLoughlin Point as the site for the wastewater treatment plant, but needs more land for a component of the project that will process biosolids, the sludge left over the sewage is treated.

The original plan was to pump the sludge to the Hartland landfill, where a “biosolids energy centre” would turn the sludge into gas or solid fuel. Hoping to avoid the disruption of building an 18-kilometre pipeline, the CRD started looking for a site closer to the proposed McLoughlin Point plant.

In March, the CRD announced it had paid $17 million for the 1.7-hectare Wilson Foods property on Viewfield Road in Esquimalt, a decision that alarmed Esquimalt residents.

Looking at the possibility of keeping the two components of the project close together, the CRD had asked the federal government in February to sell or lease 1.6 hectares of Department of National Defence land next to the McLoughlin site. In April, the district expressed interested in four hectares on Macaulay Point that would have accommodated both components.

Either one of those proposals would have been preferrable to putting the biosolids plant in an Esquimalt neighbourhood near businesses and residences.

But the CRD sewage committee has backed away from trying to obtain DND land, intimidated by the prospect of the lengthy, complex federal approval process.

It’s understandable that the committee doesn’t want the sewage project bogged down in bureaucratic mire. Delays would be costly; potential contractors require certainty.

Considering that one of the main motivating factors behind the project is to make the region’s sewage disposal conform to federal regulations, it seems only right that Ottawa should be amenable to removing roadblocks. The assessment of the proposed sites could be fast-tracked; the approval process could be streamlined.

If compelling reasons are found to reject those sites for the project, so be it, but at least try.

Besides, where is the perfect site of sewage treatment? There isn’t one — any site chosen will require accommodation and compromise.

When bureaucracy stifles a proposal, the tail is wagging the dog. Government machinery is supposed to serve the people, not make them slaves to regulatory processes.

Red tape, it appears, has strangled what might have been a good plan. Now we’ll never know.


------------------------

VIDEO: VIC DERMAN SPEAKING ON SEWAGE SLUDGE APPLICATION

June 5, 2013 CRD Video:


Director Vic Derman speaks at CRD Board meeting to argue against the land application of sewage sludge as the CRD opens Pandora's box by way of consideration of change to the 2011 bylaw banning the land application of biosolids ahead of CRD Liquid Waste Management Plan Amendment No.9.

The Dogwood Initiative, Sierra Club of BC and Island Organic Producers Association have all previously sent letters in support of the CRD ban of the land application of biosolids in opposition to the Sannich Peninsula's PenGrow program. 

-------------------------

VICTORIA ADVOCACY GROUP PUSHES FOR AUDIT ON SEWAGE PLAN

Daniel Palmer
Victoria News
June 11, 2013 

A local advocacy group is hoping the municipal or provincial auditors general will review the Capital Regional District’s $783-million sewage treatment project, an option that could be pursued under both offices’ mandates.

The Sewage Treatment Action Group (STAG), a community group of concerned citizens, sent audit requests on the CRD mega-project to federal, provincial and local auditors general last week; the group claims the current project costs have been grossly underestimated.

Each level of government is responsible for funding one-third of the CRD project, while Greater Victoria taxpayers will cover any cost overruns.

“We’re hoping that by getting at least one level of government to look at how this money is being spent, we can stop this thing from going sideways fast,” said Carole Witter, STAG representative.

The newly established auditor general for local government has the power to audit capital procurement as well as infrastructure asset management, said Mark Tatchell, municipal deputy auditor general.

“(The CRD sewage project) is an area that would fall within that particular theme … but we haven’t disclosed any planned performance audit on that particular project at this stage,” Tatchell said.

The office remains open to auditing “emerging issues” in the coming months, he added.

B.C.’s auditor general can look into any project where provincial funding is contributed, said communications manager Colleen Rose, adding she could not speak to specific cases.

“If there’s an issue that arises that has some immediacy, we can jump on things and be flexible, but because audits are planned well in advance, it would be a number of months down the road before a new audit was even started, not to mention the duration to finish it,” she said.

The current sewage treatment project includes a wastewater treatment plant, to be built at McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt, and a biosolids facility planned for either Hartland landfill in Saanich or Viewfield Road in Esquimalt.

Both facilities are in the early stages of tendering, with an estimated completion date of 2018.


------------------------------

LETTERS

FEDS SHOULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED SOONER (Atwell)

TIMES COLONIST 
JUNE 16, 2013

Re: “Red tape stifles possible solution,” editorial, June 13.

Red tape is not entirely to blame for the sewage fiasco: Blame lies squarely on the decision makers.

In November 2004, the Capital Regional District initiated a process that resulted in the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry scientific and technical review that would “determine if the CRD should implement sewage treatment” and “if so, identify what level of sewage treatment is required and why.”

The CRD also knew early on that the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment was starting the process of creating a Canada-wide regulatory framework for sewage treatment.

Finally, the engineering staff at the CRD had a preference for pursuing McLoughlin Point from the earliest days because of its proximity to the existing outfalls at Clover Point and Macaulay Point.

Given this early desire to determine if further treatment was required (SETAC actually failed to conclude this but the CRD paid $605,000 anyway), the locations of the existing outfalls and the anticipated federal regulations (which completely ignore the receiving environment and the ongoing chemical discharges), you would think that experienced politicians would have had the foresight to initiate the negotiating process sooner.

Federal regulations, federal ownership of Department of National Defence lands, and federal leases on Macaulay Point and Clover Point should have been a clear indicator to the CRD to involve the federal government at the beginning, rather than at the end.

Richard Atwell
Saanich


---------------------

MACAULAY POINT NOT RIGHT FOR SEWAGE PLANT (Burton-Krahn)

TIMES COLONIST 
JUNE 14, 2013

While I agree with Dr. Shaun Peck that there is still time to rethink our sewage solution, I completely disagree that Macaulay Point is a viable option for sewage treatment. 

Guidelines for siting sewage treatment plants recommend a minimum buffer of a 400-metre radius.

Macaulay Point is surrounded by military housing — the closest residents would be only about 25 metres from a sewage-treatment plant. I’m not sure what kind of statement is being made that it is OK to put a sewage-treatment plant in the midst of military housing.

And if that wasn’t reason enough, which it is, the property is then surrounded by hundreds of homes in the Saxe Point neighbourhood. Macaulay Point is absolutely not appropriate for sewage treatment plant and a sewage sludge processing plant.

Peck appears is enamoured of the outfall at Macaulay Point. Following this argument, we could also suggest a sewage treatment plant at Clover Point. However, that configuration would be entirely inappropriate for the same reason that Macaulay Point is inappropriate: Clover Point is surrounded by a densely populated residential neighbourhood.

A sewage treatment plant and sewage-sludge processing facility are not OK in anyone’s backyard.

Beth Burton-Krahn
Esquimalt


-------------------

SEWAGE PLAN WON'T ELIMINATE DRUGS, HEAVY METALS (Kissinger)

TIMES COLONIST 
JUNE 14, 2013

Re: “It’s not too late to rethink our sewage ‘solution,’ ” June 12.

Once again a person with some suitable background, Dr. Shaun Peck, has pointed out the waste of money that the present sewage proposal will be.

We need a new solution that will eliminate the drug residues and heavy metals before it will be any improvement on what is now happening to our effluent. I believe that Andrew Weaver won in the recent election partly because, although the Greens favour treatment, they acknowledge that the proposed system is not a solution, whereas the New Democratic Party wants it now simply for the employment opportunities.

Surely science should be the decider for this question. If not, then the taxpayers will make their decisions.

Don Kissinger
Saanich


--------------------

BETTER THINKING NEEDED ON WASTEWATER PROJECT (Witter)

TIMES COLONIST 
JUNE 13, 2013
     
Re: “Capital region to study use of sewage fertilizer,” June 6.

This will be the most expensive infrastructure project in the history of the capital region, so we need to get it right.

The current plan represents a shortsighted and old-school approach to wastewater treatment that uses outdated technologies unable to support our long-term environmental, social and fiscal responsibilities. Cities all over the world are moving toward waste-to-energy systems as a way to effectively deal with waste while producing valuable heat and electricity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with significant savings to the taxpayer. Sewage can be integrated into these systems, eliminating biosolids and the need for land application or landfilling.

Sites that can accommodate this new global standard for waste management are available. Why are these sites not being thoroughly evaluated by the Capital Regional District? It’s time to pause, rethink and redefine wastewater treatment in the capital region.

Carole Witter
Esquimalt


------------------

SEWAGE COMMITTEE IS UNDEMOCRATIC (Glegg)

TIMES COLONIST 
JUNE 13, 2013
     
As the process of determining the best options for liquid-waste treatment moves forward, we should continue to demand an explanation as to why the liquid-waste committee paid $17 million for a property on Viewfield Road assessed at only $13 million.

This transaction should be the subject of a thorough audit and an explanation provided to taxpayers who had no input into the purchase decision or price. In any event, when there is such a great discrepancy between value and price, particularly in a weak real-estate market, and transactions are conducted in secret by elected officials, an investigation should be conducted to provide assurance that there were no improprieties, such as less than arm’s-length relationships.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to a democratic form of government. When as has happened with this committee, the larger municipalities are able to impose their agendas on the smallest municipality, partially through questionable and secret transactions, it is a violation of that principle.

The fatal error in all of this is the structure of the committee that gives Saanich and Victoria sufficient votes to dominate all other municipalities combined. This has resulted in decisions that cannot be effectively opposed, and to a lack of due process and due diligence.

Until the committee aligns itself with the principles and spirit of a democratic form of government, this problem along with the attendant injustices and incompetence will continue.

Anton Glegg
Esquimalt


----------------------

PLANT STILL PLANNED FOR MCLOUGHLIN POINT (Mayor Desjardins)

TIMES COLONIST 
JUNE 13, 2013
     
Re: “Discouraged by lengthy process, CRD abandons base sewage site,” June 8.

The article creates some confusion — some who read the story may believe that the Capital Regional District is no longer proposing to build a sewage-treatment plant there. I have received many reports from people happy that McLoughlin Point is no longer a site for the sewage plant.

To clarify: The CRD abandoning the idea of siting a sewage-treatment facility on federal lands surrounding Esquimalt does not mean that it has abandoned the idea of locating the plant at McLoughlin Point.

The McLoughlin rezoning application put forward by the CRD is still before Esquimalt council.

Barbara Desjardins
Mayor of Esquimalt


-------------------

SEND YOUR LETTERS!
------------------------------

end...

Posted by