LangfordB次元官网网址檚 mayor believes Saanich councillors are shirking public process after they refused to forward a 12-hectare property for consideration to the Capital Regional DistrictB次元官网网址檚 eastside sewage committee.
Saanich council voted 5-4 to block the 12-hectare Watkiss Way site B次元官网网址� across the street from Victoria General Hospital B次元官网网址� from further consideration as a sewage treatment site, with the majority arguing sewage facilities shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be built on agricultural land outside SaanichB次元官网网址檚 Urban Containment Boundary. The boundary protects rural land from most forms of development and would require a public vote to alter, Coun. Judy Brownoff told councillors on Monday night.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 some misunderstanding maybe that we didnB次元官网网址檛 look at this site, but at the CRD they did (previously) look at this site and evaluate it, high level, and the CRD directors turned this site down,B次元官网网址� said Brownoff, who subsequently voted down the proposal along with Dean Murdock, Susan Brice, Vic Derman and Vicki Sanders.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 support an industrial use like this in the ALR and I donB次元官网网址檛 support opening up the Urban Containment Boundary,B次元官网网址� Brownoff said.
On Tuesday, Langford Mayor Stew Young said Saanich councillors are playing politics at a time when they should be engaging the public on finding the best site for sewage treatment.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 see how politicians think they know better than the experts,B次元官网网址� Young said. B次元官网网址淛udy Brownoff seems to be a big advocate of not doing anything in Saanich, but she was all in favour of cramming McLoughlin down the Esquimalt mayorB次元官网网址檚 throat. Now, she canB次元官网网址檛 even put up her site in a public process. That, to me, is not what youB次元官网网址檙e elected for.B次元官网网址�
The CRDB次元官网网址檚 $788-million Seaterra program came to a halt in April 2014 after Esquimalt council rejected rezoning for a wastewater treatment facility at McLoughlin Point along the Inner Harbour entrance.
After last NovemberB次元官网网址檚 municipal elections, the CRD established the Eastside Select Committee, a regional group comprised of regional CRD directors and staff from Victoria, Oak Bay and Saanich who are responsible for evaluating the most publicly acceptable and technically feasible sites for sewage treatment. A similar Westside Committee is comprised of officials from Esquimalt, Langford, Colwood, View Royal and the Songhees Nation.
The committees have already shortlisted sites across the CRD, but had asked private land owners to submit property for evaluation before June 24. The Eastside group required private landowners to get approval from their local council before forwarding land for consideration; no such submission restriction existed at the Westside Committee.
Responding to some of YoungB次元官网网址檚 criticism, Brownoff said it was B次元官网网址渦nfortunateB次元官网网址� LangfordB次元官网网址檚 mayor had spoken out on the matter.
B次元官网网址淪ome of the challenges around this site is you have to collect all the raw sewage from the harbour area where we collect it and pipe and pump it up to this site,B次元官网网址� Brownoff said.
Brownoff added the Watkiss Way site also doesnB次元官网网址檛 adhere to SaanichB次元官网网址檚 policies around the use of rural and farm lands or those of the Urban Containment Boundary.
B次元官网网址淥ne of our Official Community Plan policies is if we want to open the (Urban Containment Boundary), we must go to referendum or plebiscite of our residents,B次元官网网址� she said.
Young said the CRD has already spent around $100 million on the sewage treatment project and achieved very little. He said the Westside and Eastside committees were established B次元官网网址渢o get the professionals, not politicians, who know what theyB次元官网网址檙e doing to evaluate the site and then bring it forward.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭he site may not have merit or be picked, but the public has the right to know. You donB次元官网网址檛 get five politicians together and say, B次元官网网址楾his is no good,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� said Young, referring to the majority vote at Saanich council to reject the site.
B次元官网网址淪ure itB次元官网网址檚 ALR, but itB次元官网网址檚 in the middle of a forested area, itB次元官网网址檚 near an interchange, we have residual use for green initiatives right there, and itB次元官网网址檚 not too small like McLoughlin. This site could do everything on that site and virtually nobody would even see the building.B次元官网网址�
Peter Ferguson, an engineer who did preliminary evaluative work on the Watkiss Way site for Vandekerkove, told council the site contained ample space for both wastewater treatment and biosolids processing facilities. Ray Parks of BIM Consulting, also speaking in the interest of Vandekerkove, said VGH had expressed interest in harvesting recovered heat and gas from the sewage treatment process. Parks added that a greenhouse operator had also expressed interest in partnering on the project to use recovered heat.
Coun. Colin Plant noted at the council meeting that sewage treatment sites have already been built on ALR land in both Sooke and on the Saanich Peninsula, and said council should keep an open mind until it has more information. The CRD voted in 2006 to not consider ALR land for the core area sewage treatment facilities.
Young said rather than use the B次元官网网址渓ame excuseB次元官网网址� of protecting ALR land, Saanich should analyze the site B次元官网网址渇rom a viability option.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲hy would you make a decision that takes out a site with good partners like the hospital for heat recovery and greenhouse production? It does have some merit. If it fails the test, at least the public wonB次元官网网址檛 ask the question about it later. Then we as politicians are very transparent,B次元官网网址� he said.
Before the vote was taken on Monday, Atwell had the final word in council chambers: B次元官网网址淚 think this site has huge potential and this will be a watershed moment in the creation of our sewage project. B次元官网网址his council will essentially be responsible for eliminating an option for the public.B次元官网网址�
Voting in favour of the Watkiss Way site for consideration were Atwell, Haynes, Plant and Wergeland.
