View Royal Mayor David Screech is concerned the next stage of public engagement on wastewater treatment wonB次元官网网址檛 give residents the information they need.
B次元官网网址淚 have heard from members of the public very strongly that they want something tangible they can make comment on,B次元官网网址� he said Tuesday at the Capital Regional District core area liquid waste management committee meeting, held at the Songhees First Nation Wellness Centre.
B次元官网网址淭hey want options A through E that they can comment on, and I donB次元官网网址檛 know that this will do that. IB次元官网网址檓 sure itB次元官网网址檒l put out there some wonderful ideas B次元官网网址� but I donB次元官网网址檛 see how you necessarily make the leap that theyB次元官网网址檙e applicable to what weB次元官网网址檙e doing here or whether we can afford them.B次元官网网址�
Screech was responding to the announcement of an upcoming B次元官网网址淚nnovation DaysB次元官网网址� event at Royal Roads University, April 27 to 29. The public event will see industry representatives present their responses to the Request for Technical Information (RFTI) recently undertaken by the CRD.
The RFTI attracted 10 submissions from companies demonstrating possibilities for treating the regionB次元官网网址檚 sewage. A CRD staff report stated the information received should prove useful to the Westside and Eastside committees working with technical experts on developing treatment options and cost evaluations.
The CRD made it clear that the RFTI was not a call for proposals to later be tendered, but was merely information-gathering about technologies that could be implemented. However, six responses came from system suppliers B次元官网网址� one pilot project plant and five established ones. One of those was the company that recently built a wastewater treatment plant in Sechelt, while another proposed a system for biogas treatment to convert digester gas into vehicle fuel.
Christine Houghton of Aurora Innovations, the firm tasked with project communication and overseeing the public consultation process, said the public Royal Roads event will feature a series of presentations that will also be webcast online and later be available for downloading.
Another round of public consultation and various roundtables will follow Innovation Days, throughout May.
At TuesdayB次元官网网址檚 meeting, Screech didnB次元官网网址檛 sound convinced that the process would inform people enough about their options.
B次元官网网址淪o, the idea of this is that everybody who submitted something in the RFTI can just present their case?B次元官网网址� he asked.
B次元官网网址淚s the public going to have any way of gauging whether this solution is applicable for us? Or is it just sort of, B次元官网网址榯his is what potentially is possible out there, but we really have no idea whether itB次元官网网址檚 applicable to us or is affordableB次元官网网址�?B次元官网网址�
Houghton responded by saying Innovation Days is meant as another B次元官网网址減rongB次元官网网址� in the public engagement approach, where people are given as much information as possible, then encouraged to independently conduct their own research.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 to give people a better understanding of what is possible out there,B次元官网网址� she said.
For readers looking to get a head start and look over the information before the Innovation Days event, the RFTI submissions are contained within .
mdavies@goldstreamgazette.com
