CRD Candidates Surveyed for Support of Timely Sewage Treatment

Georgia Strait Alliance, T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation and the Sustainable Fisheries Foundation conducted a survey of municipal candidates in the Capital Regional District's (CRD) 7 core areas to clarify each candidate's stance on the CRD 's plan for sewage treatment.

Each candidate was asked they agreed or disagreed with the following statement:

During my term in office, I will work diligently to create a regional treatment system that provides secondary or higher treatment using resource recovery technology and that will be constructed as soon as possible, and operational no later than 2016.

Below are the responses and comments received from candidates to date.  This website will be updated regularly as responses continue to be received.

Colwood
Mayor	Agree	Disagree	Comments
Carol Hamilton	X		Working to preserve our future...
Councillor	Agree	Disagree	Comments
Judith Cullington	X		Sewage is a resource not to be wasted. As a member of the team responsible for the provincial Integrated Resource Management report, I support a fully integrated, optimally implemented IRM approach that means we maximize use of valuable resources, reduce GHG emissions, support the health of aquatic ecosystems, minimize costs to taxpayers and implement a 21st century approach to integrated liquid and solid waste management.
Shaun Wysiecki	X		It is important to note that this DOES NOT indicate my support for the CRD’s $1.2 billion plan. There are other ways to deal with our sewage through innovators like the Boydel experiment, that prove there is more than ONE method of treating our waste.
Esquimalt
Mayor	Agree	Disagree	Comments
Chris Clement	X		I am actively advocating for a distributed system, with our plant in Esquimalt to go at McLaughlin Point.  The principles and opportunites of Integrated Resource Management, must be applied vigorously and diligently to any future waste processing works, including solid and liquid waste.  The opportunity for biogas production is one we must seriously explore, since we could convert the organic waste component of the solid waste (40% by volume) into a useable alternative to carbon-based fuel.  I also believe that regionally and on a community-specific basis we need to take aggressive action on fixing our infiltration and inflow issues.  In Esquimalt our contribution through I and I is approximately 40% of our flow, for which we pay approximately $390,000 per year.
Barbara Desjardins	X		Integrated resource management is the approach CRD should be pursuing. It may provide revenue streams as opposed to costing us 1.2 billion dollars, that before municipal infrastructure costs.  Politicians, municipal staff and the public must be further educated on this approach which is not new, and it is proven.
Councillor	Agree	Disagree	Comments
Meagan Brame	X		I am a strong supporter of the Integrated Resource Management Option and will work hard to see that done.  It is the most environmentally friendly of all the choices offered.  I would love to see each community do one so that no one has to have one large facility.  Why just create waste when you can create revenue!!
Randall Garrison	X		I will also be working to ensure that if a site is chosen in Esquimalt for "the facility" or one of the facilities that it be located at McLaughlin Point, not Macauley Point
Alison Gaul	X		I will advocate for a public system with Integrated Resource Management at MacLaughlin Point
Bruce McIldoon		X	I do not support the current sewage treatment model that is being proposed for Victoria
Bob McKie	X		We need to create a system that protects our enviroment and the people of Esquimalt while giving something back to the area with resource recovery technology.
Langford
Councillor	Agree	Disagree	Comments
Denise Blackwell			If re-elected, I of course will continue to work on this one and try to get the costs down as much as possible.
Herman Surkis	X		Sewage is another one of those words that needs healing. Instead of being seen as waste it needs to be seen as a resource.  Many municipalities, and countries manage to make sewage treatment profitable for the community. Public-Private -Partnership is not the way to go. Langford tossed around the idea of a contract with Kinder Morgan for water/sewage/?  The basics of life must NEVER be in the hands of private conglomerates. Water, Air, Food and Waste Disposal must be publicly controlled. Whomever controls any of those also  controls your life.
Oak Bay
Councillor	Agree	Disagree	Comments
Corey Burger			I am committed to making any treatment plant use resource recovery technology, however, I remain unconvinced by the science behind the ecological requirement of a sewage plant. As can be read in the recent Marine Pollution Bulletin, further research needs to be done to determine what levels of heavy metals and toxins are being released. I do suspect that there are significant amounts of these types of materials being released and if that is shown, then sewage treatment must become a priority, as many of these pollutants can build up in living creatures
Pam Copley	X		The CRD’s most recent plan for secondary sewage treatment which includes several methods for and types of resource recovery as well a system of disbursed treatment sites is more sustainable in the long term and will likely be more supportable at the municipal level
Saanich
Mayor	Agree	Disagree	Comments
Harald Wolf	X		I have stood up at the all-candidates' meetings and wholeheartedly supported sewage treatment.  This is not a new leaf for me to turn - I was promoting the issue when I was involved with the Victoria Watershed Coalition in the 90s, while on the Board of the Sierra Club Victoria Group, and elsewhere.  I can go back a couple more decades, to when I'd show the NFB film "The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes" to my classmates at university to show how we're wrecking the waterways with wonton abuse.  I have canoed most of the waterways in this region with my children, and walked all the beaches.  It is so unfortunate that we can no longer eat the shellfish and crabs, and devastating to hear that the Orcas are starving to death - and some are still saying it is just fine to dump our waste out there!  I am a strong believer in the four systems conditions of The Natural Step, which state that we cannot allow any materials produced by human activities to disperse in the environment at a rate that is greater than nature's ability to re-absorb them.  Those that say the ocean can do that just fine with our Region's sewage are stuck in a silo that ignores that we are adding ours to what is being dumped elsewhere, and we can't ask them to stop unless we do!
Councillor	Agree	Disagree	Comments
Susan Brice	X		I support an integrated resource recovery system that will treat wastes as a resource and recapture the energy for use in our community.
Judy Brownoff	X		The challenge will be developing flexibility in the "design" so that "new" technology as it emerges, can be adapted for future generations. With the turndown in the economy the challenge will be to ensure that higher levels of government, Provincial and Federal, make their commitments on their share of funding.
Patrick Chenier			The dumping of raw sewage in our waters is an international black eye for our region. We must work toward a permanent solution for sewage treatment. I am open to explore all options to sewage treatment. It is important for Saanich to manage taxes and spend responsibly in addressing sewage treatment. I favour the development of smaller plants versus one or two large plant(s) for sewage treatment. An estimated annual cost of $200-$700 a year per homeowner is a lot of money for most residents. We need to find ways to offsets the direct cost to residents and businesses. Energy and resource recovery is a must and should be fully integrated to ensure value for money and maximize the benefits to our community. The information that I currently have is based on the CRD schedule and timelines, “It is expected to take about 10 years to complete the required first stage works of wastewater management, including  land acquisition and zoning, program development, facility planning and design, construction and commissioning. Subject to land availability and decisions on sludge management at the plants, one or more of the decentralized plants is expected to be in operation by early 2013, with the Macaulay Point and Clover Point plants and the biosolids management facility in operation by the end of 2016.” We need to proceed expediently without compromising the integrity of the project. I would say that I agree that sewage treatment is needed but can not commit to a timeline because I do not want to be caught in a position of duplicity.
Paul Gerrard	X		The BC and federal governments have mandated secondary sewage treatment for the region, so that argument is over. However, the vision of what form treatment plants will look like is still very much open for discussion. Many people still think of sewage treatment plants with the old settling ponds, taking up large amounts of land and costing huge amounts of money.  We can turn that thinking around if we regard treated sewage not as a liability, but a resource.  Many parts of the world, particularly Scandinavia, have small treatment plants that are attractive and unobtrusive, and many have a small biogas plant attached to recover water, heat and energy from the sludge. This is then used to heat homes, institutions and businesses, methane runs buses and public vehicles, and grey water is used for irrigation. it is imperative that we study alternative models of plants and take advantage of modern technological advances before committing to a decision that may not be in the best interests of the taxpayer, because the projections of sewage treatment costs are not palatable to municipalities and the taxpayers, nor sustainable for our communities.  At the same time, local municipalities must be careful to hold senior levels of government to their promise of two-thirds of the costs, making sure they do not download infrastructure and maintenance costs back onto municipalities.  The construction process will be subject to review through a P3 lens that the provincial government needs all major projects to go through, so the construction phase may well be contracted out to a private construction company. However, if elected, I will vote to keep sewage treatment, and especially our water supply, in public hands, and NOT privatize these resources.
Victor Hughes	X		I accept that under the federal/ provincial element of funding there will be a P3 format for the construction of the treatment facility but I am of the opinion that such a facility should remain under public ownership and control.
Dean Murdock	X		As Chair of the Sierra Club Victoria, I have been a long-time supporter and advocate for sewage treatment. Pumping millions of tonnes of raw sewage into our water system is unsustainable. We have an opportunity to develop a system that will divert sewage from entering our water system, while utilizing the waste materials as energy. Our region could be on the cutting edge of energy and environmental innovation. We must ensure that we invest in a system that will allow us to become leaders in this technology.
Vicki Sanders	X
Rob Wickson	X		This issue must be considered as resource investment not a cost.
Victoria
Mayor	Agree	Disagree	Comments
Dean Fortin	X		I believe the debate on sewage treatment in greater Victoria is over. The provincial government is requiring us to act now and      federal standards will require all communities in Canada to have      secondary treatment in the coming years; More fundamentally, I feel strongly that green and innovative sewage treatment is the only responsible choice for Greater Victoria, given the ongoing population growth in our region and the proven environmental impacts of current practices on the marine environment; The leading jurisdictions in the world view sewage as a resource to fuel their economy, rather than as waste to be dumped somewhere. There is no such thing as waste in nature and we should adopt that same ethic when it comes to sewage treatment; By using sewage as a resource and keeping sewage treatment public, rather than adopting the risky and more expensive P3 approach, I am confident we can deliver a world-class sewage treatment system for the Capital Region at a cost that is manageable for taxpayers; I urge the province to release the study on sewage options immediately. I want the CRD to get on with the job of presenting the detailed plan, with locations, to the public so we can start the real debate and meet the timelines set by the province. We cannot afford delays and political wrangling on such a crucial issue for Victoria’s environment.
Steve Filipovic	X		We also need to set up treatment for our storm drain systems as they catch a substantial amount of oil and other harmful chemicals that we cannot afford to have continued accumulation in our waters.
Rob Reid	X		I want to work closely with the CRD on the sewage treatment option currently being proposed. Time invested now increases the likelihood of finding the right solution for the region. We need to treat our sewage maximizing resource recovery, but not at the expense of our environment. The proposal before us now is not good enough - it falls far short of the environmental objectives we have identified and should be held to.
Councillor	Agree	Disagree	Comments
Robert  Allington	X		Resource recovery technology is critical. Sweden has shown us the real potential of this approach. Basically if we decided to give it a full commitment, we could fuel our fleet of 200 plus transit buses, about one third of our automobiles, and with some other infrastructure innovations a substantial part of new housing development.
Sonya Chandler	X		I think we need to frame sewage treatment as an opportunity for sustainable community planning that reminds us that we are in a closed system - that there is no such thing as waste - and this will change the way we understand ourselves in relationship to our public resources and our individual consumption patterns.
Christopher Gillespie	X		I agree with a sewage treatment plant for the Capital Region but it must be done properly. A treatment plant that removes e. coli and then dumps the rest into the ocean is pointless. Any sewage treatment center in the CRD should treat all or most of the harmful elements, and if possible, implement resource recovery technology.
Wayne Hollohan	X		I am upset that there are people in important positions that are willing to blindly jump every time the provincial government dangles a carrot (conditional money) in front of them; I have provided leadership to, and attended community association events to inform the public of what has transpired in other cities where P3’s have been used, the Abbotsford Hospital being one prime example as well as Hamilton Ont., and Halifax NS; This issue has to be approached from all sides at once; Educate the public. (I still believe the public is the city’s greatest resource.) The information has to be supported and broken down in language and categories that all of us can relate to; Keep the lines of communication open to be able to respond on short notice. I find you hear nothing for the longest time then overnight there’re seeking approval; Equally important, do our research to come up with viable alternative solutions not just suggestions; My immediate contribution is to wear my buttons as I campaign and inform the public at every opportunity.
Lynn Hunter	X
Phillippe Lucas	X		I am a strong and long-time supporter of advanced sewage treatment options that include resource recovery, and will also work to ensure that this project remains in public hands.
John Luton	X		See the news release on P3s and sewage at www.johnluton.ca  My comments also focus on resource recovery issues
Pam Madoff	X		I support a system of small, resource-recovery based treatment centres rather than a mega-treatment plant. I have been very involved with the Dockside Green project, here in VIctoria, and supported a triple bottom line approach to this comprehensive development.  This type of approach should be brought to bear in the consideration of the model for sewage treatment that would be best for our region.   I am also not in favour of a P3 approach to sewage treatment.
Chris Munkacsi	X		I strongly agree that sewage treatment should be in before 2016. It is long overdue and we are paying dearly for it. At $1.2 billion, had any previous responsible body taken a proactive decision over the past 30 years when it first became an issue here we would not be paying nearly that amount. This project has the worst scope creep that I have ever seen. Since the province took the step of mandating that it be installed, deadlines have been passed as councils and crd representatives have salivated over added values and bonuses. I want a sewage treatment plant to be put into Victoria that suits our needs and meets our capacities. We can update and add the added value increased added environmentally friendly features over time with updates. Lets get sewage treatment in now, lets get what we need covered and discuss further future updates when warranted or needed. I do support making our plant more environmentally friendly, but want a plant that stops many tonnes of waste and effluent from going into the ocean soon.
Simon Nattrass	X		Sewage treatment will need to be approached in a logical, objective manner. We cannot give in to the pressures of other governments or of impatient people within our own administration and rush this process only to find out later that we could have done better. With this in mind, and with the knowledge that this council term only extends for three years, I cannot guarantee a date of completion for this project. I can say that I will do whatever possible to ensure that a resource recovery treatment system that prioritizes the removal of man made chemicals from effluent will be started within the next council term.
Robert Randall	X		I guess you can put me down as an "agree" but I would need to have some concerns addressed before I could sincerely endorse any treatment program. Specifically what kind of treatment? Is it state of the art or merely the cheap model that satisfies the Province's demand for treatment? What is the system's carbon footprint? Is the resource recovery plan feasible? Does the system meet Triple Bottom Line guidelines? Will there be independent third-party oversight to ensure the plant is meeting its environmental obligations?
Diana Smardon	X		As a member of the Georgia Strait Alliance, the T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation, and Water Watch, I am in total support of sewage treatment with resource recovery following the example of Sweden. I am aware that in Sweden, they use biogas from sewage for heating, and to fuel cars converted to run on biogas. They have also developed the first biogas train in the world. Biogas is a renewable resource which could make money for the city, so we should embrace this model in Victoria. I have included the website for resource recovery in all of my printed material and on my website http://dianasmardon.blogspot.com. It is http://georgiastrait.org/?q=node/567.
Charlayne Thornton-Joe	X
John Turner	X		As a 14 year street councillor and community support worker I have also been working on this issue extensively. When in office I plan to be pro active on this and other MAJOR issues by establishing community task forces that are active in researching what HAS been done, and what we must do next.
Pieta VanDyke	X		I will support this only if the plan includes resource recovery and cost recovery, and if full economic and environmental impact studies are done for each site.  There also needs to be community consultation and open communication throughout the process.
Susan Woods	X		I am committed to a publicly-owned resource recovery method of sewage treatment for the CRD. I hesitate to agree to the deadline of 2016 but will certainly work towards that goal.
Geoff Young	X		The Province has ordered us to proceed with sewage treatment, and we should move forward in a timely and efficient way.  Resource recovery technologies, probably focussing initially on heat recovery, are likely to be the most cost-effective approach as energy costs rise.  Water re-use and combined sludge/organics composting also hold promise.
View Royal
Councillor	Agree	Disagree	Comments
Andrew Britton	X		This being a Provincial mandate I am committed to support the project as well as will be speaking to keep it public. I DO NOT support 3P's

Recent polling by CUPE found:

• 63% of CRD residents take the view that sewage treatment is needed and that we cannot afford not to do it.
• 92% of CRD residents believe that the regional district should bring in resource recovery technology when building its treatment system

For more information on the survey - http://www.cupe.bc.ca/files/environics_survey_tables_-_november_2008.pdf

For more background information on the science supporting treatment now, please visit: http://www.sustainablefisheriesfoundation.org/programs/marine-sewage-discharg-initiative/impacts-of-sewage-discharge/