Act to protect your drinking water on May 29 and 30 in Nanaimo

COPE491

Act to protect your drinking water on May 29 and 30 in Nanaimo

COPE491

POWELL RIVER—Residents may soon see privatized wastewater treatment if the City’s plan goes ahead. CUPE 798 members are raising concerns about the agreement in principle the City signed with Catalyst on Friday, April 9.

The twenty-year agreement, with an option for renewal, would pay Catalyst $750,000 annually to treat the region’s wastewater. With the signing, Catalyst dropped their appeal of a court decision upholding the company's property tax rates, and agrees to pay a reduced tax rate to the City.

VICTORIA—Residents of Greater Victoria have the option of choosing fully public sewage treatment and resource recovery.

On March 31, Capital Regional District (CRD) directors gave final approval to a business case that will see public operation in at least five, and possibly all seven communities mandated to develop sewage treatment.

“We know there is more to do, but at this stage it is important to acknowledge the residents and community activists who have made their voices heard in support of public sewage treatment, and the elected officials in the CRD who really listened

CUPE's Kim Manton with members of the Greater Victoria Water Watch CoalitionVICTORIA—Elected councillors have voted to leave the door open for fully public sewage treatment and resource recovery in the Capital Regional District (CRD).

On March 24 the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee (CALWMC) voted on a business case to present to the B.C.

VICTORIA - A new report by B.C.’s most respected forensic accountant, Ron Parks, finds in favour of public operation of sewage treatment in the Capital Regional District (CRD).

Parks’ review of the business case in support of provincial funding for sewage treatment finds that the assumed cost of public operation is inflated in a number of ways, including double-counting risk, unjustified assumption of higher public costs, and using a discount rate that is too high.

The business case uses an assumed discount rate of 7.5 per cent, while Parks suggests a more appropriate rate w

VICTORIA—At meetings on February 25 and March 10, the house was full as Capital Regional District residents shared their views on sewage treatment procurement. Members of the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee heard passionate and reasoned arguments about why privatization is wrong for Greater Victoria’s new sewage treatment from a broad cross section of people in the region.

Victoria’s independent TV was there to record.

VICTORIA-The house was full at the second public meeting for citizens in the Capital Regional District to share their views on sewage treatment procurement.

BURNABY—If local governments opt for public private partnerships (P3s), something which is under consideration for the Capital Regional District’s new sewage treatment, they are more vulnerable to the restrictions of the Canada-United States Procurement Agreement (CUPA).

A new legal opinion by Steven Shrybman of Sack Goldblatt Mitchell says the CUPA contains temporary rules that will make it difficult for the CRD to achieve environmental protection and local economic development objectives.

VICTORIA - It was a shutout for public sewage treatment at the Capital Regional District meeting on sewage treatment procurement last night.

Despite the meeting being scheduled at the same time as the Canada/United States women’s hockey game, an overflow crowd came to the CRD offices in downtown Victoria to share their views on how sewage treatment and resource recovery should be designed, built, financed and operated.