The Capital Regional District will not update cost estimates for a single, centralized sewage treatment plant at Esquimalt’s McLoughlin Point.
At an emotionally charged emergency meeting of the CRD’s sewage committee called to “clarify” the direction given to staff on Friday, directors defeated an attempt to get updated cost estimates for a regional treatment plant at McLoughlin.
In 2012, CRD staff estimated a plant at McLoughlin would cost $281 million.
Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen has been arguing for a second look at McLoughlin, which is an estimated $260 million cheaper than the current lowest cost option for a single regional plant at Rock Bay.
The McLoughlin plan was abandoned two years ago after Esquimalt refused minor variances to zoning.
But in a tied vote Wednesday, committee members refused to direct staff to bring back updated cost estimates for McLoughlin. Instead, cost estimates for a treatment plant at McLoughlin will be provided only in conjunction with a major plant at Victoria’s Clover Point. Estimates will also consider a plant in the West Shore.
Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins urged directors not to look to McLoughlin again, saying that her council rejected the site after hearing from hundreds of residents who were opposed.
View Royal Mayor David Screech complained directors were allowing politics, rather than pragmatism, to drive the process.
“I just want to scream, I really do,” said Screech, adding it was “ridiculous” to watch politicians limiting the information staff should be providing. “I just cannot tell you how absurd and how silly I think it is that politically driven motives are trying to design a sewage treatment system. … It is absurd, the level of political interference in making what should be a good engineering decision,” Screech said.
Victoria Coun. Geoff Young, who wanted an updated cost estimate, also complained.
“We are saying there will either be a major sewage treatment plant at Clover Point or an even more major plant at Rock Bay plus Cambie Street-type upheaval of the businesses along Cook Street [for trenching to install sewage pipes to Rock Bay] because those are the only two options that remain,” Young said. He was referring to months-long disruption along Cambie in Vancouver during Canada Line construction.
“I will have to listen to people at the public hearing saying not only all the things they said at the Esquimalt hearing, but also telling me that I have already made up my mind because I have committed to one of those options,” Young said.
At one point, Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell said the process was making him uncomfortable. “I’m actually feeling a little sick to my stomach and actually feel like walking out of the room,” said Atwell, who voted against a new estimate.
He noted the meeting opened with directors voting not to allow five members of the public to address the committee and that the proposed amendment to consider McLoughlin again had its genesis in private emails between directors. “We came here for clarification of these amendments and now we’re radically changing them. We shouldn’t be doing that,” Atwell said.
Unanimous consent was needed to allow the speakers, due to lack of notice from them. Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said that because the discussion was for clarification, no new information was being provided and the five had addressed the committee last week, she was voting against hearing the speakers. Several other directors also voted against.
Helps, the committee chairwoman, said she called the meeting after staff asked for clarification and emails started flying among directors as to what had been decided at Friday’s marathon meeting. She voted against asking for a new estimate.
Directors are to make a decision on plant location next week.
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