Skip to content

CRD nets 10 technical submissions

Innovative technology requires careful balance, says mayor
12378oakbayOBcloverpointpumpingstationjensen5PJan1415
Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen stands outside the Clover Point pumping station

The CRD’s core area wastewater committee needs to tread carefully with new technological information, says Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen.

The CRD received 10 submissions to its request for technical information, which staff said contain, “a significant volume of technical information which should prove useful to the Westside and Eastside select committees and the technical support teams working to develop conceptual options as well as the technical team that will undertake the detailed analysis and costing evaluations.”

They were offered up to the core area liquid waste management committee for comment last week.

“One of the things P3 Canada has made clear is they will only support proven technology, technology that has been shown to be effective and used elsewhere. They want to take as little risk as possible with their money,” Jensen said. “Some of these leading-edge innovate technologies are very exciting and very interesting. Some are five and 10 years away from being usable, so there’s a high risk with some of these technologies.”

Industry representatives will present their submissions to the CRD’s Request for Technical Information during Innovation Days at Royal Roads University on April 27, 28 and 29.

“The job of the committee now is to work our way through this and see what kind of technology is suitable for our particular region,” Jensen said. “That weighing process is not easy but certainly it involves looking at the track record for those technologies. When there’s a $750 million investment on the line, you have to be very careful in choosing the right technology.”

The information is also online at crd.bc.ca on the April 8 Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee agenda.

 

cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com