After years of participation and observation of the process, which led to the project we know as Seaterra, it was a pleasure for me to read the clarification from Jack Hull in the Oak Bay News as too much misinformation has been circulated freely by opponents of the project. This project is the result of years of discussion and voting by our elected representatives to the core area of the CRD.
The public has had monthly opportunities for over six years to address the committee and bring information forward, plus read the 285 reports and studies that have been completed in the process of deciding the most economical and environmentally responsible form of sewage treatment for the CRD. These reports are available on the CRD website.
Delays to the Seaterra Project have been costing taxpayers millions of dollars. If the project does not go ahead we will have no federal or provincial grants to help recoup those costs or pay for sewage treatment in CRD. What we do not need is further study, discussion and additional costs.
Where in Oak Bay would we site a treatment plant to meet federal sewage treatment regulations, and how would we pay for it without the federal and provincial grants? The funding is allocated to the CRD as clearly stated in agreements with the senior governments. How can we go back to square one and delay our obligation to care for our environment? The household chemicals in our sewage do not magically disappear. There is no “away”.
We must accept that a democratic history of voting got us to this point and we need to give the Seaterra Project our support.
Michelle Coburn,
On behalf of the Victoria Sewage Treatment Alliance