CRD Sewage – Keep it Public!
Last night, this was raised at Victoria Labour Council; today, it was a message from CUPE BC. If you can spare the time to fill in the survey and/or attend one of the meetings, the information is outlined below:
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Dear CUPE Members,
I am writing to you to encourage you to take quick action to support public control and operation of new sewage treatment in the Capital Regional District.
Elected officials in the CRD are working to a very tight timeline to put a new plan in place and secure funding from other levels of government.
We know that residents of the Core area are supportive of public sewage treatment. Every time public opinion has been tested on this, and as recently as the February 2015 Westside Solutions survey, it is clear that whatever new plans are developed, residents do not want privatized treatment. They want public control and operation of sewage treatment.
There is a lot at stake. That’s why I’m encouraging CUPE members, friends and family who live in Saanich, Victoria and Oak Bay to fill in the Eastside Select Committee survey, designed to better understand public priorities for sewage treatment. Public ownership and operation is identified in the survey and it is important that elected officials hear from concerned citizens on this issue. The survey is only open until June 1, so please take a few moments to respond.
You can find the short survey here: https://synosurvey.ca/sewagetreatmentsurvey/
For those who are able to get a little more involved, the Eastside Committee is also hosting two siting workshops which will provide an opportunity for community members to work with engineers, planners and community organizations to look at siting considerations and outcomes for wastewater treatment on the eastside.
May 30, 10am-4pm in Saanich at the Cadboro Commons Dining Room at University of Victoria
May 31, 10am-4pm in Victoria in Salon A, the upstairs section of the Victoria Conference Centre.
The link to register for one of these events is http://www.crd.bc.ca/surveys/Survey.aspx?s=c0372ccb4ab24bb293d4622bcaa713b5
There are many reasons to get active for public sewage treatment. More public accountability, better environmental protection, support for the local procurement and jobs, and the fact that public is more affordable – to name a few.
The CRD wastewater treatment project is a very significant infrastructure development – one of the largest in Canada. What happens here will reverberate across the country. This matters for everyone. Please take a few minutes to fill in the survey and to do a little more if you can.
To support the work that needs to happen, CUPE 1978 has put in place a cost shared campaign with a campaign coordinator. The coordinator is Amanda Butler, a CUPE 410 member who works at the Victoria library. If you or someone you know wants to help support this campaign, please contact Amanda at amandamorganbutler@gmail.com
In solidarity,
Paul Faoro
Secretary-Treasurer
CUPE BC Division