It’s almost certain a new Greater Victoria sewage-treatment plant will be built. All the protests and petitions in the world won’t stop it now; it would be a waste of everyone’s time to keep trying.
Another meeting, another vote, another round of point and counterpoint, and we’re still sputtering down the same road. The lines have been drawn, and the two sides are far apart. The two solitudes will never come together.
The evidence, pro and con, is in and has been weighed by those whose job it is to decide, and they have decided. How much the decision was influenced by science and how much by politics is a moot point — those deciding were constrained by the fact that federal regulations prohibit discharging sewage into the ocean, and the province has ordered the region to build a land-based sewage-treatment system.
Protests, demonstrations and gimmicks might provide entertainment to those so inclined, but they will have no effect. Saanich Coun. Vic Derman’s motion at the Capital Regional District’s board meeting last week was a reasoned approach, but still doomed. He called for an independent review of the project, a new call for innovative ideas and a delay from provincial and federal governments. The weighted vote was 41 to 14 against his motion, no surprise to him or anyone else.
Repetition is a great teacher, but it doesn’t do much to change opinions. No matter how many times you repeat it, no matter how loudly you shout it, your argument is not likely to change someone else’s firmly held views, any more than your opponent’s harangues are likely to change yours.
The controversy has had its low points, one occurring at last week’s meeting. A diver tried to play a video showing underwater conditions near the sewage outfall, but someone had altered the file on the CRD computer so that the word “misleading” was superimposed on the video.
That kind of dirty trick is a sign of desperation, like resorting to fists to win an argument when logic and words have failed.
Grandstanding scores points, but doesn’t make points. Tactics and strategies are not evidence.
And evidence is in the eyes of the beholder. It’s your respected scientist against mine. Funny thing about scientists — they have opinions and feelings, too.
It would be better if the issue were clearly black and white, but both sides have valid points, and both sides can find facts to support their arguments.
But barring some extraordinary new evidence or divine intervention, the plant is going to happen.
Tactics might slow the process, but will only delay the inevitable.
That doesn’t mean those concerned about the project should just shut up and go away. The proposed system is large and complicated, with ample scope for controversy and unintended consequences.
Constant public scrutiny can help guard against ill-conceived moves, such as the purchase of the Viewfield Road property in Esquimalt as a site for the sludge-processing component.
The ill-fated attempt to put the biosolids plant in Esquimalt, close to homes and businesses and without consulting the township, was another one of those low points.
We urge more sharing of information with the public and more opportunities for public consultation as the project progresses.
Those who oppose the new sewage-treatment plant have not succeeded in stopping the project, but their opposition has been a positive contribution in many ways. They brought more public scrutiny and forced public officials to be more accountable.
We must accept the sewage plant as fact, but there are many decisions to be made between now and the time the plant begins operation. Those decisions should not be made in the dark.
