Re: “Esquimalt presents list of sewage questions to CRD,” March 5.
Forty people showed up at the Capital Regional District/Seaterra open houses. Four hundred, however, from across the CRD, showed up at Esquimalt’s public hearings on the rezoning of McLoughlin Point for a sewage plant.
Albert Sweetnam of Seaterra monopolized Day 2 of the hearings with a rant of almost an hour, forcing a third date as not all speakers (permitted about five minutes each) could be heard.
Since this is really the only time CRD residents have had anything approaching the due process of public consultation on this issue, valid and well-researched concerns were raised by informed taxpaying citizens. The CRD is “engaging” the public through costly propaganda. Esquimalt council is doing what all our elected councils should be doing. This is how it’s supposed to work.
Had the CRD followed its own requirements for this process, we might be spared the often ludicrous posturing by Geoff Young, Denise Blackwell, Dean Fortin, Sweetnam, Jack Hull and Judy Brownoff in support of a very flawed proposal.
Halt the project, lay off the costly consultants, go back and consult the public. Then move forward with social licence and a better plan.
Marsha Henderson
Victoria
