There is no question that Esquimalt council doesn’t want a sewage treatment plant and is taking steps to ensure there will never be a sewage treatment plant in Esquimalt. What does seem to be getting overlooked is that the municipality is responsible for the costs associated with making that decision.
The Capital Regional District purchased industrial land zoned to permit wastewater treatment and made investments in good faith to use the land for that purpose. Costs to date include $19 million in planning and $28 million in implementation for a total of $47 million. Esquimalt could be responsible for these costs and perhaps even more. There is considerable local precedent that if you downzone property, the city making the decision is responsible to pay the costs.
The costs to Esquimalt could be higher if a decision were made that Esquimalt was responsible for both the costs to date and the costs to adapt the plan to an as yet undetermined alternative site. Current estimates place this cost at $100 million. The worst case, but increasingly likely scenario, is that the delay caused by Esquimalt’s change of heart results in the loss of federal ($253.4 million) and provincial funding ($248 million) and Esquimalt becomes liable for that loss as well.
Esquimalt can’t afford these costs. The taxpayers of the region cannot afford these delays. Millions of dollars spent and we are not improving our sewage treatment, we are not employing people to work on the project. It must be time for some reasonable and effective dispute resolution.
Bruce Carter, CEO
Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce
