As the mayor of Victoria, I am as concerned as our Seattle neighbours that, in the 21st century, Victoria still flushes its sewage into the ocean. When I joined the tourism delegation to Seattle this spring, we heard loud and clear that we need to “just get on with it.”
And we are. We’ve talked enough and we don’t have more decades to waste. It’s time for action.
As the mayor of the capital city and as someone with a reputation for getting things done, I was appointed as the chair of the sewage committee in May. Since then, I’ve been working hard with my colleagues to come up with and implement a new plan so that we can upgrade our current sewage treatment from primary to secondary, or better. I am committed to getting a sewage treatment plant built. I’ve been sending monthly briefings to U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman as well as James Hill, the Canadian consul general in Seattle, to advise on our progress.
We’re motivated by funding deadlines. We need to have a plan in place by March 31, 2016. We’re also motivated to become a responsible and sustainable contributor to the rich Pacific Northwest region. We want to welcome our neighbours from Seattle to our clean shores and to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds all of us.
Finally, I look forward to the day when we can hold a retirement party for Mr. Floatie.
Mayor Lisa Helps
Victoria
