The 500 member firms making up the Vancouver Island Construction Association have been following the core-area wastewater treatment project developments with considerable interest since the federal government ordered the Capital Regional District to cease dumping raw sewage in the ocean in 2006.
After eight years of studies, planning, design, debate and tens of millions of dollars invested by government and the private sector to date in a competition for the primary construction contract, we are farther away from a solution than ever.
Residents and businesses are left in a void of confusion and missed opportunity as a result of the capital region’s local-government governance structure, the Township of Esquimalt’s unanimous decision to oppose a rezoning bylaw for the McLoughlin Point site and the provincial government’s unwillingness to become involved in local government issues, despite having the authority to do so.
The key impacts to this standoff are environmental and economic.
The federal order to address the environmental impact of dumping raw sewage in our oceans is a responsible action. It is leadership.
And there is agreement for the federal government to contribute $250 million of the funding. In terms of immediate economic impacts, the value of the Seaterra program is $780 million. It is jointly funded by the three levels of government.
The new risks are that the project does not proceed and the tens of millions of dollars invested to date are wasted, funding gets reallocated and, most important, the opportunity for much-needed jobs and future growth in the capital region is lost. This must not be allowed to occur.
The public and business is bombarded by all levels of government communicating and promising to get our economic house in order, putting jobs and B.C. families first, and being open for business.
There are more than 2,500 construction-related job-years of work associated with the Seaterra program. In addition to this, there is the spinoff effect, reported to be five jobs for every construction job.
British Columbians are excited about our future in LNG and other opportunities. However, construction investment is at its lowest point since 2009, and the industry and our communities are in desperate need for contracts and jobs now. Vancouver Island construction employers are laying off or losing skilled tradespeople to adjacent markets on a weekly basis.
The Seaterra program provides an environmental and economic solution. It will assist regional employers in the retention of skilled people, and the recruiting and training of others.
The government of B.C. needs to intervene and provide the necessary leadership to advance the Seaterra program, and to do so in a timely fashion. Where there is the will there is the way.
One more thing — if there was ever an example or a need for a business case to support local-government amalgamation in the capital region, this would be it.
Greg Baynton is CEO of the Vancouver Island Construction Association.
