Re: "Dreams of sewage-plant bonanza draw crowd," Sept. 29.
What kind of a wonky, wasteful sewage treatment plant project is this when the estimated cost of the "pivotal" sewage treatment plant is less (at $210 million) than the cost of administration, program management and financing ($221 million)?
Indeed, the currently estimated cost of the whole project ($782 million, not including HST) is now more than three times the cost of the sewage treatment plant itself.
While the CRD is shamefully avoiding a rigorous environmental impact assessment for this mega-project, they should not be allowed to also escape a sound financial audit of so many of these exploding project expenses that have nothing to do with treating any sewage.
No wonder businesses see it as a huge "bonanza."
Our current marine-based sewage treatment system works well and is economically and environmentally sustainable but we can see now that this land-based sewage treatment project is on track to become a mammoth white elephant at the entrance to Victoria Harbour and through the neighbourhoods of James Bay and Esquimalt.
John Newcomb
Victoria
