A bit of information dropped like a bombshell during City of Powell River’s liquid waste management plan (LWMP) steering committee meeting last week.
During a discussion about a referendum, Al Gibb, an engineer from Opus Dayton and Knight, felt compelled to make it clear that with an approved LWMP, the city does not have to obtain voter approval to implement the plan. Although he felt he may be repeating himself, not everyone who sits at that table realized that is, in fact, the case.
The provincial minister of environment is the official who approves LWMPs. Once that approval is obtained, the city can proceed to implement the plan. If that involves borrowing money for the facility outlined in the plan, even long-term borrowing, the city does not have to obtain elector assent.
The draft LWMP outlines a phased consolidated treatment proposal, which includes treating the city’s sewage at Catalyst Paper Corporation’s facility. Co-treatment has been a controversial topic in Powell River since it emerged as an option in 2008. The controversy reached a high point just before the November 2011 local government election. Dave Formosa, now the city’s mayor, and councillors Debbie Dee, Maggie Hathaway, Chris McNaughton and Jim Palm all committed to support a binding referendum on co-treatment. Formosa has stood by his commitment and even said at a public meeting just after the election that there would be a referendum before the LWMP was sent to the province for approval.
The city held two public consultation events about its LWMP, an open house and a world café. The information collected overwhelmingly indicated the public not only opposed co-treatment, but believed the whole process had eroded trust in elected officials, who were seen as having already made up their minds. In other words, the public perception was that co-treatment was a done deal and it didn’t matter what the public had to say.
As well, the joint local-technical advisory committee voted to support a publicly owned and operated consolidated plant as the preferred option for treating the city’s sewage. However, a majority of steering committee members rejected that recommendation.
Since the city does not have to obtain voter approval to borrow money to implement the LWMP, it is imperative that it hold the promised referendum before the plan is submitted to the ministry for approval. City officials can not continue to ignore the public. Council has all the information it needs for voters to make an informed choice. Elected officials must stop wasting everyone’s time and taxpayers’ money and go to the voters as soon as possible. It is the right thing to do.
