Recent municipal elections created significant turnover on municipal councils across Greater Victoria, a fact that will likely be reflected on the Capital Regional District board.

While many newcomers will need time to settle into their role on council, some will also be learning where their municipality fits into the CRD’s operations.

That said, it’s a perfect time to make a fresh start on determining how the region will satisfy the provincial government’s demand that Greater Victoria begin secondary sewage treatment.

The CRD is notoriously slow-moving when it comes to joint regional projects. In the case of sewage treatment, that characteristic may not be a bad thing. It may well present an opportunity for our civic politicians to ask some tough questions about the state of research into the project.

It’s a dubious notion that the CRD has to swallow, no questions asked, spending an estimated $1.2 billion on a major treatment plant. While the province has ordered the region to begin treating its sewage before pumping it out to sea, little in the way of options or alternatives to massive treatment stations have been brought forward.

Other than admitting that resource recovery and other “value-added” aspects of a treatment system must be fully investigated before making a decision on what secondary treatment will look like — not to mention arguing over potential locations — many CRD board members have been publicly silent when it comes to questioning the alternatives.

On the other hand, a group of highly qualified scientists continues to send the message that the benefits of secondary, land-based treatment to the marine environment would be negligible over the current method of flushing our sewage hundreds of metres out into the ocean.

Doing nothing is not an option. But it behooves our regional representatives to show the province there can be a middle-ground solution that can satisfy the financial and scientific concerns being voiced around the region.