Parks and rec project caught in confusion

The West Shore Parks and Recreation Society is governed by a board of directors, consisting of 15 members of local councils and private citizens, who form a terrific cross section of recreational minds from their communities.

The directors are responsible for hiring expert staff with education and experience to keep the operation running at peak efficiency. The current staff group is the best I have dealt with in 10 years in my soccer administration.

Recently, in response to two major field studies of the West Shore, the board unanimously approved a well thought out proposal for a stadium project on the current site of the velodrome.

After taking the decision back to their councils for approval in principle, all voted to support the proposal, all except Metchosin.

Metchosin has instead offered its own “expert” opinion about field development, garnering much media attention for its mayor.

Now the project is caught in a web of lawsuits, mistrust and confusion, at the expense of youth recreation. I don’t know how we got to this, but I do know that we need more playing fields for our children and we need them now.

Before placing your ballot in the upcoming election, I encourage you to find out if your candidate supports the society’s board of directors and the expertise of administration who are being properly responsive to the greatest community recreational needs.

Glen Davis

President

Juan de Fuca Soccer Association

Province should push CRD amalgamation

A Nov. 9 article in the Times Colonist once again, as I have said previously, raises the issue on amalgamation of municipalities into one for Greater Victoria.

This could easily be achieved if the following two steps are taken:

1. Provincial government pass legislation requiring amalgamation within two years. Since the government can force sewage treatment on the capital region why not amalgamation.

2. The most important step, in my opinion, would be to appoint Mayor Stewart Young of Langford to be in charge of the amalgamation process.

His no-nonsense approach to issues would insure the swift amalgamtion of municipalities.

Anyone that says there would be no savings to the Capital Region taxpayers is most likely a person interested in preserving their own position in the present system.

It is time for the provincial government to step up to the plate and set a deadline to amalgamate Greater Victoria into one city.

Gordon Greenhow

Colwood

Not reaching the sewage tipping point

Re: Region doesn’t need another pollution legacy, Letters, Oct. 14, 2008

Jim McIsaac comments on my questioning of the need for land-based sewage treatment.

As Jim is aware, my view is representative of that of many local marine scientists. We share Jim’s desire to protect the marine environment but argue that on-land treatment will be of very little benefit and is a low priority.

Jim quotes the SETAC report that stated “Relying on the dilution and natural dispersion processes of the Strait of Juan de Fuca is not a long-term answer to waste disposal.”

This is not a useful statement unless it specifies what components of the sewage are the problem, and what “long-term” means. It did neither.

It is also worth pointing out that the ocean actually processes most of the sewage, in a manner similar to that of a treatment plant, rather than relying on dilution.

Jim cites a “major environmental tipping point” (though the SETAC report never used this phrase) and asks when we will reach it.

The usual tipping point for municipal wastewater discharges is reached when the organic matter in the waste consumes a lot of the oxygen in the water, leading to fish kills and other environmental damage.

Victoria’s unique oceanographic situation, with vigorous tidal currents and a strong estuarine circulation, means that it is highly unlikely that we will ever reach this point. If we do ever approach it, we will know well in advance from the routine monitoring carried out by the CRD.

Some components of the effluent pose potential threats that require careful analysis. A brief discussion is provided at www.rstv.ca/marine-scientists-review.

An overall conclusion is that a land-based treatment plant will deal effectively with things that are not problems but will fail to deal with things that are, or may become, problems.

All this will be accompanied by significant carbon dioxide emissions and other environmental damage on land. We would do better to devote our resources to actions with real benefits, such as preventing overflows of unscreened sewage into storm drains and into near-shore waters during heavy rains.

We also need to keep out of the sewage the persistent chemicals that may present problems no matter what treatment we adopt. Even more importantly, we need to protect habitat and avoid over-exploitation.

Chris Garrett

School of Earth and Ocean Sciences

University of Victoria

Worried about non-conforming property

I am perturbed that Mayor Stew Young would allow a citizen of Langford to be criticized about a legal non-conforming property he owns.

I also own a legal non-conforming property as do many of the people who live in the older houses in Langford that were built before the present bylaws.

As Mayor Young stated there was no such thing as “grandfathered” in Langford. Shouldn’t all the other residents of this municipality who own legal non-conforming homes be acutely worried that they could face enforcement?

Maureen Johnston

Langford