Dear editor,
After attending the Feb. 9, 2021 meeting of the Sewage Commission and present my observations as a delegation, a message from the CVRD staff to inform me of the decision and today, watching the video of the Feb. 23, 2021 Comox Valley Sewage Commission, it is now apparent that the Comox Valley Regional District has a total control on how decisions are made for us citizens in the Comox Valley, I consider that completely unacceptable. It seems that all decisions are made based on staff recommendations, not on the willingness to take responsibility of a decision made based on personal analysis, research and fact checking.
It is also evident that most residents in the Comox Valley do not think their voice will be heard when they disagree with the opinion of the CVRD staff. In fact, the CVRD staff seems to think that they can ignore our opposition to what they believe needs to be done.
Why is the town of Comox and its citizens forced to deal with the city of Courtenay’s excrement?
You will notice the level of deception and desire to hide from us the actual cost of such a project that will tie the Comox Valley to 40-year-old technology that is currently obsolete, for another 60 years.
The project, costing $73 million, up from $54 million when it was presented to the community, is unnecessary and disastrous to the environment, climate change mitigation and unsustainable.
An investigation by the BC Ombudsman Office is currently in process to determine the lack to transparency on the process and validity of the decision that has been made to go ahead with this project by the Comox Valley Regional District and its staff.
The opposition to the Sewage Conveyance Pipeline is on its way by the release of the form through the Alternative Approval Process (APP). Please fill out the electoral response form and send it to the CVRD as soon as possible.
We are in a hole; we need to stop digging. This pipeline is a bad step in the wrong direction. We have better technology in 2021 than 40 years ago, why not adopt it?
A new wastewater treatment plant and reuse of the treated water for irrigation in agriculture is a much better option. With the construction of a new plant, the nightmare of the construction of the sewer pipe through the town of Comox disappears.
Eduardo Uranga,
Comox Valley