The Capital Regional District's sewage committee approved a key $711,000 consulting contract to keep the McLoughlin wastewater treatment plant on schedule.
Partnerships B.C. will be responsible for procurement services in the run-up to construction on the $783-million secondary sewage treatment project.
The arms-length provincial organization champions private-public partnerships and has helped deliver 35 projects worth $12.5 billion across the province, according to documents submitted to the CRD's liquid waste management committee.
On Dec. 12, a motion by Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen for an environmental review of the upcoming sewage project fell on deaf ears at the CRD.
The resolution called for an independent, comparative environmental impact study and was supported by View Royal, Esquimalt, Colwood and Oak Bay councils.
It went before the sewage committee two weeks ago, but failed to gain majority support.
“We just couldn’t get it through,” Jensen said. “That’s how democracy works in our federated region.”
The resolution called for the CRD and federal government to fund and perform the study prior to proceeding with the treatment project.
The vote was 10 to 5 against the review, with Langford, Saanich and Victoria leading the no vote.
dpalmer@vicnews.com