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Guide to the Games
Training at full throttle
A Saanich husband and wife team develops an e-book for kids on the London Olympics. Page A5
Saanich triathlete James Cook defies convention on his quest to compete as an international elite. Page A18
Friday, July 20, 2012
Few people likely know the Gorge Waterway is home to a native species of oyster, but the little creature has played a part in delaying the construction of the new Craigflower Bridge. A federal environmental assessment of the bridge replacement project is moving slowly, and even more so since thick oyster beds were found under the bridge. “The oysters are probably the key issue (behind the delay),” said Jim Hemstock,
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Saanich mayor leans toward water utility hikes Daniel Palmer News staff
For the first time, this year the 79-yearold Craigflower Bridge was included in the survey. Investigation revealed that the Olympia oyster population is significantly denser between the wooden pilings than any other oyster bed along the waterway. Areas under the bridge hold 400 oysters per square metre, compared to 250 per square metre elsewhere. The findings have big implications for Saanich and View Royal, which are jointly replacing the bridge. While the environmental mitigation plan has yet to be approved by the federal government, it will likely involve transplanting each oyster, Hemstock said. “It’s going to be very expensive.”
Local governments in Greater Victoria will soon begin negotiations to fund the $281 million needed to complete the most expensive infrastrucure project in the region’s history. The Capital Regional District’s $782-million secondary sewage treatment program is set to begin development in 2013 and will end the dumping of screened raw sewage into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. To pay for the project, Greater Victoria residents may see an increase in annual property taxes between $200 to $500, or a jump in water utility bills, depending on the jurisdiction. The seven affected municipalities will need to agree on a funding model before work can begin. Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard said paying for a regional sewage treatment upgrade through property tax increases may be unfair to residents who minimize their wastewater. “If we go to the property tax model, then the University of Victoria and the two Camosun Colleges wouldn’t pay their share,” Leonard said. By linking a fee to water utilities, properties with septic systems would also be exempt from paying for sewer services they don’t use, Leonard said. Victoria began collecting sewage fees based on water consumption in 2011, in anticipation of sewer upgrades, a move that city asserts is more equitable for property owners.
PLEASE SEE: Oysters a barometer, Page A9
PLEASE SEE: Age of sewer pipes, Page A8
Small oyster, extra headache News staff
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Regional sewage treatment funding model remains unclear
Roszan Holmen/News staff
Roszan Holmen
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Camosun College environmental student Nicole Barrette led last week’s oyster count in the Gorge Waterway, and shows off the difference in size between the native Olympia oyster, on the left, and the larger, invasive Japanese oyster. Discovery of Olympia oysters under Craigflower Bridge could prove to be expensive for Saanich’s bridge replacement plan.
Oyster beds throw new curve ball at replacing Craigflower Bridge
Gray Rothnie
special-projects manager in the Saanich engineering department. Federal law requires that the bridge replacement project results in no net loss of marine habitat. “If we’re disrupting the Inside oysters, then we need to compensate,” HemCraigflower stock explained. replacement While Olympia oysexpected to start ters are listed as a summer of 2013. species of special conPage A4 cern, they are more abundant in the Gorge than anywhere else on Vancouver Island. The World Fisheries Trust has been monitoring their population since 2009. Last week, researchers collected oysters at three sites for counting and measuring, before returning them to their beds.
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