About 75 concerned residents showed up at the Sooke Community Hall on Monday night to learn more about what some feel is wrong with the proposed 21-year sewer franchise agreement. The meeting was organized by council hopefuls Wendal Milne and Herb Haldane with Rick Kasper and Gail Hall riding shotgun.
It was stated over and over by anyone who spoke that they had no bone to pick with EPCOR but rather with the process, the lack of a tendering process or even looking at other options like an in-house sewer treatment plant operation. They had no confidence in the negotiators for the district’s side stating that EPCOR had money to hire the best to get the best deal for themselves. It was stated by the mayor at a regular council meeting that going to tender would cost too much and it was also said that the district did not have the expertise themselves.
Lack of information to council was another issue. It was said council did not receive information on the multi-million dollar deal until just a couple of days before they were expected to vote on the agreement.
In the end it was about the money and how the district could stand to profit if the system was looked after in-house. Questions were raised as to why the deal will cost almost double from the predictions from EPCOR in 2006. If they were wrong then, how wrong could they be now as to cost predictions?
What it all comes down to is getting accurate information out to the public not propaganda. People are comparing this to the HST fiasco and the way that was done and the resulting dethroning. Let’s do it right, for everyone’s sake.