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Saanich to see rise in CRD fees

Saanich residents could see their total contributions to various regional services rise almost $15 according to new released financial figures.
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Saanich residents could see their total contributions to various regional services rise almost $15 according to new released financial figures.

The average-assessed Saanich home will contribute $468.02 towards regional services — up $14.83 from last year, according to the Capital Regional District (CRD).

This amount flows towards the CRD, the Capital Regional Hospital District (CRHD), and debt servicing.

The consolidated operating budget of the CRD, CRHD and the Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC) adds up to $295 million with the funds going towards a wide range of regional services and sub-services for more than 383,000 people living on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. The total consolidated capital budget adds up to $272 million.

Looking at the CRD portion of the operating budget itself, it rose by $9 million or 3.7 per cent to $247 million compared to the 2017 budget.

“This increase reflects the scope and scale required for working within complex regulatory and legislative frameworks while managing changes related to the environmental monitoring, reporting related to the liquid and solid waste management, discharges and emissions, operations and site safety, cyber security, and internal performance measures,” said Andy Orr, senior manager of communication for CRD, said in a release.

Looking at the capital budget, it rose by almost 35 per cent to $213 million, with the regional wastewater treatment project now now under construction accounting for a large portion of that increase. The $765-million project consists out of three major components: the wastewater treatment facility under construction at McLoughlin Point, the proposed bio-solid treatment facility at Saanich’s Hartland landfill, and the pipe system that connects the two facilities. The project accounts for about $135 million — about 63 per cent — of capital expenditures in the CRD’s 2018 budget.

Overall, Saanich’s total contribution to the project adds up to just under 32 per cent.

Revenue source range. Nearly half — 47 per cent — of all revenues come from revenue-generating CRD services. Taxation makes up about about 26 per cent, with the balance coming from a variety of revenue sources, including grants.



Wolf Depner

About the Author: Wolf Depner

I joined the national team with Black Press Media in 2023 from the Peninsula News Review, where I had reported on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula since 2019.
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