Senanus Water Line

Peninsula Times

Senanus Water Line

By Sean McNulty

The residents of Senanus drive have been trying to obtain clean potable water for over 15 years now. The inaction from the municipality of Central Saanich regarding this issue is an example of bureaucracy in action. There has been an endless amount of engineer reports, studies, legal opinions and other roadblocks thrown in the way, while in the meantime residents have been trucking in water from the Sooke Lake Reservoir at the rate of one water truck per week.

The water quality on Senanus drive started to become an issue when the neighboring hay farms began digging additional wells to provide more water to their fields. Hay fields without water only yield one crop per year, whereas hay fields with water can yield three. A side effect of this additional watering: depletion of the aquifer which results in a loss of hydrostatic pressure and increased mineralization and salt water intrusion into the wells. This happened to such an extent that the Capital Regional Districts (CRD’s) Chief Medical Officer deemed the water from the wells on Senanus unsafe for consumption.

The main argument against extending the waterline is that it will lead to development, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are water lines running throughout the municipality and development doesn’t automatically follow them. In fact, the zoning was changed on Senanus drive so that even with the water line extension the minimum lot size allowed is five acres which means any subdivision would require rezoning.

Another argument against the water line is that it contradicts the Regional Context Statement in the Central Saanich OCP and the CRD’s Regional Growth Strategy. This doesn’t hold water. For one, these are to regulate growth; the houses are existing, and two, the RGS outlines exceptions for health and fire reasons, both of which apply to this situation.

It’s particularly interesting the extent some members of mayor and councilor, both past and present, have gone to stop this water line. In 2002, the residents on Senanus offered to pay for the entire thing. At the time, under Bylaw 524, if they were to pay for it the municipality would be required to provide the service. Amazingly, the Mayor and Council at that time then amended the bylaw, in only 6 weeks, which removed their obligation. 

The residents forged forward despite this setback, drawing up a petition that showed overwhelming support from the area for the waterline. The municipality then accused the residents of using coercive tactics to get the signatures, with no proof! Not to mention that during all this costs of installation increased from $800 000 to $1.6 million.

The petition has since been submitted, a grant has been applied for and approved for $1.1 million, and it appears the residents of Senanus Drive will finally receive potable drinking water barring any unwise decisions on behalf of the current Mayor and Council. Interestingly, the majority of the councilors get their water through the municipal waterlines; it’s time for them to allow their fellow residents access as well.

Amalgamation of Central Saanich, North Saanich and Sidney

Peninsula Times

Amalgamation of Central Saanich, North Saanich and Sidney

By Sean McNulty

Amalgamation is a big issue not only on the Peninsula, but all throughout the Greater Victoria Region. How many municipalities is ideal to efficiently govern the 400 000 people who live on our beautiful Island?

Personally, I am a strong advocate of amalgamating the Peninsula and believe there are big benefits that the tax payer will receive from it. The most obvious being the savings from merging most of the upper level management positions within the 3 municipalities. Right now, we have 3 fire chiefs, 3 city planners, 3 payroll departments, 3 Bylaw officers, the list goes on and on. By merging these positions under one municipality, we free up monies that could be applied to such things as the Panorama Recreation Center or tax breaks. 

Plus instead of having 3 part time Mayors and 18 part time Councilors governing the region, the Peninsula could have 1 full time Mayor and 6 full time councilors doing the job. These full time politicians would represent the interests of their constituents better and we would also more qualified candidates by increasing pay. Right now, the Mayor position of Central Saanich pays around $17 000 a year. Think about that, $17 000 a year to act as the CEO of a budget of $18 million hard earned tax payer dollars.

This idea the character of neighborhoods would be destroyed and their best interests overlooked though amalgamation is ridiculous. To counter that argument, one needs to look no further than our neighbor, the Municipality of Saanich. Does the Cordova Bay’s best interests come at the expense of Cadboro Bay? Does Gordon Heads character get merged in with Tillicum? The answer is no. The reason why; character rests with the people, not the government. Unless the great people of Central Saanich, Sidney and North Saanich move away, the admirable character of these areas is here to stay.

Keep in mind, that an amalgamated Peninsula would only be 36% the size of the Municipality of Saanich.

In order for Amalgamation to move forward, the B.C. Provincial Governments website states that all 3 Municipalities would have to agree to sending it to a referendum, the process would have to be locally initiated and all sectors of the communities would have to be involved. The best part about it is that the Provincial Government has grants setup that will provide the funding to do the analysis and inform us tax payers of the efficiencies of amalgamating. So if we all cooperate, we can have a study done at no costs to us and make an informed decision, that all residents will partake in through a referendum, of the future of Municipal Government on the Peninsula.

Our Municipal Sovereignty is not something worth irrationally protecting. Instead of looking at what we can accomplish apart, why don’t we start looking at what we can accomplish together? Unity rather than division. As a current Presidential candidate has often been quoted saying, “ordinary people working together can accomplish extraordinary things”.