Colin Plant, CRD Publicly Contradicts CRD's Biosolids Resolutions; Butchart Gardens CEO Takes Plant to Task
As opposition grows to the spread of toxic biosolids at Hartland Landfill, a regional watershed that boarders Mount Work Regional Park and feeds directly into Tod Inlet, several regional Societies, including Mount Work Coalition, and business leaders, including The Butchart Gardens, have joined forces forming a coalition collectively known as Peninsula Biosolids Coalition.
Below is an open letter to Capital Regional District Chair, Colin Plant, from the Peninsula Biosolids Coalition, penned by David Cowen, CEO of Butchart Gardens, one of the largest employers in the CRD, and signed by members of the Peninsula Biosolids Coalition.
Open Letter to Colin Plant, Chariman, CRD Board of Directors
December 16, 2021
Mr. Colin Plant, Chairman
Capital Regional District
625 Fisgard Street
Victoria, BC, V8W 1R7
Dear Chairman Plant,
On behalf of the Peninsula Biosolids Coalition, I am writing to express our deep disappointment upon reading your public letter published in the Times Colonist on December 4 touting the “numerous benefits” of spreading biosolids at the Hartland Landfill. This letter appears to contradict not only established CRD policy to avoid the land application of biosolids in the Region but also several CRD motions adopted on July 14 of this year. It is also at odds with your letter to Environment Minister Heyman on July 30 giving effect to those Board resolutions.
To recall, the motions adopted by the CRD Board on July 14, 2021, relating to the spreading of biosolids at Hartland Landfill, were;
“That the CRD Board support and facilitate where possible the business case process the Township of Esquimalt is doing to explore feasibility and gasification of solid waste and kitchen scraps waste management”;
“That the Capital Regional District utilize this process to test biosolids in the gasification process as an option of the final step in the final stage of biosolids for our region.”;
“That Capital Regional District Board request from the Province that they update the Organic Matter Recycling Regulation as soon as possible, taking into consideration current science, best practices, and the state of knowledge on emerging contaminants of concern in order to address concerns related to public health and environmental values;
"That the Capital Regional District Board request from the Province the end of Land Application of biosolids on the surface of Hartland Landfill”
The public needs to be confident that when the CRD Board approves a motion, it will be acted upon without delay. This is not the case with these motions.
We know that you sent a letter to Minister Heyman, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy on July 30, 2021, but are aware that there has been no response to this letter from the Ministry. You requested that the Province allow the CRD to revert to its original plan to safely biocell the biosolids at Hartland when they could not be shipped to Lafarge, that the OMRR be updated to take into account new contaminants, and that the Ministry provide updated public information confirming that land application of biosolids does not pose a risk to public health or the environment, taking into consideration emerging contaminants of concern and other contaminants that are present in municipal wastewater and biosolids. Since none of these requests has been acted upon, or even acknowledged, it is imperative that the CRD follow up with the Ministry and report back to the public.
With respect to the first two motions adopted on by the Board on July 14, to date, there has been no action to test biosolids in the proposed Township of Esquimalt gasifier, despite the financial commitment by the Township of Esquimalt to complete its business case analysis. This demonstration gasifier project is a critical component of the CRD zero waste strategy as it could eliminate most of the solid municipal waste and organic material from being dumped in the landfill. This would enable the CRD to achieve its aspirational target of 125 kg per person per year by 2040. It would also guarantee that the landfill would not be expanded, protecting the Mount Work area’s recreational and environmental values such as species at risk and biodiversity, while preserving 73 acres of forest.
Treatment of biosolids through thermal conversion would not only provide a long-term solution such that none of this risky material will need to be applied at Hartland, but it will also provide a biochar which can capture atmospheric carbon and contribute to the Region’s net zero carbon emission commitment.
Time is of the essence as Esquimalt’s review is now well underway. The consultants are required to produce an interim report in January, 2022. This would be an excellent opportunity for the CRD to commit to its pledge in its motion to work with Esquimalt and determine if biosolids can be thermally treated consistent with Ministry of Environment regulations and financial feasibility.
The CRD does not have public support for the continued, repeated application of biosolids in the limited space available at Hartland and needs to move quickly to develop alternative technical solutions. Active cooperation with Esquimalt by facilitating test gasification of biosolids is an immediate concrete step that can and should be taken now.
We ask that the CRD implement the decisions taken by the Board on July 14, 2021, with respect to testing the feasibility of gasification of biosolids in addition to cooperating with the Township of Esquimalt to examine the gasification process for solid waste and kitchen scraps. We also urge that you follow up with Minister Heyman to bring an end to the requirement to spread biosolids at Hartland. We would like to request a meeting with you at your earliest convenience in order to discuss the above and better understand the position of the CRD Board.
Thank you,
Dave Cowen
Chair, Peninsula Biosolids Coalition
CEO, The Butchart Gardens
Members of the Peninsula Biosolids Coalition are Biosolids Free BC, Friends of Tod Creek Watershed, Mount Work Coalition, Peninsula Streams Society, Saanich Inlet Protection Society, The Butchart Gardens
CC:
Hon George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy
Hon Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and MLA for Saanich South
Adam Olson, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands
Members of the CRD Board of Directors