Stop Landfill Expansion
The Capital Regional District (CRD) manages the region’s solid waste at the Hartland Landfill located 14 kilometres North of Victoria in Saanich. The CRD's final Solid Waste Management Plan includes extending the landfill past year 2100, well beyond the original approved filling capacity.
Creating a larger landfill is unconscionable because it means blasting and removing rock on the slopes of Mount Work, a popular recreational area, removing 72 acres of a pristine Douglas fir forest that's home to many endangered and species at risk. A larger landfill will create more methane gases that will increase climate warming as significantly more waste is decomposed.
Help stop the landfill expansion by ensuring the CRD Board and Staff take every action possible to avoid physical expansion of the CRD Hartland Landfill's footprint. This includes working with the Township of Esquimalt and the Ministry of Environment on Esquimalt’s plan to use waste to energy technology to reduce the size of the landfill.
Actions you can take to help ensure better environmental and climate accountability:
Send your letters to influence the decision-makers
Register to speak at a board meeting
Contact list: CRD, MLAs, Ministers
How to register to speak at a CRD Board Meeting
Send a ONE-CLICK Email:
Re: Draft Solid Waste Management Plan
Send this one-click email to the entire CRD Board of Directors, copied to CRD staff.
Send this one-click email to George Heyman, Minister of Environment & Climate Strategies, copied to BC Minister of Agriculture.
Write Your Own Letter:
Key Messages:
1. The draft Solid Waste Management Plan needs more aggressive measures towards Zero Waste:
The CRD Board states that it supports the principle of zero waste and encourages the achievement of a circular economy by mid-Century in accordance with Provincial guidelines. This goal can only be achieved with more aggressive measures to reuse, recycle and reduce personal consumption in keeping with achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, following the lead of the City of Victoria’s zero waste strategy: by requiring producers to be responsible for the full life cycle of packaging; levying user fees on packages that produce waste, offering financial incentives for entrepreneurs to reuse materials and encouraging comprehensive recycling in both single family and multi-family homes. Enforcement of existing bans on dumping of organics and garden waste is also essential.
2. The draft SWMP should rigorously pursue alternative resource recovery options such as waste-to-energy solutions:
The Solid Waste Management Plan must rigorously pursue the 5 R waste hierarchy with top emphasis on reduction, reuse and recycling. The CRD must defer increasing the landfill until an independent evaluation and business plan is conducted that studies alternative technologies (such as thermal, gasification and waste to energy technology). If feasible, alternative resource recovery options must be implemented throughout all regional municipalities to avoid expanding the Hartland Landfill. If not feasible, the CRD must conduct an Environmental Assessment prior to implementing plans that increase the landfill. The BC Ministry of Environment also has the responsibility to ensure that this is carried out. A minimum five year deferral is required to fully evaluate emerging technologies.
3. The draft SWMP should include specific plans supporting a Circular Economy towards Carbon Neutrality:
Expanding the Hartland landfill is counter-productive to achieving a carbon neutral economy by 2050. Removing 73 acres of public forest that sequesters local carbon emissions is inconsistent with the CRD and other municipalities’ declaration of a climate emergency and the critical need for the Greater Victoria region to become carbon neutral by 2050. Carbon neutrality requires full implementation of a circular economy in which excess carbon produced is captured by restoring the health of our ecosystems which naturally store carbon.
In approving any plan put forward by the CRD, we ask that the Minister of Environment require the CRD to adopt aggressive waste reduction measures that would avoid an unnecessary expansion of the Hartland landfill and be in conformity with the climate change policies adopted by the Province of British Columbia.
Send Your Letters!
To the CRD Directors: Letters are read and they are used by the CRD Directors to ask questions or raise concerns. CRD Board and staff need to hear what your concerns are. The CRD exists to serve its citizens.
To Your MLA: Your MLA also needs to hear your concerns, so we advise sending them copies of your letters (CC them) and be sure to include your postal code.
To the Ministers of Environment & Climate Change Strategies, and Agriculture: Copy you letters to the Ministers. The MOE is responsible for reviewing and approving the CRD draft Solid Waste Management Plan.
Here Is a Contact List:
CRD Board - this email forwards to all the Directors of the CRD Board: CRDBoard@crd.bc.ca
BLACKWELL, Denise (Langford Councillor) dblackwell@crd.bc.ca
BRICE, Susan (Saanich Councillor) sbrice@crd.bc.ca
DESJARDINS, Barbara (Esquimalt Mayor) bdesjardins@crd.bc.ca
HAYNES, Fred (Saanich Mayor) fhaynes@crd.bc.ca
HELPS, Lisa (Victoria Mayor) lhelps@crd.bc.ca
HICKS, Mike (Juan de Fuca Electoral Area) directorjdf@crd.bc.ca
HOLMAN, Gary (Salt Spring Island Electoral Area) gholman@crd.bc.ca
HOWE, Dave (Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area) directorsgi@crd.bc.ca
ISITT, Ben (Victoria Councillor) bisitt@crd.bc.ca
LOVEDAY, Jeremy (Victoria Councillor) jloveday@crd.bc.ca
MCNEIL-SMITH, Cliff (Sidney Mayor) cmcneilsmith@crd.bc.ca
MARTIN, Rob (Colwood Mayor) rmartin@crd.bc.ca
MERSEREAU, Rebecca (Saanich Councillor) rmersereau@crd.bc.ca
MURDOCH, Kevin (Oak Bay Mayor) kmurdoch@crd.bc.ca
ORR, Geoff (North Saanich Mayor) gorr@crd.bc.ca
PLANT, Colin (Saanich Councillor & CRD Board Chair) crdchair@crd.bc.ca
RANNS, John (Metchosin Mayor) johnranns@crd.bc.ca
SCREECH, David (View Royal) dscreech@crd.bc.ca
SEATON, Lanny (Langford Councillor) lseaton@crd.bc.ca
TAIT, Maja (Sooke Mayor) mtait@crd.bc.ca
TAYLOR, Ned (Saanich Councillor) ntaylor@crd.bc.ca
WILLIAMS, Ken Highlands Mayor) kwilliams@crd.bc.ca
WINDSOR, Ryan (Central Saanich Mayor) rwindsor@crd.bc.ca
YOUNG, Geoff (Victoria Councillor) gyoung@crd.bc.ca
MLAS:
*include your postal code in your email/letter
POPHAM, Lana (Saanich South) lana.popham.MLA@leg.bc.ca
OLSEN, Adam (Saanich North & the Gulf Islands) adam.olsen.MLA@leg.bc.ca
DEAN, Mitzi (Esquimalt-Metchosin) mitzi.dean.MLA@leg.bc.ca
RANKIN, Murray (Oak Bay-Gordon Head) murray.rankin.MLA@leg.bc.ca
FLEMING, Rob (Victoria-Swan Lake) rob.fleming.MLA@leg.bc.ca
LORE, Grace (Victoria-Beacon-Hill) grace.lore.MLA@leg.bc.ca
BC MINISTERS:
BC Minister of Agriculture: AGR.Minister@gov.bc.ca
BC Minister of Environment & Climate Change Strategies: ENV.Minister@gov.bc.ca
Register to Speak at a CRD Board Meeting:
The CRD Board of Directors meets at 1:10pm, the second Wednesday of each month.
Apply to Address the Board at a CRD Board meeting or an Environmental Services Committee meeting via this CRD link:
Note: It is advisable to review the meeting agenda which is posted by the Friday prior to the Wednesday Board meeting. You must register to speak by the Monday prior to the meeting. Find upcoming agendas here.
Note: if you miss the registration deadline you can submit letters to the CRD Board prior to the meeting and you can also submit letters to your Municipal councillors and mayor, particularly the ones who sit on the CRD Board of Directors (see contact list and sample letters in section above).
Note: You can also look at the schedule of meetings and request to speak at other relevant committee meetings, such as the Environmental Steering Committee and Solid Waste Management Committee.