VICTORIA—The Canadian Union of Public Employees presented members of the Capital Regional District (CRD) Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee (CALWMC) with ten key questions concerning business advisor Ernst & Young Orenda and its role in supporting privaAt its last scheduled meeting of the year today, the committee requested staff to review the questions presented by Blair Redlin, CUPE national research representative, and to provide a report back.
In the spring of 2007 the CRD hired the corporation to prepare a financial analysis of the sewage treatment project, including potential private sector involvement.
“Ernst & Young Orenda has a long track record of promoting privatization through public-private partnerships or P3s. And we know that the provincial government is really pushing for privatized operation of new sewage treatment. We wanted to give members of the committee some key questions to make sure there is a fair assessment of this important project,” says Redlin.
Kim Manton, from CUPE 1978, which represents staff in the Capital Regional District, was also at this morning’s meeting. “This is an exciting project. We have the opportunity to have world-class sewage treatment that includes resource recovery. It should be done right as a publicly-operated and integrated system,” says Manton.
Manton is pleased that the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee passed a resolution requesting staff to look at CUPE’s ten questions and report back.
More information is available at www.keepwaterpublic.ca
Contact: Roseanne Moran, CUPE Communications, 778.835.7537