Press Category: Sewage

Media Release: July 13, 2006 Victoria must plan for sewage treatment now VICTORIA, BC – Environmental groups strongly support the findings of the recently released SETAC Scientific and Technical Review of the Greater Victoria region’s waste management plan and are pressing for urgent action. According to Georgia Strait Alliance, T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation and Sierra Legal Defence Fund, the…

Media Release: July 21, 2006 Environmental groups praise Environment Minister VICTORIA, BC – Environmental groups are delighted with the strong message sent today by BC’s Minister of Environment Barry Penner to the Capital Regional District (CRD) concerning the CRD’s inadequate sewage treatment. Sierra Legal Defence Fund, Georgia Strait Alliance and T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation commend Minister Penner for directing…

Media Release: July 27, 2006 Environmental groups say that Lions Gate, Iona are polluters VANCOUVER, BC – Environmental organizations are demanding immediate action from the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) and the Greater Vancouver Sewage & Drainage District towards implementing secondary sewage treatment at Lions Gate and Iona sewage treatment plants. In a letter sent today to the GVRD Board,…

August 2, 2006 Under the Criminal Code and Canadian common law, every person has the right to initiate a private prosecution against an alleged offender. A private prosecution occurs when an individual, or a group of individuals, gathers evidence of a wrongdoing, lays charges against the alleged offender, and then has those charges approved by a Provincial Court Judge.  A…

Media Release: August 2, 2006 Investigation reveals toxic sewage, groups demand sewage plant upgrades VANCOUVER, BC – Environmental groups and commercial fishermen today launched a private prosecution against both the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) and the Province of British Columbia over toxic pollution from the Lions Gate sewage treatment plant in West Vancouver. Doug Chapman, an investigator working with…

Media Release: October 23, 2006 NORTH VANCOUVER, BC – A Provincial Court Judge ruled today that a private prosecution against the Greater Vancouver Regional District and the Province of BC can go ahead. The judge approved charges brought forward by environmental investigator Douglas Chapman, represented by Sierra Legal. In doing so, the Judge agreed there is some evidence the GVRD…

December 14, 2006 The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) operates five wastewater treatment plants in the Greater Vancouver area: Annacis Island, Iona, Lions Gate, Lulu Island and North West Langley. The sewage treatment plants at Annacis, Lulu and North West Langley provide full secondary treatment.   However, the effluent discharged from the Iona and Lions Gate sewage plants receives only…

Media Release: December 14, 2006 Groups seek sewage plant upgrades for Iona in Richmond VANCOUVER, BC – Today environmentalists laid a charge against both the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) and Province of British Columbia over toxic sewage discharged by the Iona sewage treatment plant in Richmond, BC. Environmental investigator Douglas Chapman laid the charge before a Justice of the…

Judge approves another charge against Greater Vancouver and the Province of BC March 22, 2007 RICHMOND, BC – A Provincial Court Judge today approved the charge laid against the GVRD and Province of BC for alleged pollution offences at the Iona sewage treatment plant. The charge was laid by environmental investigator Douglas Chapman, who is represented by Sierra Legal and…

Byline: Stephen Salter The numbers still stagger me. About 100,000 tonnes of raw sewage every day. Forty square kilometres closed to shellfish harvesting. The seabed contaminated with heavy metals. Sewage on the ocean surface eight months a year, and surface fecal coliform levels 17 times above Canadian guidelines (windsurfers, take note). Victoria is the last Canadian city without plans for…