22 replies to this topic

[JohnN]

Infrastructure backlog tops $467 million, Victoria council told
‘Ticking time-bomb’ for buildings, roads, sewer, water, councillor says

BILL CLEVERLEY,
Timescolonist.com
17 September 2010
http://www.timescolo...6741/story.html

Victoria can't afford to ignore its growing infrastructure deficit, estimated to exceed $467 million, city councillors were told Thursday...

The presentation (8MB pdf) is linked at:
https://sites.google...eIssues2010.PDF

My concern is that Victoria's infrastructure needs a LOT of money spent on it, and that is far more important than adding an unnecessary sewage plant that will do nothing for our marine environment.

[VicHockeyFan]

And Lynn Hunter's answer to this today on the radio is it is because the municipality can not tax enough. They only get x percent of all levels of taxes. Not that maybe their spending priorities are out of whack. For the cost of organizing 12 groups "park(ing)" in some street parking stalls today downtown they could have repaired one water main leak.

[JohnN]

Well, if they can't tax enough to even cover repairs to the Victoria infrastructure that exists now, they shouldn't be committing Victoria taxpayers to pay
another $100 M capital share and $5 million annual operating share for an unnecessary sewage treatment plant. Even Victorians who might (mistakenly) want additional land-based sewage treatment might be disappointed with the McLoughlin Point sewage plant location, because Esquimalt will get the site's property tax revenues, and downwind-Downtown Victoria will get episodic sewage plant odours. However, if the sewage plant were to be built at Victoria's Rock Bay brownfield site, those really high utility property taxes (18%) could help pay for the unnecessary additional sewage treatment costs.

[aastra]

Much of the storm drain system is well over 100 years old and essentially near the end of its life, council was told. Estimated cost of replacement— $362 million.

The story is the same for the sanitary sewer system, much of which was built prior to 1920. Estimated cost of replacement — $312 million.

The city's buildings vary in age and condition. There is a need to preserve heritage buildings, upgrade buildings to meet codes for safety health and working conditions and minimize risk and liability. Replacement cost is estimated at $209 million.

Read more: http://www.timescolo...l#ixzz0zppliAo6

All along, Victorians have been taxed like the citizens of any other place, right? So here we are now 140 years later and every damn thing needs to be replaced. We're supposed to believe nothing has been spent on upgrading the basic infrastructure along the way? So where exactly has the money gone? And what exactly has the city been working on for the past several decades?

[JohnN]

Right - Victoria's infrastructure issues are similar to other cities of same age class - and the infrastructure repair/replace issues all over North America are now significant. Irony is that "fixing" Victoria storm drains and sewage pipes won't change their marine environmental impacts - problematic street contamination would still be flowing onto our near-shore areas from the storm drains (not ok) and the sewage pipes with human effluent (99% plain water) could still hook-up to our two long screened outfalls with sustainable, natural marine treatment (ok).

For more information on the unnecessary sewage treatment plant:
www.aresst.ca
www.rstv.ca
http://victoriasewag...tment.ca/ccost/
http://sites.google....plantsvictoria/

[James Bay walker]

Are not the Feds the driving force behind our need for 'treating' our sewage? Other than persuading them to relent, avoiding such an expense seems out of our hands.

Downscaling the size and number of properties owned, would be one way as individuals for us to escape much of the coming onslaught of property tax increases.

jbw

[HB]

Downscaling the size and number of properties owned, would be one way as individuals for us to escape much of the coming onslaught of property tax increases.

jbw

Wow you make it seem like the majority of Victorians own multiple properties.
I guess I was mistaken all these years.
Victoria must really be affordable after all.
I think Ill head out today and purchase a few places.

[amor de cosmos]

A condition assessment estimates that buildings owned by the City of Victoria will require 90 million dollars worth of repair and maintenance over the next ten years.

Amounts range from ten thousand dollars at a Beacon Hill Aviary Kiosk through 9.3 million at the Crystal Pool. Buildings range from community centres to fire stations; parkades; greenhouses; down to a storage shed at Royal Athletic Park.

Not all of the work is required immediately, according to the consultant who prepared the report, but more than ten million dollars of it is urgent and is recommended for the next year.

The biggest crunch would come in 2020...year five of the recommended ten year plan, when 21 million dollars would be spent.

http://www.cfax1070....ng-repair-bills

[Mr Cook Street]

Good thing our new federal government is interested in proactive investment in infrastructure!

[Mike K.]

We're an island of orange, unfortunately. There won't be much in the way of big ticket projects out yonder.

[Rob Randall]

We're an island of orange, unfortunately. There won't be much in the way of big ticket projects out yonder.

 

Former Victoria Liberal MP David Anderson was on TV yesterday saying don't take much stock in that view, stuff can still get done.

[Jacques Cadé]

Good thing our new federal government is interested in proactive investment in infrastructure!

 

... Christy Clark is in "complete alignment" with that plan: http://www.theglobea...rticle26900126/

 

... and stock in engineering companies is up: http://www.bloomberg...arijuana-stocks

 

Which leads to two questions. One for local politicians: What projects are you going to prioritize for that federal-provincial money?

 

And one for the federal Liberals: Since federal-provincial money is always capped on these projects, and the projects nearly always go over budget (e.g. new JSB), how will they make sure local governments don't end up getting burned?

[Mike K.]

He would never criticise his party. He's on CFAX right now criticising the Conservatives, however.

I'm not holding out hope for anything substantial. We showed no love and won't get any love unless it's something absolutely necessary or a great PR opp.

[johnk]

He would never criticise his party. He's on CFAX right now criticising the Conservatives, however.
I'm not holding out hope for anything substantial. We showed no love and won't get any love unless it's something absolutely necessary or a great PR opp.

Of course those areas that voted L will be first in line, that's the way it works. But I don't get a nasty, hostile vibe from the Trudeaus yet. The previous gang were into punishing anyone who did not toe their line or funding their own folks, witness the Gary Lunn Memorial Interchange on Pat Bay Highway.

[spanky123]

Former Victoria Liberal MP David Anderson was on TV yesterday saying don't take much stock in that view, stuff can still get done.

Wynne will get the bulk of any funds in payback for her support. Quebec will get its regular appeasement money and Atlantic Canada will get a few bones for their sweep.

Vancouver Island will get very little if anything. The good news is that we can complain about it for the next 4 years!

[Mike K.]

Of course those areas that voted L will be first in line, that's the way it works. But I don't get a nasty, hostile vibe from the Trudeaus yet. The previous gang were into punishing anyone who did not toe their line or funding their own folks, witness the Gary Lunn Memorial Interchange on Pat Bay Highway.

 

That's not quite true. They gave $21 million for the Johnson Street Bridge while our own province and every other municipal government gave us the finger. They also gave $5 million towards the Leigh Road interchange in Langford, but that was to have been paid for almost entirely by developers who would benefit from the interchange. Of course that never happened and Langford has picked up the tab for now.

 

They invested hundreds of millions into local military infrastructure (major upgrades to CFB Esquimalt and Squadron 443 at Victoria International) and they helped finance the airport interchange.

 

Most recently they gave money to the McKenzie interchange.

 

So as far as infrastructure is concerned, the feds under Harper were actually not as petty as they were made out to be despite our hostility towards the Cons. Our BC Liberals, however...

 

How Trudeau chooses to view the Island's infrastructure needs will remain to be seen.

[johnk]

Point taken, Mike. I just wish we could have had funding toward the McKenzie-Admiral's interchange the worst bottleneck on the island.

[sdwright.vic]

^ we did get funding. It's in full swing now. No stopping a train unless you derail it at this point. That would be a very bad visual on a national level.

[johnk]

^ we did get funding. It's in full swing now. No stopping a train unless you derail it at this point. That would be a very bad visual on a national level.

Too bad we couldn't have had it built five years ago, though, instead of the mess we got. The province has to share some of the blame for not prioritizing it and going after a fed contribution.

[LJ]

johnk, on 21 Oct 2015 - 3:21 PM, said:

Of course those areas that voted L will be first in line, that's the way it works. But I don't get a nasty, hostile vibe from the Trudeaus yet.

No, BC got that nasty hostile vibe from Pierre.