Giving the People what they want

While exploring the CRD (Capital Regional District) wastewater website I found a survey that was comissioned in 2006 to judge resident's knowledge of the CRD and what its priorities should be. The survey found that 72% of city residents believed that sewage treatment should be the number one priority of the CRD. Residents believed that sewage treatment would provide cleaner oceans, lakes and rivers, and would also lead to a cleaner environment with less pollution. Of the concerns that the survey uncovered, only 10% of those surveyed listed "cost/increased taxes" as their primary concern with treatment, while the most common concern was potential odour from a treatment plant (23%). Interestingly enough, the senior citizens of Victoria mentioned the sewage treatment issue more often then any other group in the survey. 79% of those over the age of 55 said sewage treatment should be the number one priority of the CRD, compared to only 66% of those between 18-34 years of age.