Abbotsford spends $200K to sway public opinion on proposed private water plant

KENT SPENCER, The Province October 6, 2011
 A $290 million plan to substantially boost water supplies will be very much on the minds of Abbotsford voters next month.  Civic leaders, who say the fast-growing city is running dry, are hoping a referendum will be approved to build a new plant at Stave Lake.  The contentious part comes with the plan to hire a private operator to run the treatment facilities. Traditionally, Canadian water utilities have been completely in the government’s domain.  “We’re going to try and convince the community that this is the best option,” Mayor George Peary said on Wednesday. “We want to avoid rationing in the future and build redundancy into the system.” The plant would start by delivering an additional 100 million litres daily under a 25-year contract beginning in 2016. Single family water bills would rise $201 a year to $550 annually. Peary admitted some residents are put off by the private sector’s involvement.“We like having a private operator. We don’t have any expertise in operating a water facility. If a plant can be operated efficiently with 10 people instead of 20, they will do that,” he said. (more)