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(Aug. 11/09)
To Mayor Peter Kelly, Halifax Regional Municipality:
On behalf of the foodservice operators in downtown Halifax, I am writing to express the industry’s extreme frustration with your lack of action to address the fallout from the failure of the Halifax sewage treatment plant in January. To many it seems that officials are too busy pointing fingers and shifting blame while small business owners bear the brunt of the mishap.
The failure of the plant occurred six months ago and still business are contending with very strong, unpleasant odours. The summer months are a make-or-break time when foodservice operators rely on waterfront traffic. Yet this year, business operators report a large number of complaints from customers about the strong odours both inside and outside their businesses. In some instances the odours are so strong that customers refuse to be seated in outdoor patio areas. Many operators believe the public awareness of raw sewage pouring into the harbour on Lower Water Street is also keeping many local and regional customers away from the waterfront area.
Foodservice operators in the downtown core are bewildered by the lack of concern for this deplorable situation. A vibrant hospitality industry is often touted as a major draw to the downtown core - providing thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of tax revenue – yet HRM does little to support the industry. Along with the malodorous stench from the harbour, foodservice operators in the downtown core are also burdened with crumbling infrastructure, excessive business tax rates, incomprehensible construction scheduling and a lack of affordable parking.
Operators on the waterfront have already had to put up with six months of the stench of raw sewage – including during a major portion of their tourism season. The installation of several ozonators is a clear case of too little to late. Action such as the extension of the outfall should have begun months ago. Furthermore, businesses should not be kept in the dark on progress towards a solution. City officials should communicate directly with businesses impacted by the mishap to share information on what occurred and timelines as to what is being done to fix the problem both in the short term and the long term. Operators need to know when to expect relief from the strong smell and when the plant will be back on line.
On behalf of the foodservice industry in the region, I urge you to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the sewage treatment plant and take strong action to resolve the current problems. I trust you will act on these recommendations. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Respectfully yours,
Luc Erjavec, P. Eng.
Vice President Atlantic Canada
cc: HRM Councillors
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