Esquimalt mayor Barb Desjardins has a challenger in the upcoming municipal elections.
Conservationist John Roe, President of the Veins of Life Watershed Society, says the community has a real problem with its aging storm and sewage drains -- and upgrading the system has to be a priority.
To pay for it, Roe wants to redirect $17-million in McLoughlin Amenity Funds, now slated for parks and recreation improvements. And he'd start with an engineering study:
" We need to hire an egineering firm, and we need to get our community ... what is the problem? We've never done it. Since 1921 since we formed we've never done an engineering study of our infrastructure. And we're trying to grow, and you can't grow without fixing your infrastructure."
Roe maintains incidents of sewage making it's way into waterways like the Gorge can be traced back to the inadequate storm and sewage drains.
He says outdated infrastructure is polluting waterways and it's time to reclaim them for local enjoyment.