Three Salt Spring residents have been nominated for two available seats on the five-member North Salt Spring Waterworks District (NSSWD) board of trustees.
Voting takes place either by mail-in (or drop-off) ballot — which must be received at the NSSWD office on Upper Ganges Road by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 4 — or in-person voting on Wednesday, May 6 from 2 to 6 p.m. at Community Gospel Chapel. Voting will be followed by the NSSWD annual general meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. Voting results will be announced at the meeting.
All ratepayers qualified to vote should have received a ballot package in the mail by now. Contact the NSSWD office if packages have not been received or for more voting information. Recent issues of the Driftwood have contained voting qualification details.
Candidates have answered four questions posed to them by the Driftwood, as shown below in alphabetical order by surname.
Philippe Erdmer
Q. What motivates you to run for a NSSWD trustee position?
A. Providing water on Salt Spring is both challenging and costly. The value of NSSWD assets now exceeds $100 million and the annual budget is over $6 million. Ratepayers deserve responsible oversight of these assets and expect value in the service they receive. As a ratepayer, I am standing for the board to ensure that local needs and priorities continue to be heard. Everyone who can, should take a turn.
Q. Please describe your past career, board or academic experience and how it is applicable to the trustee position.
A. I have been a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) for 41 years and am now a life member. My career has included working for industry, government (provincial and federal geological surveys) and universities (Royal Military College of Canada, University of Alberta, now emeritus). I have served on and chaired regulatory boards (37 years on the APEGA Board of Examiners), scientific research and grant committees, strata corporation boards, non-profit foundations and community boards (sailing and flying clubs). Successful boards are made of people who cooperate, and I have been privileged to contribute to many.
Q. What decisions of the current board do you applaud and what might you have wanted to see done differently?
A. My reading of the district’s Strategic Plan gives me confidence that we are on the right track regarding the Maxwell Lake treatment plant. It is the largest capital project in NSSWD history. It has taken years to finalize and it will serve us for decades. It is a success. As with any organization, there have been challenges and lessons learned over time, but it is more constructive to look forward.
Q. As succinctly as possible, why should people vote for you?
A. As a geologist, I am interested in understanding the limits of unconstrained (surface) aquifers and the hydrogeology that sets those limits. I am acutely aware of supply challenges posed by climate change, and the eutrophication and drawdown of finite water resources.
For more than 10 years, our family lived with a 100 per cent rainwater catchment system in an otherwise normal, newly built house on Salt Spring, without a well or connection to piped water. Potable water supply is an infrastructure constraint within the district, and for all of Salt Spring. NSSWD trustees take on responsibility for leadership and guidance in the best interest of the community. This is achieved through fact-based, collective decision-making.
Steve Lam
Q. What motivates you to run for a NSSWD trustee position?
A. It has been an honour to serve as your trustee over the past three years, and I’m motivated to continue building on that experience. I love living here on Salt Spring Island. Water is one of the most important services in our community, and decisions made today have long-term impacts on reliability, affordability, and growth. I’m motivated by the opportunity to help ensure our system is sustainable, practical, and fair for ratepayers.
Q. Please describe your past career, board or academic experience and how it is applicable to the trustee position.
A. I bring over 30 years of experience in the water treatment industry. I currently work for Veolia, one of the largest water and environmental services companies in the world. My work provides a strong foundation for understanding the district’s challenges. Combined with my experience as a current trustee, this allows me to make informed and balanced decisions.
Q. What decisions of the current board do you applaud and what might you have wanted to see done differently?
A. The board has made important progress on long-term infrastructure, including moving forward with the Mount Maxwell treatment plant and lifting the moratorium. I also support decisions that improve fairness, such as capping leak-related charges and adjusting the rate structure so essential water use remains affordable.
One area for continued improvement is communication. Water decisions are complex, and I believe we can do more to clearly explain both the costs and the long-term benefits to ratepayers.
Q. As succinctly as possible, why should people vote for you?
A. I bring real-world water treatment experience, a proven track record as a trustee, and a practical, fair approach to decision-making.
Jon Scott
Q. What motivates you to run for a NSSWD trustee position?
A. Back in 2015 when the NSSWD was working on the plan for the St. Mary Lake plant, I became aware that they had hired a consultant who designed a water plant much more expensive than it needed to be and that the ratepayers were not made aware of this. This bothered me since it has cost each ratepayer at least an extra $300 per year in parcel tax since then. If I get elected, I will do my best to ensure that the ratepayers are made aware of issues like this, and fight for cost-effective solutions.
In addition to the above, I am very interested in steps going forward regarding providing adequate water as the population of Salt Spring grows. This includes things such as grey-water usage, catchment during the winter, along with the regulations and incentives to make it happen.
Q. Please describe your past career, board or academic experience and how it is applicable to the trustee position.
A. I am a retired engineer who has lived on Salt Spring for 16 years. Most of my engineering work was in new product development, and I am named on 14 patents. I am known for “outside the box” creative thinking, and I hope to use this to help the NSSWD.
During my engineering career, before moving on to consulting, I was a manager of 12 people, so have experience as a team player. This also applies to my main volunteer activity on Salt Spring, which is involvement with the Island Pathways group.
Q. What decisions of the current board do you applaud and what might you have wanted to see done differently?
A. The current board is doing a great job, but I would like to see stronger efforts on reducing costs for the ratepayers. For example, the consultant on the Maxwell Lake water plant is charging $925,000 just for project management [and construction engineering].
Q. As succinctly as possible, why should people vote for you?
A. Firstly, I will push hard to reduce costs for the ratepayer. Secondly, my engineering and creative thinking will help in future projects.