Sewage flows from Victoria and Montreal

The Sierra Legal Defence Fund has issued a report card on Canadian cities sewage treatment performance noting widely divergent performances across the country.
The “National Sewage Report Card III” gave grades and compared them to the results five years ago in 1999.
Scoring worst of all was Victoria in B.C., for which the Sierre Fund refused to give any mark at all. It noted that the city has only preliminary sewage screening and discharges 34 billion litres of raw sewage per year into the environment.
Highest marks went to Calgary, with an A+ for its UV disinfection and 100% tertiary treatment. Additional upgrades of $250 million are in the works, the summary report noted. Edmonton scored an A- for its upgrade to 100% tertiary treatment and UV disinfection, and Whistler received an A for its 100% tertiary treatment.
Montreal did badly, receiving an F. It has primary treatment only and the report noted “no discernible progress made” since 1999. Charlottetown in P.E.I., and St. John’s Newfoundland both received an E.
Toronto received a B–. The report noted that while Canada’s largest city has the toughest sewer-use by-law in the country and has secondary treatment, it still discharges 9.9 billion litres of untreated sewageand run-off. The city received a C/B in 1999.