This story has been amended.
Seven North Shore community associations have united under the banner of the North Shore Neighbourhoods Alliance to address the alarming increase in the estimated capital cost of Metro Vancouver’s North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant.
“We have two objectives,” said Daniel Anderson, official spokesperson for the alliance, “Firstly, to seek a commitment to a greater financial contribution toward the project’s capital costs from each senior level of government. Secondly, to add our voices to the demand for a fully independent public inquiry into what has led to this extraordinary increase in the financial burden on North Shore property tax and utility ratepayers.”
Last month, directors of Metro Vancouver’s regional board rejected a request from North Shore board members to equally share the $2.8-billion price tag of the North Shore sewage plant overruns. As such, North Vancouver and West Vancouver taxpayers will see sewage costs rise by $590 a year for the next 30 years (that is on top of an average of $484 of current sewage costs). Costs to other Metro communities will rise by between $80 and $150 annually.
Amid the public backlash over significant cost overruns for North Vancouver’s new wastewater treatment plant, City of Delta council voted to remove Mayor George Harvie, who was also chair of the Metro Vancouver board, as their appointed representative at Metro. Metro directors voted on June 28 to replace him with Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley.
“What people were hoping for was a far more thorough audit and independent investigation of what’s gone wrong here. Instead, Hurley has suggested that they would retain their own lawyer to find out what’s occurred, which is neither transparent nor going to get to the bottom of what’s gone wrong,” Anderson said.
The alliance dismissed Metro Vancouver’s appointment of a lawyer on its payroll to counsel them on what questions to ask and what answers to provide.
“We’re looking for a full audit of what happens here. We’ve reached out to the inspector of municipalities, provided for by the Local Government,” he said. “The issue here is that it’s far too easy to doctor the question when you have a vested interest in the outcome. Our concern is that we want the hard questions to be posed to Metro Vancouver to ensure we get the answers we need. It’s essential that we get those answers; otherwise, we are going to have the same thing occur on future infrastructure projects.”
The alliance is also petitioning Premier David Eby to instruct the Inspector of Municipalities to do a full-scale inquiry into what’s gone wrong to ensure that it is independent, transparent, and connected to the public.
“It’s been very clear from the behaviour of multiple politicians on this topic that everyone’s trying to save their neck on this issue, and I can see why. Because it’s a dumpster fire. It’s a situation where human error is involved.”
Anderson underscored that accountability was sorely needed in this case, because unless they find out which bureaucrats and politicians made missteps, it is almost guaranteed that these cost overruns will not be a one-and-done situation but will continue as future infrastructure projects go up around the province.
In the coming weeks, NSNA representatives will meet with North Shore federal and provincial elected officials and candidates for office to advocate for greater financial assistance. The coalition said the responses received, or lack thereof, will be promptly shared with the public, ensuring transparency and keeping the community informed.
Fatemeh Falah is an intern reporter with the North Shore News. She can be contacted at [email protected].
