Coun. Catherine Pope renews call for provincial inquiry into North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant

Councillor Catherine Pope of the District of North Vancouver renewed calls for the provincial government to investigate the costs and delays surrounding the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant. Initially budgeted at $700 million and slated for completion in 2020, the project will now cost approximately $4 billion, with completion delayed by over a decade.

In a proposal she will present to the council at the November 4 council meeting, Pope emphasized the need for transparency and accountability, particularly given the financial burden on North Shore residents. Although an Independent Performance Audit has been announced, Pope says its independence is questionable as Metro Vancouver oversees it.

The public deserves answers regarding what went wrong, why the costs have ballooned, and whether mismanagement by Metro Vancouver played a role, Pope says. The councillor noted that residents on the North Shore face disproportionately higher costs for the project, with individual households expected to pay $590 annually for 30 years, compared to $80-$150 for 15 years in other Lower Mainland areas.

She says a public inquiry would help ensure the North Shore Waste Water Treatment Plant project is completed efficiently, scrutinize Metro Vancouver’s governance to prevent future fiscal mismanagement, allow for deeper investigation beyond existing audits, and identify what went wrong with recommendations for improvement.

“A public inquiry must be conducted promptly and not impede ongoing work at the WWTP, avoiding further unnecessary cost escalations,” she says in her report. Metro Vancouver has generally resisted calls for full transparency and provided only limited information about all aspects of the project. The Board’s approval processes and decisions have been shrouded in secrecy.”

The North Shore Neighbourhoods Alliance, representing seven local community associations, has joined the call for an inquiry, demanding greater accountability and additional government funding to mitigate costs. The City of North Vancouver Council also recently passed a resolution supporting an independent public review and transparency in the WWTP’s ongoing financial and operational challenges.

In September this year, Metro Vancouver announced it has retained John J.L. Hunter, K.C., a retired judge and founder of Hunter Litigation Chambers, to advise the Metro Vancouver Board on the independent performance audit of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant Program.