Metro Vancouver’s Board of Directors has passed a resolution to confirm the beginning of an independent performance audit of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant.
“Today, the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors made critical decisions aimed at restoring the trust of residents in this region and ensuring the public has confidence that Metro Vancouver is taking the right steps in expanding critical infrastructure to meet the needs of our rapidly growing population,” said the board chair Mike Hurley.
Hurley said legitimate questions about the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant Program have been raised and the board needs to move quickly to review all of the facts, especially to ensure future projects do not experience similar problems.
“I am pleased that the Board unanimously approved my motion to initiate an independent performance audit of the project, and I look forward to receiving the audit team’s report,” he said. For the wastewater plant performance, Metro Vancouver plans to hire a ‘reputable, experienced external’ legal counsel to advise the Board on the performance audit. The external legal counsel will work with lawyers representing Metro Vancouver in ongoing litigation related to the North Shore project to develop and recommend a scope of work, terms of reference, and a process for selecting an independent and qualified reviewer.
On the North Shore, the North Shore Neighbourhoods Alliance (NSNA), a coalition of seven North Shore community associations, has been established in response to the alarming rise in the estimated capital cost of Metro Vancouver’s North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant. The recent decision by Metro directors to impose a disproportionately large share of the financial burden on North Shore utility rate and property taxpayers has sparked significant concern among residents.
The North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant Program consists of three projects — the construction of a new treatment plant, the construction of related conveyance infrastructure, and the preliminary design for the decommissioning of the current Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant.
In early 2022, Metro Vancouver terminated the contract for Acciona Wastewater Solutions LP to build the future North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant. Metro Vancouver says Acciona underperformed and consistently failed to meet its contractual obligations. The new cost estimates for the plant have been estimated at $3.86 billion.
Window dressing. Too little too late. Their main concern is “future” projects NOT the debacle that has been allowed to happen on the NS wastewater project.
When you go to vote this Fall and 2025, remember who did not step up to the plate federally & provincially. It’s been crickets from Trudeau & Co and lip service from Eby & the NDP.