The mayors of the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver are calling for an independent public inquiry into the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant after its estimated cost ballooned from roughly $700 million to $3.86 billion.
City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan and District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little issued a joint statement announcing that on July 6. Their councils unanimously approved motions to submit a formal complaint to the Inspector of Municipalities, seeking a public inquiry into the project under the Local Government Act.
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The mayors said the step follows years of raising concerns through Metro Vancouver’s governance processes, seeking greater financial and project information, and working with the Province to pursue solutions. Earlier this year, they met with Premier David Eby and Minister Christine Boyle to request three actions: an independent public inquiry, a provincial review of Metro Vancouver’s governance framework, and a fairness mechanism to protect municipalities from bearing the cost of project overruns.
According to the news release, with litigation between Metro Vancouver and Acciona now concluded, Metro Vancouver has announced it will conduct its own review of the project. The mayors said they do not believe a review commissioned by the organization whose governance and decisions are under examination can provide the independence, accountability, or public confidence residents deserve, which they said is why an independent public inquiry is now necessary.
The mayors are also renewing their request that Metro Vancouver apply the full $235 million settlement with Acciona directly to reducing costs for North Shore ratepayers, and are renewing their call for the Province to modernize the legislative framework governing Metro Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District.
According to the news release, the mayors said the effort has never been about assigning blame or delaying an essential public infrastructure project, and that the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant must be completed. They said it has always been about protecting residents, strengthening regional governance, and closing the structural accountability gap the project has exposed.
