West Vancouver Council has approved a motion requesting a provincial review of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant project.
According to the news release by the District of West Vancouver, the motion was passed at Council’s regular meeting on July 20 under Section 765 of the Local Government Act, after being added as new business to the agenda and approved unanimously.
The motion supports similar unanimous requests already made by the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, and the City of New Westminster. It asks the Inspector of Municipalities to review the project and examine the factors behind its significant cost increases and delays.
The motion notes that the wastewater treatment plant project was originally budgeted at approximately $700 million with a planned completion date of 2020, but is now projected to cost approximately $3.86 billion and be completed in 2030. Further, it states that North Shore residents are expected to bear a disproportionately higher share of the project’s costs compared to residents in many other Metro Vancouver municipalities.
According to the news release, the motion states that while Metro Vancouver has already initiated an independent review of the project, a review under Section 765 would provide an independent statutory process with powers not available to a non-statutory review. The motion adds that such a review would help strengthen public confidence and enhance accountability in the governance and delivery of major regional infrastructure projects.
Council also noted that any provincial review should be completed in a timely way and should avoid unnecessary delay to the project.
Copies of the resolution will be sent to the Inspector of Municipalities, the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Metro Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, and all Metro Vancouver member municipalities. Once sent, a copy of the letter will be posted on the District’s website.
