‘Another closed door’: City councillors criticize Metro Vancouver’s lack of results with review of wastewater project

A group of city councillors is demanding the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD) government be fully transparent in its plans for a review of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The estimated cost of the project ballooned to $3.86 billion last year — five times over its original budget and years behind schedule.

Richmond Coun. Kash Heed and New Westminster Couns. Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas say it has been too long since Metro Vancouver appointed a retired judge to head a review of the project, and the group hasn’t heard anything since.

Judge John Hunter’s appointment was announced in September — or what Fontaine calls “the sort of timing governments use when they are typically trying to hide or downplay something.”

They say the regional district needs to assure taxpayers that any review’s findings and recommendations will be completely public.

“Metro Vancouver was forced into a review because of public and media pressure, now they have a chance to show taxpayers they are genuine and serious. Anything less than full disclosure will only reinforce the public’s growing concerns about Metro, and its governance model and way of operating,” Fontaine added.

MVRD confirmed at the end of 2024 that a review of its spending was being conducted. The announcement came after months of heavy scrutiny, with questions surrounding international trips, high salaries, and oversight repeatedly coming up since April last year.

Fontaine tells 1130 NewsRadio that there should be a lot more details about the review and its results available to the public already.

“They should be coming out and advising the public as to who, in fact, is conducting this performance audit, what the scope of the review is, so the public knows that nothing is off the table, that everything is being put on the table for review. We should be aware of what the budget is going to be for this. What is this all costing Metro Vancouver taxpayers? And lastly, we need a timeline. We need to know when this report will be completed,” he said.

He says so far, the review process is beginning to mirror the issues with the project itself.

“That’s what they were criticized for from the beginning, that it was too much of a closed-door process. And then they’re responding by having another closed-door process.”

On Wednesday, former Vancouver Coun. Colleen Hardwick went public with demands to end what she calls “double and triple-dipping” — a practice in which municipal politicians serve on multiple regional district boards to boost their salaries via taxpayer dollars — during an affordability crisis.

Fontaine says Hardwick raises “a number of good points,” adding that a system that allows the mayor of Burnaby to “make more than the prime minister” is broken.

“The public has lost trust in Metro Vancouver and in many of the leadership at Metro Vancouver’s board. And it’s past time for us to conduct that governance review, that compensation review, and to make some significant reforms at Metro Vancouver, because the public has been calling for that now for months.”

Regional district chair responds to criticism

Metro Vancouver Board Chair and Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley defends the review, saying some of the lack of communication is by design.

He says the proceedings have to be conducted behind closed doors because legal advice is being given.

“We will be announcing the reviewer and how that process is moving forward very soon,” said Hurley.

“So the process is happening. It’s probably not moving as quickly as I would like, but that’s what happens when you have to go through many steps.”

Hurley says he understands when others express their frustrations with the project.

“I’m frustrated by it all. I mean, we should have been handed over the keys to this project in 2021. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and so we’re left to to try and pick up the pieces and deliver a first-class facility that will serve residents of the North Shore for for many generations.”

As for progress on the treatment plant itself, Hurley says, “We’re getting on with the work.”

—With files from Mike Lloyd, Srushti Gangdev, and Michelle Meiklejohn