(June 13, 2024): A group of seven lower mainland city councillors from five different jurisdictions will be writing to British Columbia Auditor General Michael Pickup, urging him to carry out a full audit of Metro Vancouver’s North Shore wastewater treatment plant which is now years behind schedule and $3 billion over budget.
Councillors Linda Annis and Mike Bose of Surrey, Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas of New Westminster, Kash Heed of Richmond, Ahmed Yousef of Maple Ridge, and Richard T. Lee of Burnaby, say the project lacks transparency, accountability, with financial fallout that will impact taxpayers across the region for 30 years.
In their letter, the councillors say the Province of British Columbia put up $200 million towards the project, giving the Auditor General the right to investigate how it went off the rails.
The councillors add that the Auditor General for Local Governments, which was created in 2013, could have carried out audits of the project and Metro Vancouver, but it was abolished in 2020.
Councillor Linda Annis, Surrey: The mismanagement of this mega project is staggering, and taxpayers deserve to know how it all went wrong and why they are stuck with the bill for the next 30 years.
Councillor Mike Bose, Surrey: This project continues to raise serious concerns, and an independent audit is needed to clear the air and restore taxpayer confidence.
Councillor Daniel Fontaine, New Westminster: For the next 30 years every taxpayer in this region will be paying for this financial fiasco, and we all want to know why it came to this, and when and where the mistakes first started.
Councillor Kash Heed, Richmond: The North Shore project also casts serious doubt on the capacity and ability of Metro Vancouver to deliver the new Iona wastewater plant in Richmond, which now has a 15 year construction schedule and a $12 billion budget that is growing every few months.
Councillor Richard T. Lee, Burnaby: There hasn’t been any accountability for the nearly
450% increase over the original budget of this project. The only thing we have heard is
how much every taxpayer will have to pay over the next three decades. That’s just not
good enough.
Councillor Paul Minhas, New Westminster: Right across the region taxpayers are shaking their heads and demanding answers, something Metro isn’t providing. Only the Auditor General can get to the bottom of this mess.
Councillor Ahmed Yousef, Maple Ridge: We’re hoping the Auditor General will help get to the bottom of this extraordinary financial and management failure that includes millions from the Province of British Columbia. When it comes to the North Shore wastewater treatment project, taxpayers are being treated like an ATM for Metro Vancouver, with no accountability or transparency.
TO REVIEW LETTER TO THE AUDITOR GENERAL CLICK HERE