Advertisement

Calls for B.C. auditor general to review wastewater plant fiasco

Click to play video: 'Councillors call for B.C. auditor general to investigate North Shore wastewater plant cost overruns'
Councillors call for B.C. auditor general to investigate North Shore wastewater plant cost overruns
Metro Vancouver taxpayers will pay billions of dollars more than expected for the wastewater treatment plant on the North Shore. As Janet Brown reports, a group of local politicians from five municipalities is calling on the provincial auditor general to investigate how the budget ballooned. – Jun 13, 2024

A group of municipal politicians is calling for a review into how a North Shore wastewater treatment plant went billions over budget.

Seven city councillors from across the Lower Mainland want auditor general Michael Pickup to investigate the cost overruns.

The currently unfinished project by Metro Vancouver was initially pegged at $500 million but that’s gone up to nearly $4 billion.

Click to play video: 'Metro Vancouver households to foot bill for $4B North Shore wastewater plant'
Metro Vancouver households to foot bill for $4B North Shore wastewater plant

The councillors said taxpayers saddled with paying that bill deserve to know what went wrong and the auditor general has the authority to investigate.

Story continues below advertisement

“There has to be some responsibility,” Kash Heed, a Richmond city councillor, told Global News. “Proper figures going forward.”

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

To pay for the project, Metro Vancouver voted to divide the costs across the region.

North Shore homeowners will pay the most, an extra $590 per year on their utility bills for 30 years.

“We only have one taxpayer here in British Columbia. We don’t have a multi-pot of money that we can depend on to cover these projects. So at the end of the day, the accountability has to be put in place,” Heed added.

Sponsored content

AdChoices