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Work on beleaguered North Shore sewage plant set to ramp up again

Click to play video: 'A tour of Metro Vancouver’s controversial wastewater treatment plant'
A tour of Metro Vancouver’s controversial wastewater treatment plant
Metro Vancouver has given the media a tour of the notoriously over-budget, behind-schedule wastewater treatment plant in North Vancouver. As Aaron McArthur reports, while officials say the project is well underway again, there are no guarantees the already-bloated budget won't increase even more – Jan 29, 2025

Construction is once again set to ramp up on Metro Vancouver’s notoriously beleaguered North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Major construction on the sewage facility has been stalled since the regional district fired the former primary contractor amid a dispute over progress and costs.

Click to play video: 'Fired wastewater plant contractor fires back at Metro Vancouver'
Fired wastewater plant contractor fires back at Metro Vancouver

It subsequently emerged that the project would cost billions more to complete than originally projected. When the plant was announced in 2011, it was budgeted at $700 million with a 2020 completion date. That’s now ballooned to $3.86 billion with a 2030 completion date.

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On Wednesday, Metro Vancouver announced a deal with new contractor PCL Construction is in place.

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“We’re very confident it will be delivered for what we have now budgeted and we believe that we have the right team in place to deliver this and we’re very confident that this will be a high-quality project delivered within this budget and we look forward to with the project that it is,” Metro Vancouver Board Chair Mike Hurley said.

Click to play video: 'Waste treatment plant levy to be phased in'
Waste treatment plant levy to be phased in

Metro Vancouver homeowners remain on the hook for the project’s over-sized budget.

The biggest payments will be for North Shore households, which will have to pay an additional $590 a year over a 30-year period.

Other Metro Vancouver homeowners will see their utility rates climb by $80 and $150 for 15 years.

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