| Opinion Editorial: Metro Vancouver has Remained Transparent About the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant | Opinion Editorial: Metro Vancouver has Remained Transparent About the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant | | <div class="ExternalClass346A7F1C48404CDEB4F55EB3D1B890F4"><p>Metro Vancouver’s board of directors recently made the difficult decision to postpone an independent review of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant Projects until after the regional district’s litigation with the former contractor has been resolved.</p><p>The way that this decision came about has been the subject of debate and speculation, which is understandable considering how important this project is to the North Shore and the region as a whole.</p><p>However, claims that Metro Vancouver has not been forthcoming with information about the project are false.<br></p><p>On July 25, board members decided to delay the review during a closed portion of the regular board meeting. The motion that was voted on has been made public. Some topics are, by necessity, discussed in private — in this case due to ongoing litigation.<br></p><p>The pause is not an attempt to avoid accountability. It’s a deliberate choice to protect the region’s legal and financial interests during active litigation with the former contractor. At stake is hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in damages from the previous contractor. If there are unanswered questions once the litigation is concluded, the review can proceed.</p><p>Immediately following the meeting, the decision was released to the public via resolution, news release, and social media. This level of transparency and public notification is in keeping with how Metro Vancouver has conducted itself throughout the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant replacement process: releasing substantial information whether good, bad, or complex.</p><p>Notably, some critics continue to perpetuate the idea that the reason for the cost increase has not been shared. This is fundamentally untrue.</p><p>Cost increases are very clearly attributable to multiple factors, including the significant rework required to address design and construction deficiencies, the effect of inflation on construction and labour costs, volatile market conditions, and the large number of infrastructure projects competing for resources across the province.</p><p>From construction disruptions and contractor disputes to a major cost increase and revised timeline, Metro Vancouver has disclosed every major decision through public channels: board meetings, committee reports, monthly newsletters, council briefings, news releases, media conferences, and a publicly accessible project webpage.</p><p>For example:<br></p><ul><li>2021: Metro Vancouver announced a revised project cost of $1.058 billion and disclosed serious disputes with the contractor.</li><li>2022: Metro Vancouver terminated the contract with a previous contractor and announced that PCL was awarded a new contract, disclosed the previous contractor’s lawsuit and Metro Vancouver’s counterclaim, and provided regular updates through public committee reports.</li><li>2023: The board received regular public briefings and announced a task force to explore options for completing the project.</li><li>2024: A two-hour briefing and news conference walked reporters through the reason for the updated cost estimate of $3.86 billion and revised completion date of 2030, followed by three public board workshops on funding options.</li><li>2025: Metro Vancouver announced a construction contract with PCL, offered media a tour of the construction site, announced the independent review team, and communicated the decision to pause the review on the same day it was made.</li></ul><p>I implore anyone with questions or concerns to look through the information that has been made public, available on our website.</p><p>We understand that people are frustrated. Timelines have been extended and the cost estimate has changed on this project, and the cost will be borne by the region’s residents. Metro Vancouver has taken extraordinary steps to reduce rate impacts in other ways, including finding operating budget savings and exploring ways to reduce capital expenditures for other projects.</p><p>We encourage the public to visit metrovancouver.org/nswwtp, where a timeline of updates and decisions is available. We remain committed to seeing this project through so that we end up with a new treatment plant that meets federal and provincial requirements and protects human health and the environment.<br></p><p>Mike Hurley is the chair of Metro Vancouver’s board of directors, and mayor of the City of Burnaby.</p></div> | 8/23/2025 7:00:00 AM | | Metro Vancouver Media Relations | media@metrovancouver.org | | |