Cost history
The total estimated cost to complete the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant Program is $3.86 billion. This cost estimate includes construction of the new treatment plant and related conveyance infrastructure, and preliminary design work for decommissioning the existing Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant. To develop the updated cost estimate, Metro Vancouver considered three separate cost estimates that took into account market conditions, inflation, interest rates, and hiring a new contractor. The cost estimate includes costs incurred to date, the costs to complete construction, as well as items such as owner’s costs, equipment purchases, insurance, permitting, engineering services, escalation, and a risk reserve.
The increased cost is attributable to multiple factors, including significant rework required to address design and construction deficiencies, sustained inflation on construction and labour costs, volatile market conditions, and competition for skilled labour and materials from other major infrastructure projects across the province.
Key financial milestones are outlined below. Additional details are available on the
key events and decisions page.
- November 2013: Initial program cost estimate - $700 million (2018 dollars)
- March 2017: Federal and provincial funding towards construction - $405.3 million
- April 2017: Awarded design-build-finance contract to Acciona Wastewater Solutions LP (Acciona) and updated program budget - $780 million
- February 2021: Revised program cost estimate following negotiations with Acciona and addition of tertiary filtration - $1.058 billion
- March 2024: Following a comprehensive program review by a Metro Vancouver Board task force, revised program cost estimate announced - $3.86 billion
- May 2024: GVS&DD Board determined cost allocation and phasing, with the North Shore Sewerage Area responsible for 37% of the program’s increased costs, and the rest of the region responsible for 63%
- October 2024: A key contract within the approved program cost estimate is executed with PCL to complete construction of the treatment plant - $1.95 billion
Independent program review
The latest information on the independent review of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant is available here:
Past community engagement
We have worked closely with North Shore communities, special interest groups, local governments, and First Nations since 2012 to learn about their values, interests, and concerns. This engagement informed the design of the new wastewater treatment plant.
Additional materials