The Metro Vancouver Regional District says costs for the embattled North Shore Wastewater Treatment plant won’t continue to rise.
The project’s original $700 million budget has already risen to a taxpayer bill of over $3 billion.
People in Metro Vancouver, whether they live in the North Shore or not, may have seen an increase on their utility bills as part of a cost-sharing deal that sees residents paying up to $590 annually to cover the rising costs.
Burnaby Mayor and district board chair Mike Hurley says he understands the concerns of taxpayers.
“I absolutely acknowledge the burden that’s been placed on taxpayers here, but we still believe that Metro Vancouver at $875 a month for average household. It is still very good value for money and and what we deliver for the region, the critical services we deliver day in and day out,” Hurley said at the construction site of the wastewater plant Wednesday.
Once complete, the treatment plant will serve 300,000 people in Metro Vancouver and replace the aging Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The project is designed to provide tertiary filtration to improve the quality of wastewater that’s released into the Burrard Inlet.
Metro Vancouver says it’s doing an independent audit of what went wrong with the project, but Acciona, the company originally hired to work on the plant, is suing the district.
Hurley says the district has filed a counterclaim.
“$500 million is what we’re claiming, and we believe we have a very solid claim. The last time I was at this project, I walked around and saw the major infrastructure issues with our concrete. And as a carpenter, I was very concerned about that when I saw that, and so we believe we have a very solid claim,” Hurley said.
Federal and provincial government grants for the project raised around $200 million when work began in 2017.
Hurley says the district is looking into more assistance from the government at both levels.
“We’ll always be talking to senior levels of government about trying to achieve more funding for these projects. For this project too,” Hurley said.
Earlier this month, the Metro Vancouver Regional District met to determine cost-cutting measures, while facing a financial crisis.
Vancouver City Coun. Lisa Dominato told 1130 NewsRadio at the time that the board voted against cutting costs for what it considered most important.
“We have to prioritize our water services, our sewer services. Those are integral. We have to prioritize monitoring air quality and climate those continue to be a priority,” Dominato said.