Mayor Linda Buchanan has released the following statement in response to the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant settlement and review:
“The settlement between Metro Vancouver and Acciona is an important development, but it does not resolve the fundamental concerns North Shore municipalities and residents have raised for years.
“This project began as a $700 million commitment and has now grown to $3.86 billion. The scale of that increase is extraordinary, and the financial impact on residents remains deeply concerning. North Shore households are being asked to pay hundreds of dollars more every year, for the next 30 years.
“I welcome the fact that the legal dispute has been settled and that Metro Vancouver has indicated the independent review will now move forward. But the settlement cannot be the end of the conversation. Residents still deserve answers, accountability, and a clear understanding of what they will be expected to pay.
“My expectations are clear moving forward. First, the $235 million settlement must go directly toward reducing costs for North Shore residents. Our households are the ones carrying the burden of this project’s cost overruns. This money should reduce their bills — not disappear into the project budget.
“Second, the independent review must be truly independent, public-facing, and comprehensive. All North Shore municipalities must be at the table from the start — shaping the scope, engaged in the process, and treated as full partners. The review must examine not only project delivery, but the decisions, governance, oversight, financial management, procurement, risk management, cost escalation, and accountability structures that allowed this project to move so far beyond its original budget and timeline. Its findings must be made public.
“Third, the truth cannot be buried behind non-disclosure agreements or confidentiality clauses. Residents have a right to know what went wrong, why this project went billions of dollars over budget. If confidentiality prevents the independent reviewer from accessing the full picture, the review will fail before it begins.
“Metro Vancouver must also provide the full financial information North Shore municipalities have repeatedly requested, including a detailed cost breakdown, final household impacts, operating and maintenance costs, debt levels, remediation costs for the old site, and a clear long-term financial outlook for the North Shore Sewerage Area.
“In March, Mayor Little and I took these concerns directly to Premier Eby in Victoria. We asked for a public inquiry, an arm’s-length governance review, and a fair cost-sharing formula. Those asks have not changed.
“The settlement is a step forward. But for North Shore residents, the work now is to reduce costs, get answers, fix the accountability gaps, and ensure this never happens again.”
Media Contact for Mayor Buchanan
Jenny Peng, jpeng@cnv.org 604-209-0794