City councillors seek answers on North Shore wastewater plant review amid cost overruns and delays.
Kash Heed, Daniel Fontaine, and Paul Minhas are involved. They feel it has been too long since the judge was named to lead a review, and they have not heard anything since then.
Judge John Hunter got the job in September. Fontaine thinks this timing is suspicious and that Metro should share the review’s findings, as people need to know the results.
Officials forced the review after pressure. Now, they can prove they are serious. Full sharing will ease public worries because people have concerns about Metro’s operations.
Metro said they were reviewing spending in 2024. This followed scrutiny from the public. Questions arose about trips and pay. Oversight was another worry.
Fontaine wants more review details released. The public needs to know who is doing the audit and understand the review’s scope, ensuring nothing should be excluded from review.
We should know the budget for this review. What is the total cost to taxpayers? Also, we need a timeline to know when they will complete the report.
He says the review is like the project, which faced criticism before. It seemed like a private, closed process, and he feels they are repeating it again.
Colleen Hardwick wants to stop “double-dipping.” She means politicians get extra pay for serving on several regional boards; this happens during a crisis.
Fontaine says Hardwick makes good points and feels the current system is flawed. Burnaby’s mayor earns more than Trudeau, and that is not how things should be.
The public distrusts Metro Vancouver and also has concerns about its board. A governance review is overdue Reviews of pay are crucial, too, and big reforms need to happen now.
