North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant cost reaches $5.5 billion

Surrey Connect has announced that the projected cost of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant has risen to $5.5 billion, an increase of $1.6 billion over the previously reported $3.86 billion. Councillor Pardeep Kooner, a chartered accountant, arrived at this figure by calculating the annual charges paid by every household in Metro Vancouver.

Kooner provided a timeline of escalating estimates for the project, noting costs rose from $700 million in 2013 to $1.058 billion in 2021, before the recent sharp increases. She also warned that replacing the Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant could eventually cost between $15 billion and $18 billion.

In response to these findings, Mayor Brenda Locke and Surrey Connect have called for an inquiry into the project and proposed a “Framework for Real Reform” for Metro Vancouver. The proposal includes restructuring the regional board from 41 members to 16 and limiting Metro Vancouver to providing core services such as water and sewage. Locke stated that the current cost for a facility serving less than ten percent of the region’s population is “unacceptable.”