Bob Mackin
By the end of June, the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant cost taxpayers $668.6 million and the $193 million provincial subsidy was spent.
That is according to the annual progress report from Metro Vancouver to the provincial government, obtained by theBreaker.news under freedom of information.
The report said the project was 28% complete as of June 30. It was supposed to be finished by 2020 for around $700 million. But, in March 2024, the Metro Vancouver board revealed the cost ballooned to $3.86 billion with a new deadline of 2030.
North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant construction site on July 10, 2024 (Mackin)
Premier David Eby has refused calls from the North Shore Neighbourhoods Alliance to convene a public inquiry. The Metro Vancouver board halted its review in July, due to the scheduled 2027 civil trial against original builder Acciona.
Cost comparison
Top three line items through June: Design builder: $311.17 million; General contractor: $132.32 million; Designer $92.19 million.
Could the cost increase again? The report pointed to uncertainty around Trump tariffs.
Meanwhile, it also revealed the construction site is too small for storage and staging. So builder PCL leased 15 acres in Chilliwack — some 100 kilometres east — for project materials and equipment, including a covered area to keep equipment dry.
“This single site will minimize the amount of staff required to receive equipment, provide security, and will be easier to operate than multiple smaller sites,” the report said.
Critter removal
The election day storm on Oct. 19, 2024 flooded the Building 22 Influent Pump Station tank.
Meanwhile, in April, “a river otter was relocated from site, in coordination with the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.”
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