North Vancouver councils demand provincial inquiry into sewage plant cost overruns
District and City of North Vancouver councils voted July 6 to request an independent public inquiry into how the new sewage plant ballooned from $700 million to $3.86 billion.
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The District and City of North Vancouver are formally demanding a provincial inquiry into how costs for the region's new sewage plant exploded from roughly $700 million to $3.86 billion.
Both councils voted on similar motions July 6 and will submit a complaint to B.C.'s Inspector of Municipalities seeking a public inquiry. In a joint statement released July 10, they pointed out that under Metro Vancouver's sewage funding formula, North and West Vancouver taxpayers have absorbed a large chunk of the overrun "over which they had little meaningful oversight."
District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little said he remains skeptical of Metro Vancouver's own independent review of the project, announced at the end of June after the legal case against former contractor Acciona was settled. "It's entirely going back on Metro Vancouver's record of events," Little said. "Without knowing what the builder went through from their perspective, I don't think you're getting a full picture of what happened with this facility."
West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager supports the Metro review, saying the executive heading the team will have "full authority" to investigate. The report is expected to take five months to complete.
Previous requests for a provincial inquiry have been declined. The two North Vancouver mayors recently flew to Victoria to meet with Premier David Eby, but the province has refused, saying it is an internal Metro problem to resolve.
At a glance
What are the two North Vancouver councils demanding?
The District and City of North Vancouver are demanding a provincial public inquiry into cost overruns on the region's new sewage plant, which ballooned from $700 million to $3.86 billion. Both councils voted on similar motions on July 6, 2026, and submitted a complaint to B.C.'s Inspector of Municipalities.
Why do North Vancouver officials say they deserve an inquiry?
Under Metro Vancouver's sewage funding formula, North and West Vancouver taxpayers absorbed a large chunk of the cost overrun despite having little meaningful oversight of the project.
