Delta First calls for pre-election review of over-budget Metro Vancouver project
Published 5:40 pm Monday, May 25, 2026
Mayoral candidate Melissa Granum and her Delta First slate are calling on the Metro Vancouver board to complete an independent public review of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant cost overruns before the upcoming municipal election.
On May 13, Metro Vancouver’s Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District board approved an agreement with Acciona to settle the two parties’ respective lawsuits relating to the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant project, with Acciona providing $235 million to the district.
With the legal proceedings settled, Metro Vancouver says an independent review will now proceed, with next steps — including scope of work and the team to deliver the review — will be considered and discussed at upcoming Metro Vancouver board meetings.
The independent review will have full access to Metro Vancouver’s documents related to the program’s history, finances, governance and delivery, according to a press release, and the resulting report will provide recommendations and support the delivery of the regional district’s major infrastructure projects.
“The North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant program is one of the most important projects currently underway for the health and well-being of this region, and we are very aware of residents’ concerns about the project,” said Mike Hurley, chair of Metro Vancouver’s boards of directors, said in a May 13 press release.
“It is important to us at Metro Vancouver to have a thorough, independent review of this project so our residents get the transparency they deserve and Metro Vancouver can continue to strengthen delivery of our critical infrastructure projects.”
In a press release issued Friday (May 22), Granum and Delta First say that, with the legal dispute now resolved, elected representatives on Metro Vancouver’s board can no longer cite ongoing litigation as a reason to withhold information from the public.
With only four board meetings left before the Oct. 17 election, the slate says, time is of the essence.
Noting the project’s costs soared from an original estimate of approximately $700 million to a “staggering” $3.86 billion — a 450 per cent overrun — under the leadership of Delta Mayor George Harvie, board chair at the time, and Coun. Dylan Kruger, the city’s other representative on the board, the slate says Delta residents are now subsidizing a North Shore-specific project even though Delta has the Annacis Island Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Granum says Delta property owners will collectively shoulder “millions of dollars in extra annual costs for decades to come, for infrastructure that offers no direct benefit to local residents,” adding the fiscal impact is already being felt as taxpayers faced a $250 increase to the flat rate utility bill in 2025.
“Residents deserve to know who made these decisions, who approved the escalating costs, and why Metro Vancouver failed to ensure transparency and accountability throughout this process. This information needs to presented in a clear and simple report,” Granum said in a press release.
“Delta residents deserve answers before they head to the polls in October.”