VICTORIA, B.C.: The Mayor of Surrey has put a staggering new price tag for taxpayers on the North Shore wastewater project: $5.5 billion.
Taxpayers were promised a $700-million project. Now they’re facing a bill nearly $5 billion higher. After the Massey Tunnel replacement ballooned to $8.5 billion, Site C climbed to $16 billion, a $1.5 billion condo bailout, and a $500 million-a-year natural gas royalty accounting error, British Columbians can’t afford another costly government boondoggle.
Tony Luck, Shadow Minister for Municipal Affairs, is again calling on the B.C. government to launch an independent inquiry into the Metro Vancouver Regional District over this fiasco. Under Section 765 of B.C.’s Local Government Act, the Inspector of Municipalities can launch an investigation when serious concerns arise over a regional district’s affairs.
“Despite all the promises, Premier David Eby and Minister Christine Boyle have done absolutely nothing to get to the bottom of this mess,” said Luck. “Given the magnitude of the debacle unfolding in Metro Vancouver, taxpayers deserve accountability. And if the NDP government won’t order a review, the Inspector of Municipalities can and must. Four municipalities have filed complaints. How long will the inspector take before deciding to act? And if she won’t, why not? I support New Westminster Councillor Daniel Fontaine’s calls for real transparency and reform.”
“People work hard for their money, and they have every right to expect governments to treat it that way,” said Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Leader of the Conservative Party of B.C. “You cannot blow through billions of dollars and then tell taxpayers to simply trust the people who made the decisions. This is basic government accountability. British Columbians deserve to know how this happened, and they deserve a government willing to stand up for them.”
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