Something’s flowing at the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant – concrete, and a whole lot of it.
Around 40,000 cubic metres will be dumped at the site over the next year and a half, as the clogged project gets back up to speed.
That’s because PCL Construction has signed on to complete construction of the plant, and the company now has crews actively working at the 3.5-hectare property on the 1300 block of West First Avenue in North Vancouver.
Metro Vancouver, the regional authority responsible for the project, invited members of the media for a tour of the construction site on Wednesday.
Mike Hurley, Burnaby mayor and chair of the Metro board, said he’s pleased to be moving in a positive direction with the treatment plant in partnership with PCL.
“Together, we are committed to delivering a high-quality wastewater treatment facility in the most efficient and effective way possible,” he said in a press statement.
But the media tour is just a public relations exercise, said Catherine Pope, councillor with the District of North Vancouver.
“They’re trying to put a good spin on a $4-billion project,” she said.
During Wednesday’s tour, staff from Metro and PCL led a flock of reporters around the site, which is now bustling with busy crews – a change from the relative inactivity there over the past several years.
After construction first began in August 2018, progress started to stall at the site as the relationship soured between Metro and its previously selected contractor, Acciona Wastewater Solutions.
Now the two are locked in duelling lawsuits, with Acciona claiming that it offered measures to complete the project by 2025 at a cost of $1.05 billion, and that Metro has misled the public “on a number of important issues.”
Metro has filed its own claim that Acciona failed to properly interpret, understand and implement project specifications, and that the contractor should be required to refund $500 million back to taxpayers.
In October 2021, Metro terminated the project agreement with Acciona, and PCL was hired as the new construction manager in 2022. In October 2024, the two bodies signed a contract for PCL to complete the build, with an estimated price of $1.95 billion.
New contractor has many similar projects in its portfolio
On Wednesday, Metro said the new contract is “within the approved budget for the program.”
PCL is a Canadian company with a portfolio of more than 450 water and wastewater projects.
“With a proven track record in delivering quality water and wastewater projects in both commercial and industrial settings, PCL is well prepared for the challenges and opportunities that come with building a future-focused treatment plant for Metro Vancouver and the people of the North Shore,” said vice-president Travis Chorney.
According to a timeline provided by Metro, the main focus over the next 1.5 years will be completing the concrete structure. Then, site activity is expected to peak in 2026 and 2027 with more than 650 trades people on site to install the 40,000 metres of pipes, 800 kilometres of electrical, and other components required to run the plant.
The project is scheduled to be completed in 2030.
With its current $3.85-billion price tag, North Shore taxpayers will be on the hook for an annual bill of around $590 on average for 30 years. Other Metro Vancouver municipalities will pay $80 to $150 for 15 years.
When asked if the project’s cost could rise any further, Hurley said he was “confident” that the work will be delivered on what’s currently budgeted.
“We believe that we have the right team in place to deliver this,” he said, adding there are incentives in place for PCL to finish on time and on budget, and disincentives for other outcomes.
Hurley acknowledged the additional burden to taxpayers, and that some of them “are very angry.”
“I’m very angry that we got to this point … but we still believe that Metro Vancouver, at $875 a month for average household, is still very good value for money,” he said. “Metro Vancouver does an excellent job day in and day out, delivering the critical services that are needed.”
Little accountability from Metro, councillor says
But Pope said there’s been little accountability from Metro.
“We’ve had no responsibility for the management of [the wastewater treatment plant project] aside from the board of directors approving budgets,” she said.
In November, Pope pushed a successful motion through District of North Vancouver council to request a public inquiry on the issue from the province. So far, the request has been acknowledged but there’s no indication if an inquiry will proceed, she said.
“I still have zero understanding of how in 2021 we were talking about $1 billion, how in a span of a couple years of almost dormant action on the site did we get to $4 billion,” Pope said.
Pope also responded to comments from fellow Coun. Lisa Muri, who recently blasted the media for not explaining these issues properly, at a Metro board meeting, where Muri is a sitting member.
“That’s totally outrageous but classic, old-school blame the messenger,” Pope said. “It’s outrageous that the media is blamed, and then bring the media in a few days later for a happy little tour.”
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