Metro Vancouver governance will be discussed at a special Richmond city council meeting next week.
Richmond city Coun. Kash Heed called the meeting saying he'd like to see better communication about Metro Vancouver and its operations, a governance review and to highlight how the regional government’s bureaucracy is unaccountable to taxpayers.
In a document sent to city councillors calling for this meeting, Heed said issues such as cost overruns, governance challenges, international travel expenses and a lack of transparency have “lingered without satisfactory resolution.”
There are several large infrastructures projects such as the reconstruction of the Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant that will “impose a significant financial burden on taxpayers,” Heed noted.
The North Shore Treatment Plant currently under construction has been in the news recently as its cost has ballooned from $1.058 billion to $3.86 billion.
“We must guarantee that these elected officials fulfill their fiduciary duty to serve the public interest,” Heed said in his call for the meeting. “Failure to do so may lead to a vote to replace Richmond’s representatives on the Metro Vancouver Board.”
The Metro Vancouver board is comprised of local politicians with weighted votes depending on the size of a municipality. Metro Vancouver provides water, sewer and wastewater treatment for the entire region.
But the fiduciary duty of Richmond directors is to the taxpayers of Richmond, Heed said, and "at the end of the day, the taxpayers are funding this."
As for a governance review, Heed noted that the governance model of Metro Vancouver dates back 50 years and should be brought into the 21st century.
Three Richmond city councillors are Metro Vancouver board members – Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Couns. Chak Au and Bill McNulty.
Brodie received almost $45,000 in 2023 for his role on the board, McNulty received $23,100 and Au received $14,700.
Coun. Alexa Loo received $14,175 in compensation and had $4,554 in expenses in 2023 for her role on the Metro Vancouver liquid waste committee.
Metro Vancouver’s chief administrative officer, Jerry Dobrovolny earned about $674,000 last year in salary and benefits and had about $37,000 in expenses.
The special council meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 23 at 4 p.m. in the Anderson Room at Richmond City Hall.
- With files from the North Shore News
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