Metro Vancouver governance under scrutiny in Richmond

Metro Vancouver’s governance will be discussed next week at a special meeting of Richmond City Council.

Richmond City Councillor Kash Heed called the meeting to order and said he would 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 councillors calling for the meeting, Heed said issues such as cost overruns, governance challenges, international travel expenses and a lack of transparency “remain lingering without satisfactory resolution.”

There are several major infrastructure projects, such as the reconstruction of the Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant, that “will place 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 risen from $1.058 billion to $3.86 billion.

“We must ensure that these elected officials fulfill their fiduciary duty to serve the public interest,” Heed said in his call for the meeting. “If they do not, it could lead to a vote to replace Richmond’s representatives on the Metro Vancouver Board.”

The Metro Vancouver board is made up 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’s leaders is to Richmond’s taxpayers, Heed said, and “ultimately, the taxpayers are funding this.”

Regarding a governance overhaul, Heed noted that Metro Vancouver’s governance model is 50 years old and should be brought into the 21st century.^st century.

Three of Richmond’s city councillors are Metro Vancouver board members: Mayor Malcolm Brodie and councillors Chak Au and Bill McNulty.

Brodie received nearly $45,000 in 2023 for his role on the board, McNulty received $23,100 and Au received $14,700.

Councillor Alexa Loo received $14,175 in compensation and had $4,554 in expenses in 2023 for her role on Metro Vancouver’s Liquid Waste Committee.

Jerry Dobrovolny, Metro Vancouver’s top administrator, earned about $674,000 in salary and benefits last year and had about $37,000 in expenses.

The special council meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 23 at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room at Richmond City Hall.

– With files from the North Shore News

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