As the province turns the page on another year, British Columbians are looking ahead with a mix of optimism and urgency. In that spirit, there is one New Year’s resolution the Premier could commit to that would make a meaningful difference for families and businesses across our region: fixing the long-standing governance and accountability problems at Metro Vancouver.
Metro Vancouver was created to deliver essential regional services – clean drinking water, wastewater treatment, solid waste management, and coordinated regional planning. Over the past decade, however, it has drifted far from that core purpose. What was once a focused regional authority has become a sprawling bureaucracy, with expanding programs, escalating costs, and a governance structure that is increasingly disconnected from the people who ultimately pay the bills.
Nothing illustrates this better than the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant. A project initially estimated in the hundreds of millions has ballooned into the billions, plagued by delays and cost overruns that still lack a clear public explanation. When major capital projects veer so dramatically off course, it raises fundamental questions about oversight and accountability. Transparent reporting, independent scrutiny, and clear lines of responsibility are not optional – they are the safeguards taxpayers have a right to expect.
Today, utilities and solid waste services are the largest drivers of Metro Vancouver’s budget. These are core responsibilities that demand relentless focus on cost control, service reliability, and long-term resilience. Instead, Metro Vancouver’s mandate has expanded well beyond those basics. Programs that could be handled by municipalities or other agencies have been layered on, diluting attention from essential services and creating a governance model too diffuse to be effective.
Equally troubling is a governance culture that, at times, appears to benefit insiders rather than the public. Reports of additional board compensation on top of municipal salaries are corrosive to public trust. When someone is elected to serve the public, taking on related regional responsibilities should not automatically trigger extra pay. Add concerns about travel and administrative spending, and it becomes clear why confidence is eroding. Deloitte’s governance review offered sensible recommendations – board simplification, pay reform, and stronger oversight – yet little meaningful change has followed. Incremental tinkering will not restore trust. Metro Vancouver needs a fundamental reset.
These concerns are not isolated. The mayors of British Columbia’s two largest cities have publicly questioned Metro Vancouver’s direction, and recent governance and leadership problems have only amplified those warnings. Their recent letter to the Premier amounts to a vote of non-confidence in the current structure and leadership, and their call for a comprehensive review should be impossible to ignore. When civic leaders and the broader public demand clearer accountability, it signals a system in urgent need of repair.
That review must be entirely external to Metro Vancouver. Anything less would lack credibility. A self-directed or internally managed review would be the governance equivalent of letting the fox guard the henhouse. Only a fully independent, provincially led examination can restore public confidence and ensure objective, transparent findings.
A reset should also include stronger, independent audit oversight at the local level. Business groups have long argued that British Columbia needs an Auditor General with authority over local governments. Expanding the mandate of the BC Auditor General to include municipalities and regional districts would provide consistent, arm’s-length scrutiny across the province. Cost overruns would be harder to conceal, governance lapses easier to detect, and corrective action faster to implement. The City of New Westminster recently passed a motion supporting this approach – a clear sign that municipal leaders see the value of stronger oversight.
The path forward is both practical and achievable. Metro Vancouver should return to its core mandate by focusing on the essential services it is uniquely positioned to deliver – water, wastewater, and solid waste – while reviewing regional planning and non-essential programs to determine where accountability is closest to residents. The province should assess whether the current board structure is fit for purpose, including the option of moving to a directly elected model. Clear rules must be legislated to prevent double compensation, and major capital projects should be subject to mandatory independent oversight and plain-language public reporting. Simplifying and restructuring the board would further sharpen accountability and focus.
This is not about ideology; it is about competence and stewardship. Metro Vancouver can and should be an efficient, accountable steward of critical regional infrastructure. But that will not happen if the organization continues to grow in complexity while losing focus on the services that matter most. With a municipal election approaching in 2026, now is the moment for decisive action – and for voters to hold regional decision-makers to account.
British Columbians deserve a regional government that is disciplined, transparent, and focused. A provincially led reset – the Premier’s New Year’s resolution to the region – would finally put Metro Vancouver back on course and begin restoring the public trust that has been allowed to erode for far too long.
