A group of city councillors from across the Lower Mainland is calling on Premier David Eby to carry out a governance review of Metro Vancouver with an eye to having voters elect local representatives on the board, replacing the current model of municipal appointments.

Councillors Linda Annis of Surrey, Daniel Fontaine of New Westminster, Kash Heed of Richmond, and Ahmed Yousef of Maple Ridge, say Metro’s current governance model with 41 appointed board members from 23 local governments is not working, and voters should have the final say on who represents them.

“Whether it’s the financial fiasco around wastewater treatment plants in North Vancouver or on Iona Island, or their unchecked international travel policy that has cost taxpayers thousands of dollars, Metro Vancouver’s board is unaccountable, and taxpayers have had enough of being ignored, except when it comes time to pay the bills,” said Annis on Wednesday. “The current governance model is clearly not working and the provincial government should undertake a full review that includes giving taxpayers the chance to elect board members and hold them accountable, the same way they hold mayors, councillors, and MLAs accountable.”

Fontaine said Metro Vancouver is responsible for the biggest infrastructure projects in the region, and the lack of accountability is evident in the two wastewater treatment projects, with costs spiraling out of control on both.

“The North Vancouver project is five times more expensive than originally budgeted and years behind schedule,” added Fontaine. “The proposed Iona plant now has a budget of $12 billion and it’s climbing by a billion dollars every six months, according to Metro Chair George Harvie. The current Metro governance model made it too easy for those projects to become financial problems because no one is held accountable, and taxpayers are left sitting on the sideline, except when it comes to paying for the cost overruns. Taxpayers are now stuck paying for the North Vancouver overruns, and not a single person has resigned or been fired.”

Heed said that electing the board of Metro Vancouver would give voters their say and ensure more accountability.

“I’ve been an MLA and I’m now a city councillor, and I know how important it is for voters to pick the people they want to represent them,” noted Heed. “Metro Vancouver is an obscure organization to the vast majority of people in the region, and an elected board will better connect the organization to the people they serve, particularly when you look at the size and scope of Metro projects and the tax implications for the people of our region. We need to take Metro out of the shadows and make it more transparent, starting with electing its board.”

Yousef said Metro, which was created more than 50 years ago and has grown over time, needs a full review to reset its governance model, and tighten up its mandate and responsibilities.

“Over the years there has been a lot of scope creep at Metro, with the organization and its growing bureaucracy quietly taking on more and more authority across the region, but with no direct connection to taxpayers and voters,” explained Yousef. “Any organization that’s more than 50 years old needs a check-up to make sure it’s ready for the next 50 years. So, a full review by the province makes good sense, and would ensure we have a right-sized organization that is more transparent and accountable to our taxpayers.”