NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. – Metro Vancouver has retained retired judge J.L. Hunter, K.C. to advise its board on the independent performance audit of the problem-plagued North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant Program.
Hunter will advise the board on the scope of the review, the terms of reference and on a process to select an independent, qualified reviewer, a Metro Vancouver release said.
“When I was elected to the Metro Vancouver board back in July, I made a commitment to move ahead with an independent performance audit of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant Program. Today I am pleased to announce we have taken the next important step by hiring John J.L. Hunter, K.C. to advise the board on the details of this review,” Metro Vancouver board chair Mike Hurley said in the release.
“In July, the board asked that I identify a lawyer who can support this review. To find someone as independent as possible, I asked staff to identify lawyers who have not previously worked with Metro Vancouver, and I chose Mr. Hunter from the list on the basis that he is a retired judge with 40 years of experience as a lawyer. I trust he will provide sound advice to the Metro Vancouver Board.”
Hunter is a founder of Hunter Litigation Chambers and returned to the firm as an associate counsel after his retirement as a justice of the Court of Appeal of B.C.
Metro Vancouver announced its intention to initiate an independent performance audit of the plant on June 18, and on Sept. 10 Hurley issued a statement on publicly disclosing information surrounding the project and the reasons for the cost increase resulting from the termination of the contract with Acciona Wastewater Solutions LP.
Costs have sharply risen for the project since Acciona Wastewater Solutions LP was selected through a competitive process in 2017 to build the plant. The company was terminated from the project in 2022 for allegedly failing to meet its contractual obligations. PCL and AECOM were then selected to complete the project.
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