Editor:
Bill 41 is now law in B.C. This amendment to the Greater Vancouver Sewage Act will allow the B.C. government to bypass the Metro Vancouver board when there is no agreement between the board and the Tsawwassen First Nation.
That is the current situation, and this is holding up the plans to provide infrastructure to serve the TFN development plans, which include PMV (Port Metro Vancouver) uses, huge shopping malls and large residential development.
The question of why there has been no agreement between Metro and TFN has remained secret, because of the in-camera nature of these discussions at the Metro board level.
It is reasonable to discern the problems centre around the needed future expansion of the Metro sewage system to serve these projects, and the matter of cost.
Each Metro taxpayer should take note of this situation, and request full information about what is happening. An end run to bypass our Metro interests by the B.C. government and PMV seems to be now legal. Who will have to pay infrastructure costs for the ambitious TFN expansion?
Clearly any final agreement between TFN and the mall and other developers, including PMV, will require the infrastructure is assured and not subject to uncertainty.
This is yet another example of the way that all other interests are being cast aside in the rush to assemble the Gateway and Terminal 2. The TFN seems to be willing pawns in this game. Come clean and reveal the facts.
Peter Duffey
