If you live in the District of North Vancouver, you’ll be receiving more mail from the municipality then you’re used to.
That’s because the district is splitting utility charges and property taxes – which are typically combined in one bill – into two separate pieces of paperwork.
Earlier in February, DNV residents and businesses may have been surprised to receive a utilities invoice, due by the end of March.
This year, those charges won’t be included on the property taxes notice, which goes out early June with a July 2 due date, as normal.
The reason for the change is for the district to give residents a better understanding of the utility fees they pay, and highlight that the majority of charges come from Metro Vancouver, said Coun. Herman Mah.
“It coincides with the unfair decision by Metro Vancouver that North Shore residents have to pay for the majority of the enormous $3.86-billion cost overruns for the [North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant],” he said.
To pay for the plant, the average district household will pay an extra $1,150 in Metro fees.
“This will be a major impact, especially during current challenging economic times, on the residents of the district and across the North Shore,” Mah said.
Members of district council are frustrated with the “unfair” situation, and some are lobbying for action, he said.
Last November, the district asked the B.C. government to hold a public inquiry into cost overruns of the billions-overbudget plant.
“We ultimately need the provincial government to conduct an independent public inquiry into the … project to determine what happened and to make sure it does not happen again, a demand that they have not yet responded to," Mah said.
“Given the big role that Metro Vancouver plays in the region and the amount of taxes we all pay to that organization, the public is demanding accountability and justified in doing so,” he said. “We need to conduct a review of the governance model for Metro Vancouver.”
While Metro has restarted construction with a new contractor on the previously stalled project, the regional authority is still locked in legal action with its previous contractor, Acciona Wastewater Solutions.
Acciona claims it offered measures to complete the project by 2025 at a cost of $1.05 billion, and that Metro has misled the public on “important issues.”
Metro has filed its own claim that Acciona failed to properly follow project specifications, and that the company should refund taxpayers $500 million.
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