Metro Vancouver’s governance committee is reviewing proposed reforms Thursday, following a scathing audit that flagged structural problems at the regional district after the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant ballooned billions over budget.

The review comes after a Deloitte-led audit last year described Metro Vancouver’s 41-member board as “large and unwieldy,” raising concerns about oversight, accountability, and decision-making.

The audit was commissioned amid growing scrutiny of Metro Vancouver, particularly after the estimated cost to complete the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant surged by more than $3 billion, which taxpayers are on the hook for.

Metro Vancouver’s governance committee is now tasked with reviewing dozens of recommendations from the audit, including potential changes to board size and structure, board policies, and governance practices.

Metro says 15 of the more than 40 Deloitte-made recommendations have already been completed or are underway, while others remain pending or scheduled for future review.

But critics argue the reforms under consideration do not go far enough.

“It seems like this might be a half measure,” said Daniel Anderson, spokesperson for the North Shore Neighbourhoods Alliance, a coalition of community groups organized in the wake of the wastewater debacle to demand transparency from Metro.

“They are kind of just saying, ‘Maybe we should jump back a little on the amount we’re giving for stipends,’ or ‘Maybe we ought to look at the number of representatives we have here,’ but they are not recognizing there may be a fundamental flaw in the premise of Metro as it has existed up until this point.”

Anderson believes the wastewater treatment plant’s cost overrun remains the key matter undermining public trust and should have triggered a broader independent review of Metro’s operations much earlier.

“Because the province failed to properly hold them to account, we’re getting something which is very much a stopgap measure, and it’s being branded as some kind of fix for what’s a much deeper issue.”

Anderson adds that without accountability for what went wrong, governance changes risk being viewed with cynicism.

“Metro has gotten so far away from the local autonomy of communities and what’s best for those communities and municipalities.”

Metro Vancouver has said the governance committee’s work is aimed at improving transparency, consistency, and accountability across its boards, with the goal of implementing changes ahead of the next municipal election.

The governance committee is expected to continue reviewing and advancing recommendations throughout 2026.