Every year the portion of property tax that goes to Metro Vancouver increases. You might be wondering why. While Metro has been in the news lately for opposing Trinity Western University’s University District, the major roll of Metro is to provide water, sewer, and solid waste management. In fact, 84% of Metro’s budget goes to the provisioning of these services. Much of the infrastructure Metro Vancouver has is reaching its end of live, is over-subscribed, or no longer meets modern safety standards and will require some serious upgrades. Metro is in the process of developing its 2013 budget. Some of Metro’s major projects that they are proposing for 2013 and onward include:
Water
-Seymour-Capilano Water Filtration Project
-Coquitlam UV disinfection facility
-Port Mann Fraser River Crossing
-Second Narrows Crossing
-Annacis Main No.5
Cost: $2.5 billion from 2013-2022.
Sewer
-Upgrade Lions Gate Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP)
-Upgrade Iona WWTP
-Expand to Annacis WWTP
-North Surrey Interceptor (Sewer Main) Twinning
-Upgrade Northwest Langley WWTP
-Gilbert Sewer Trunk
Cost: $3 billion from 2013-2022
Solid Waste
-A new incinerator
-New transfer stations
-New Eco-Centres
Cost: $633 million from 2013-2022
This will result in a 2.5% increase in the property tax portion that goes to Metro Vancouver as it currently stands.
The majority of Metro Vancouver’s services go unnoticed, but are critical to the livability of the region. While some people think that it is roads that help regions grow and/or sprawl. It’s actually water and sewer service.
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