With just one spending scandal, Metro Vancouver added an average of $725 to every North Shore family’s property tax bills.
Local governments have a major problem with wasting taxpayer dollars and the province has made it even easier for mayors and councils to avoid tough questions.
Taxpayers deserve better.
Premier David Eby needs to bring back an Auditor General for Local Governments (AGLG) so taxpayers know when their cities or towns are trying to pull the wool over their eyes.
Local governments in B.C. used to have an auditor general as their watchdog. An AGLG which was established in 2013 by the Christy Clark government, and the position existed to provide municipalities with “objective information and relevant advice that will assist them in their accountability to their communities.”
Objective information and increased accountability are necessities for functioning democracies. So, why did the NDP government decide to abolish the position in 2020?
“The Union of B.C. Municipalities … did not support the office,” the Ministry of Municipal Affairs told the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Removing the auditor general because the municipalities didn’t like it is like removing the guard dog from the hen house because the fox doesn’t want him there. The fact that municipal politicians do not want more oversight over how they spend taxpayers’ money is exactly why there needs to be a watchdog.
It’s not hard to find projects managed by local governments that are massively over budget and years behind schedule.
An AGLG could help explain why the North Shore Wastewater Treatment plant is more than $3 billion over budget and years behind schedule.
That project alone is going to add $725 per year on average to every family’s property tax bills in North Vancouver and West Vancouver for the next 30 years, and will add $140 for families in Vancouver. When many families in the province are $200 away from not being able to pay their bills, adding hundreds of dollars to property tax bills is a big problem for families who are having a tough time.
Surrey’s police transition issue is another prime candidate for investigation by an AGLG. The transition from RCMP to a municipal police force could cost taxpayers up to $750 million, according to the city’s estimates.
Vancouver city hall has left taxpayers, journalists and advocacy groups with more questions than answers around the costs to host just seven games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Taxpayers are going to be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars to host a mere 6.7 per cent of the tournament.
For the first time in history, Vancouver’s city budget shot above the $2 billion mark, with Mayor Ken Sim far outspending any of his predecessors at city hall. With that kind of money on the line, taxpayers deserve accountability and a full audit of city spending by an impartial auditor—like an AGLG.
Eby’s government has a worrying track record when it comes to accountability. The Eby government is “systematically failing to abide by the law,” when it comes to accountability, according to a recent report by the provincial information commissioner. Reinstating the AGLG would be an important first step in rebuilding accountability for taxpayers.
To rebuild public trust, Eby should reopen the AGLG’s office. Taxpayers deserve to have independent and objective information about how our local governments are spending our money.
Carson Binda is the B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
