Lawsuits, criticism piling up for Metro Vancouver

Surrey taxpayers could be on the hook based on a couple of lawsuits that are aimed at the Metro Vancouver regional government – including one from the City of Surrey itself.

Surrey is currently suing Metro Vancouver and last week Mayor Brenda Locke unveiled changes it wants to see the regional government to make in how it is governed, including just focusing on water and sewage services – what she calls core services.

Locke and her Surrey Connect party also say the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant will cost taxpayers $5.5 billion, $1.6 billion more than the $3.86 billion previously reported – “by taking the annual charge that every household in Metro Vancouver is paying” for the plant.

Metro Vancouver, however, stands by its forecasted number.

“The North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant Program is funded from several sources, including federal government grants, development cost charges, the Acciona settlement, and utility rates. Only a portion of the costs are borrowed,” said a statement.

“Debt servicing is not typically included in capital project cost estimates for local governments. The annual rates Metro Vancouver projected include debt servicing. There is not expected to be an additional increase to residents for the project.”

OTHER LAWSUIT: Meanwhile, Metro Vancouver taxpayers could also be on the hook for a lawsuit filed by the mayor of Coquitlam, Richard Stewart.

Stewart filed a civil claim against Metro Vancouver, alleging he suffered loss of income and damage to his reputation during the fallout from a 2022 data breach.

Filed in B.C. Supreme Court, the suit describes a secretive Metro Vancouver investigation that focused on Stewart and incorrectly concluded he’d breached his oath of office.

Stewart was a director at Metro Vancouver when the regional government was getting ready to terminate Acciona engineering company’s contract to build the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant.

However, as Metro was preparing for possible litigation and advising its members of the importance of confidentiality, a confidential document that had been distributed to Metro’s board of directors ended up at Acciona.

The breach was allegedly caused by Coquitlam’s now retired city manager Peter Steblin, who used Stewart’s Metro ID and password to access the confidential report, according to an affidavit previously provided by Metro Vancouver commissioner Jerry W. Dobrovolny.

According to Norton Rose Fulbright – the law firm representing Metro Vancouver – Steblin left his laptop open and his daughter Anika Calder – who was also an Acciona employee – took cellphone pictures of the documents and sent the photos, directly or indirectly, to at least four people.

After more than three years, Metro filed a consent order in December 2025, officially ending the legal battle between the regional utility provider and multinational conglomerate Acciona.

After the breach

After finding out about the breach in June 2022, Stewart interviewed both Steblin and Calder and passed the information to Metro staff. He also met with a Metro Vancouver investigator and answered questions, according to the civil claim.

But while Stewart described his behaviour as responsible and forthright, he contended Metro Vancouver largely blamed him for the breach.

“Metro and members of its board and staff engaged in a course of conduct which was dishonorable, unreasonable, and defamatory,” according to the claim.

Metro Vancouver has responded that Stewart bears responsibility for the misuse of his login credentials that led to a 2022 data breach.

The regional government recently filed a response to Stewart’s civil claim.

The circumstances of the breach were suspicious, the response stated, noting the breach was committed by the daughter of Coquitlam’s city manager during a critical time between Metro and Acciona. There was also no explanation for why Steblin was reviewing the report at that time, nor “why he would review it in his daughter’s home,” according to the response.

Stewart failed to properly investigate, according to Metro Vancouver’s response, which referred to his: “long-standing personal relationship with Steblin, and through that relationship with Steblin’s daughter Calder, as a family friend.”

– Story by Chris Campbell and Jeremy Shepherd