Community groups want public inquiry into North Shore sewage plant debacle
'It needs to be an independent public inquiry,' said Daniel Anderson with the North Shore Neighbourhoods Alliance.
'So when we talk about an inquiry, who's determining the terms of reference for that review? And more importantly, is the person conducting that review on Metro's payroll?'
2:19
Outrage grows over Metro Vancouver review decision
Also calling for an inquiry, the Blueridge Community Association's Ted Bancroft.
Story continues below advertisement
'I'm dismayed by all this stalling around,' he told Global News.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'It's just that we're making moves to pacify people, to put off a little bit longer, put off a little longer. It just seems like it's a big stall that they may never get to an inquiry unless they get going now.'
The outcry follows a secret vote by Metro Vancouver directors on July 25 to delay a review of the financial disaster.
4:51
City of Langley mayor on rising sewer rates
Premier David Eby has stated repeatedly that he will step in if needed. Despite several inquiries, the province has provided no timeline for a decision.
'It's about trust,' said BC Conservative municipal affairs critic Tony Luck.
'The public has lost trust in the process and in this organization. It's necessary that they move forward with this public inquiry, and the sooner the better.'
Story continues below advertisement
North Shore residents will be hit hardest by the debacle and forced to pay fees of about $590 extra per year for the next 30 years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
31 minutes ago
- CTV News
Qatar sentences the country's Baha'i leader to 5 years for social media posts
This undated photo provided by his family in June 2025 shows Remy Rowhani, the head of the National Spiritual Assembly that governs Baha'i affairs in Qatar. (Family photo via AP, File) The leader of the small Baha'i community in Qatar was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison for social media posts that allegedly 'cast doubt on the foundations of the Islamic religion,' according to court documents obtained by an international Baha'i organization monitoring the case. A three-judge panel of Qatar's Supreme Judiciary Council issued the verdict against Remy Rowhani, 71, who has been detained since April, according to documents provided to The Associated Press by the Baha'i International Community office in Geneva, Switzerland. The judges rejected a defense request for leniency on grounds that Rowhani suffered from a heart condition, according to the documentation. Saba Haddad, the Geneva office's representative to the United Nations, depicted the verdict as 'a serious breach and grave violation of the right to freedom of religion or belief and an attack on Remy Rowhani and the Baha'i community in Qatar.' Haddad's office, in a post on X, called on the international community 'to urge Qatar's government to uphold international law and ensure Mr. Rowhani's immediate release.' There was no immediate response from Qatar's International Media Office to AP's queries about the case. The verdict came just two weeks after a group of U.N. human rights experts expressed 'serious concern' about Rowhani's arrest and detention, which they depicted as 'part of a broader and disturbing pattern of disparate treatment of the Baha'i minority in Qatar.' 'The mere existence of Baha'is in Qatar and their innocuous presence on X cannot be criminalized under international law,' they said. Rowhani -- former head of Qatar's Chamber of Commerce -- had been arrested once previously, accused of offenses such as routine fundraising related to his leadership of Qatar's Baha'i National Assembly. The latest charges, filed in April, involve the Baha'i community's X and Instagram accounts, which contain posts about Qatari holidays and Baha'i writings. According to the documentation provided by the Geneva office, Qatari prosecutors alleged that these accounts 'promoted the ideas and beliefs of a religious sect that raises doubt about the foundations and teachings of the Islamic religion.' Rowhani's daughter, Noora Rowhani, who lives in Australia, said via email that the five-year verdict is 'so unfortunate and so shocking.' 'My eye condition is deteriorating and in five years, even if I meet, him I will most probably not be able to see him anymore,' she added. The Baha'i faith -- a small but global religion with an interfaith credo -- fits comfortably into the religious spectrum of most countries but in several Middle East nations, Baha'i followers face repression that is drawing criticism from rights groups. The abuse is most evident in Iran, which bans the faith and has been widely accused of persecuting Baha'i followers, human rights advocates say. They also report systemic discrimination in Yemen, Qatar and Egypt. Advocates say Iran's government has pressed for repression of the Baha'i followers in countries where it holds influence, such as Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels control the northern half of the country, and Qatar, which shares with Iran the world's largest natural gas field. The Baha'i faith was founded in the 1860s by Baha'u'llah, a Persian nobleman considered a prophet by his followers. Muslims consider the Prophet Muhammad the highest and last prophet. From the Baha'i faith's earliest days, Shiite Muslim clerics have denounced its followers as apostates. That repression continued after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, when many Baha'i followers were executed or went missing. There are less than 8 million Baha'i believers worldwide, with the largest number in India. Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. David Crary, The Associated Press
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
White House vows ‘significantly higher' U.S. troop, police presence in D.C.
As a wary Washington waited, the White House promised a ramp-up of National Guard troops and federal officers on the streets of the nation's capital around the clock starting Wednesday, days after U.S. President Donald Trump's unprecedented announcement that his administration would take over the city's police department for at least a month. The city's Democratic mayor walked a political tightrope, referring to the takeover as an 'authoritarian push' at one point and later framing the infusion of officers as boost to public safety, though one with few specific barometers for success. The Republican president has said crime in the city was at emergency levels that only such federal intervention could fix — even as District of Columbia leaders pointed to statistics showing violent crime at a 30-year low after a sharp rise two years ago. For two days, small groups of federal officers have been visible in scattered areas of the city. That is about to change, the administration says. Story continues below advertisement A 'significantly higher' presence of guard members was expected Wednesday night, and federal agents will be out during the day as well as at night, according to the White House. Hundreds of federal law enforcement and city police officers who patrolled the streets Tuesday night made 43 arrests, compared with about two dozen the night before. D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson downplayed the arrest reports as 'a bunch of traffic stops' and said the administration was seeking to disguise how unnecessary this federal intervention is. 'I'm looking at this list of arrests and they sound like a normal Saturday night in any big city,' said Henderson. 5:20 Trump's show of power with military takeovers In one neighborhood, officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI could be seen along with the U.S. Park Police searching the car of a motorist parked just outside a legal parking area to eat takeout and drop off a friend. Two blocks away, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers gathered in a parking lot before driving off on patrol. Story continues below advertisement In other parts of the city, including those with popular nightlife hot spots, federal patrols were harder to find. At the National Mall, there was little law enforcement activity aside from Park Police cruisers pulling over a taxi driver near the Washington Monument. Unlike in other U.S. states and cities, the law gives Trump the power to take over Washington's police for up to 30 days. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Extending his power over the city for longer would require approval from Congress, and that could be tough in the face of Democratic resistance. Trump suggested Wednesday that he could seek a longer period of control or decide to call on Congress to exercise authority over city laws his administration sees as lax on crime. 'We're gonna do this very quickly. But we're gonna want extensions. I don't want to call a national emergency. If I have to, I will,' he said. Henderson, who worked for Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York before running for the D.C. Council, said she was already in touch with 'friends on the hill' to rally opposition for any Trump extension request. She added, 'It's Day Three and he's already saying he's going to need more time?' 1:51 'There is no crime crisis': Anger over Trump deploying National Guard to D.C. Targeting a variety of infractions The arrests made by 1,450 federal and local officers across the city included those for suspicion of driving under the influence and unlawful entry, as well as a warrant for assault with a deadly weapon, according to the White House. Seven illegal firearms were seized. Story continues below advertisement There have now been more than 100 arrests since Trump began beefing up the federal law enforcement presence in Washington last week, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. 'President Trump is delivering on his campaign promise to clean up this city and restore American Greatness to our cherished capital,' she said. The president has full command of the National Guard, but as of Tuesday evening, guard members had yet to be assigned a specific mission, according to an official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. As many as 800 troops were expected to be mobilized in a support role to law enforcement, though exactly what form remains to be determined. The push also includes clearing out encampments for people who are homeless, Trump has said. U.S. Park Police have removed dozens of tents since March, and plan to take out two more this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said. 1:26 Homeless in D.C. could face fines, jail time if they refuse to leave encampments: White House People are offered the chance to go to shelters and get addiction treatment, if needed, but those who refuse could be fined or jailed, she said. Story continues below advertisement City officials said they are making more shelter space available and increasing their outreach. Violent crime has dropped in the district The federal effort comes even after a drop in violent crime in the nation's capital, a trend that experts have seen in cities across the U.S. since an increase during the coronavirus pandemic. On average, the level of violence Washington remains mostly higher than averages in three dozen cities analyzed by the nonprofit Council on Criminal Justice, said the group's president and CEO, Adam Gelb. Police Chief Pamela Smith said during an interview with the local Fox affiliate that the city's Metro Police Department has been down nearly 800 officers. She said the increased number of federal agents on the streets would help fill that gap, at least for now. 7:35 Trump D.C. takeover: A show of power, or tyranny? Law expert weighs in Mayor Muriel Bowser said city officials did not get any specific goals for the surge during a meeting with Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi, and other top federal law enforcement officials Tuesday. But, she said, 'I think they regard it as a success to have more presence and take more guns off the street, and we do too.' Story continues below advertisement She had previously called Trump's moves 'unsettling and unprecedented' while pointing out he was within a president's legal rights regarding the district, which is the seat of American government but is not a state. For some residents, the increased presence of law enforcement and National Guard troops is nerve-racking. 'I've seen them right here at the subway … they had my street where I live at blocked off yesterday, actually,' Washington native Sheina Taylor said. 'It's more fearful now because even though you're a law-abiding citizen, here in D.C., you don't know, especially because I'm African American.' Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin and Will Weissert, photographer Jacquelyn Martin and video journalist River Zhang contributed to this report.
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
Conservative MP calls on Ottawa to do more on wildfires, criticizes forest entry ban
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner says the federal government needs to do more to fight Canada's devastating forest fires. Speaking to reporters Wednesday in Ottawa, the Alberta MP accused Ottawa of 'inaction' on wildfires. She also blamed that lack of action for new measures restricting activities in the forests of two provinces — even though those bans were imposed by the provinces themselves. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick last week banned hiking, fishing, camping and the use of vehicles in its forests in response to the heightened wildfire risk. Rempel Garner said that while she understands the fear Maritimers feel, restricting individuals' movements is 'not right.' 'Whenever there's a major crisis, what the Liberal government has done by their inaction has conditioned Canadians to expect that the only response they can see out of their federal government is to restrict their movement,' Rempel Garner told reporters. Story continues below advertisement 'We're calling on the federal government to actually get serious about this issue.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Conservative MP Marc Dalton presented a bill last year to stiffen penalties for wildfires caused by arson. It never made it past first reading and died when Parliament was dissolved ahead of this year's election. Rempel Garner said that's one area where the Liberals could have taken action on wildfires. She also called on the federal government to dedicate more resources to wildfire control. In its 2021 election platform, the Liberals promised to train 1,000 community-based firefighters to fight wildfires and to work with provinces and territories to get them more firefighting planes. Last month, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters that Alberta-based water bomber manufacturer De Havilland was facing a four-year backlog of orders. 'Four full wildfire seasons ago, the Liberals promised more water bombers, more firefighters,' Rempel Garner said. 'Where are they?' Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston brushed off the criticisms of the forest entry ban at a press conference later Wednesday. 'I find it remarkable, the interest in travelling in Nova Scotia woods by people who aren't in Nova Scotia and probably haven't been here much in their life,' Houston told reporters. 'We're only concerned with keeping people safe. We'll do what's necessary to protect lives, and that's what we're doing in this case.' Story continues below advertisement So far this season, the total area of the country burned by wildfires is nearly the size of the entire province of New Brunswick. — With files from Sarah Ritchie.
