Latest news with #Hurley
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
David Eby threatens to step in if Metro Vancouver ducks external probe of huge sewage plant cost overrun
VICTORIA — Metro Vancouver's decision to delay a review of the $3-billion-overbudget North Shore wastewater treatment plant does not let the regional district off the hook on accountability to taxpayers, Premier David Eby said Monday. 'We're reviewing the decision of Metro Vancouver to delay doing a full review … that Metro had committed and promised to us that they would deliver,' the premier told reporters. 'We'll have a look at the justification for the (delay) decision. But the bottom line is that Metro Vancouver needs to ensure accountability for taxpayers and we'll make sure that happens.' A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The Metro board's rationale, announced Friday, was that it wanted first to resolve a lawsuit with the former contractor on the troubled project, which is now expected to cost nearly $4 billion. 'There are two obviously crucial values for taxpayers,' Eby conceded. 'One is to know that Metro Vancouver has the tools and the capacity to do and deal with big infrastructure projects and do it responsibly and in a way that minimizes costs for people at home. 'The other is that Metro Vancouver, if they were wronged by contracting companies, that they're able to recover in court and offset losses the taxpayers and all of us are facing as a result.' Metro chair Mike Hurley cited the latter consideration in explaining the board's decision, taken in private on Friday, to suspend the independent review. 'The board has decided the public interest is best served by resolving the legal dispute with the previous contractor before undertaking the review,' Hurley said by news release. Hurley had launched the independent review just five months ago, citing it as evidence of his commitment to transparency and accountability since he took over as Metro chair in July of last year. 'When I came in as the chair, I committed to bringing in an independent party to review the North Shore wastewater treatment plant,' said Hurley. 'We look forward to sharing the results of this work with the public once complete.' The lead reviewer was Peter Milburn, former deputy minister of finance in the B.C. government. Milburn reported on the overrun on the Site C project, which led to the budget being increased from $10.7 billion to $16 billion. Hurley announced the appointment of Milburn and his associates on Feb. 28. Then in April, Metro went to court to try to delay its two-way legal battle with Acciona, which the region's sewerage and drainage district terminated as contractor on the wastewater treatment plant three years ago. Acciona is claiming $250 million in damages over the termination. The regional district's counterclaim 'exceeds $1 billion,' court was told. The two sides were set to square off in B.C. Supreme Court starting on March 1, 2027. But Metro asked for the proceedings to be delayed to September 2028, a request that raised a judicial eyebrow with the presiding B.C. Supreme Court judge, Bruce Elwood. 'The district says in effect it cannot be ready for a trial in the one year and 10 months that remain before the trial date and that an adjournment of one and a half years is necessary to ensure that it receives a fair trial,' the judge observed. 'Three years have already passed since the termination of the project agreement, four to five and a half years since the events leading to the termination, six years since the project agreement was negotiated and 10 years since the procurement period commenced. 'If the trial is adjourned there will be a further 3½ delay before the witnesses can start to provide their testimony.' Though Metro asked for more time to process some four million documents produced by Acciona, the judge said the case is also dependent on the memories of dozens of witnesses whose testimony will be heard over an estimated 130 days of court time. Some key witnesses have moved away, others have retired and one has died. Instead of granting the lengthy delay, the judge urged Metro to put more staff to work on preparing for trial. The case is still set to go ahead March 1, 2027, well after next year's civic elections. But rumours persist that Metro is exploring an out-of-court settlement, probably including non-disclosure agreements for both sides. The Metro politicians have already gagged themselves by making decisions in private on this fiasco. Last year, they were sworn to secrecy on what their own internal reports said about the overrun. On Friday, they refused to disclose how individual board members voted on the decision to suspend the review. This week, a quartet of local political leaders — New Westminster Coun. Daniel Fontaine, Richmond's Kash Heed, Surrey's Linda Annis and Burnaby's Richard Lee — called on Eby to intervene with a review of his own. Eby hasn't ruled out the possibility. 'There's no question that work has to be done at Metro to get things under control and in hand,' he said last week. 'We're counting on the chair and the Metro Vancouver council to deliver that — and if they can't, the province is prepared to step in.' He should do just that, if Metro's pattern of delay and coverup persists. vpalmer@
Business Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- Business Times
More than 132 million face wilting heat across eastern US
[BOSTON] More than 132 million people across the central and eastern US are facing blistering temperatures to start the week, with rising humidity making it feel even worse and putting a strain on the energy grid as air conditioners and fans get a workout. Heat advisories or excessive-heat warnings have been issued from Nebraska to Massachusetts and from North Dakota to Florida, covering all or part of 29 states and more than 38 per cent of the US population, according to the National Weather Service. Sweltering conditions will peak on Sunday (Jul 27) and Monday before gradually easing. The US South-east will be the last to get some relief, later in the week or next. The high temperatures, made worse by humidity, have set a smattering of records, particularly in the Southeast. Charlotte, North Carolina, hit a high of 101F (38 deg C) on Saturday. Sixty more records may be breached or tied in the coming days. In Chicago, the combination of temperatures reaching 91F and humidity will make it feel more like 102F on Monday. New York City is set to have readings peak on Tuesday at 96F in Central Park, but with humidity may feel closer to 105F, the weather service said. In Washington, DC, the high is forecast to reach 98F on Tuesday and 99F on Wednesday. 'It's miserable but the end is near,' said Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. 'A couple of days to go, maybe more than a couple of days if you are in the Southeast.' Heat threatens human life, as well as stressing electric grids and transportation networks. From 1979 to 2022, more than 14,000 Americans died from heat-related causes, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 12.30 pm ESG Insights An exclusive weekly report on the latest environmental, social and governance issues. Sign Up Sign Up Utilities are gearing up for continued high demand. PJM Interconnection, a grid operator that moves electricity across 13 states and the District of Columbia, issued hot weather alerts for its Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions on Sunday and for its entire operating area on Monday. It also called on power plants to be ready for service and that it may curtail exports to neighbouring grids if demand rises. A wide area of the US faces a moderate heat risk on Sunday, with as many as 88.4 million people under a major threat and 10.8 million enduring extreme conditions, mainly along the eastern seaboard from Washington to Florida, the weather service said. The heat will start to ease as a weather front pushes south, leaving lower temperatures and milder humidity in its wake, Hurley said. In a week, a large part of the central and eastern US will likely be cooler than normal for early August, according to the US Climate Prediction Center. In addition to the heat, ground-level ozone parts of New York and New Jersey may make breathing difficult for the young, the elderly and people with respiratory or heart conditions, the weather service said. Further north, across Upstate New York and New England, smoke from Canadian forest fires is also harming air quality. Much of that threat should start to diminish in the coming days, Hurley said. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- Straits Times
More than 132 million face wilting heat across eastern US
WASHINGTON – More than 132 million people across the central and eastern US are facing blistering temperatures to start the week, with rising humidity making it feel even worse and putting a strain on the energy grid as air conditioners and fans get a workout. Heat advisories or excessive-heat warnings have been issued from Nebraska to Massachusetts and from North Dakota to Florida, covering all or part of 29 states and more than 38 per cent of the US population, according to the National Weather Service. Sweltering conditions will peak on July 27 and 28 before gradually easing. The US Southeast will be the last to get some relief, later in the week or next. The high temperatures, made worse by humidity, have set a smattering of records, particularly in the Southeast. Charlotte, North Carolina, hit a high of 101 deg F (38 deg C) on July 26. Sixty more records may be breached or tied in coming days. In Chicago the combination of temperatures reaching 91 deg F and humidity will make it feel more like 102 deg F on July 28. New York City is set to have readings peak on July 29 at 96 deg F in Central Park, but with humidity may feel closer to 105 deg F, the weather service said. In Washington, DC, the high is forecast to reach 98 deg F on July 29 and 99 deg F on July 30. 'It's miserable but the end is near,' said Mr Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. 'A couple of days to go, maybe more than a couple of days if you are in the Southeast.' Heat threatens human life, as well as stressing electric grids and transportation networks. From 1979 to 2022 more than 14,000 Americans died from heat-related causes, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Utilities are gearing up for continued high demand. PJM Interconnection LLC, a grid operator that moves electricity across 13 states and the District of Columbia, issued hot weather alerts for its Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions on July 27 and for its entire operating area on July 28. It also called on power plants to be ready for service and that it may curtail exports to neighboring grids if demand rises. A wide area of the US faces a moderate heat risk on July 27, with as many as 88.4 million people under a major threat and 10.8 million enduring extreme conditions, mainly along the eastern seaboard from Washington to Florida, the weather service said. The heat will start to ease as a weather front pushes south, leaving lower temperatures and milder humidity in its wake, Mr Hurley said. In a week, a large part of the central and eastern US will likely be cooler than normal for early August, according to the US Climate Prediction Centre. In addition to the heat, ground-level ozone parts of New York and New Jersey may make breathing difficult for the young, the elderly and people with respiratory or heart conditions, the weather service said. Further north, across Upstate New York and New England, smoke from Canadian forest fires is also harming air quality. Much of that threat should start to diminish in the coming days, Mr Hurley said. Bloomberg
Mint
2 days ago
- Climate
- Mint
More Than 132 Million Face Wilting Heat Across Eastern US
(Bloomberg) -- More than 132 million people across the central and eastern US are facing blistering temperatures to start the week, with rising humidity making it feel even worse and putting a strain on the energy grid as air conditioners and fans get a workout. Heat advisories or excessive-heat warnings have been issued from Nebraska to Massachusetts and from North Dakota to Florida, covering all or part of 29 states and more than 38% of the US population, according to the National Weather Service. Sweltering conditions will peak today and Monday before gradually easing. The US Southeast will be the last to get some relief, later in the week or next. 'It's miserable but the end is near,' said Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. 'A couple of days to go, maybe more than a couple of days if you are in the Southeast.' Heat threatens human life, as well as stressing electric grids and transportation networks. From 1979 to 2022 more than 14,000 Americans died from heat-related causes, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. A wide area of the US faces a moderate heat risk Sunday, with as many as 88.4 million people under a major threat and 10.8 million enduring extreme conditions, mainly along the eastern seaboard from Washington to Florida, the weather service said. The high temperatures, made worse by humidity, have set a smattering of records, particularly in the Southeast. Charlotte, North Carolina, hit a high of 101F (38C) Saturday. Sixty more records may be breached or tied in coming days. In New York City, temperatures will likely peak Tuesday at 94F but with humidity may feel closer to 105F, the weather service said. In Washington, readings are forecast to reach 98F Tuesday and 99F Wednesday. Utilities are gearing up for continued high demand. PJM Interconnection LLC, a grid operator that moves electricity across 13 states and the District of Columbia, issued hot weather alerts for its Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions Sunday and for its entire operating area on Monday. The heat will start to ease as a weather front pushes south, leaving lower temperatures and milder humidity in its wake, Hurley said. In a week, a large part of the central and eastern US will likely be cooler than normal for early August, according to the US Climate Prediction Center. In addition to the heat, ground-level ozone parts of New York and New Jersey may make breathing difficult for the young, the elderly and people with respiratory or heart conditions, the weather service said. Further north, across Upstate New York and New England, smoke from Canadian forest fires is also harming air quality. Much of that threat should start to diminish in the coming days, Hurley said. More stories like this are available on
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘GAA never looked so glam' gush fans as Jacqui Hurley wows in jumpsuit worth over €550 on RTE ahead of All-Ireland final
FANS declared "GAA never looked so glam" in response to Jacqui Hurley's outfit on Up For The Match on the eve of the All-Ireland final. Hurley was joined by fellow star Des Cahill as hosts of the show that served as a preview for the Advertisement 2 Jacqui Hurley and Des Cahill presented Up For The Match on RTE Credit: RTE 2 Jacqui Hurley stunned fans in a dark blue jumpsuit from Hugo Boss Credit: Instagram/jacquihurley7 The Cork woman blew fans away with her outfit: a dark blue jumpsuit from Hugo Boss. While Meanwhile, her hair was styled by Sian Sharkey, her make-up by Julie Adam, and her overall look by Catherine Manning. Praising their work , Hurley posted: "Takes a village". Advertisement Read More on GAA Fans flocked to the comments on her A second commented: "Lovely meeting you last night! You looked gorgeous 😍" A third posted: "Wow!! You look just fabulous Jacqui! 🔥" and a fourth said: "Seriously, GAA never looked so glam 🔥🙌" A fifth hailed: "Gorgeous Jacqui 😍❤️Enjoy the match today" and a sixth said: "Gorgeous jumpsuit on you Jacqui, you look beautiful ❤️" Advertisement Most read in GAA Football While Hurley and Cahill were anchoring Saturday night's show from the RTE studio, And one surprise moment saw Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Lion King star Matthew Broderick make an appearance. He was from Kilcar, where he and wife And the American opened up on how he considers the county his second home since his family first visited when he was a child. Advertisement He explained: "It started because my parents came here for were just driving around. "They ended up stopping here and rented a house and then did it again and again and then bought a little house and brought us there. "We spent summers here from the time I was maybe ten years old." Advertisement At this point, Broderick showed off the 'Broderick Cup' and revealed how it was named in honour of his late dad. He continued: "My father loved sport and he loved coming here particularly. "When he was in Cill Chartaigh, he'd always come and watch the games and matches. "After he died, there was a little fund set up to help the youngsters here, the under-14s, and somebody decided to make a cup and make a game to win the Broderick Cup." Advertisement
