B.C. auditor general says most Evergreen Line recommendations implemented

VICTORIA – British Columbia’s auditor general says the government has made improvements in planning major capital projects following a scathing report in 2013 that found approval to build a rapid-transit line was lacking in information.

Carol Bellringer released a follow-up report Thursday for the 11-kilometre, $1.43-billion Evergreen Skytrain line linking Coquitlam to Vancouver that opened in December, two years after its original completion date.

The 2013 audit said the business case for the transit line presented to the Finance Ministry omitted information about costs, risks and ridership.

The new report says five of the seven recommendations the auditor issued in 2013, such as better documentation of the basis of government decisions on projects, have been implemented.

The two outstanding recommendations pertain to financial guidance and the process of planning and approving business cases for projects — but Bellringer’s report says those improvements are coming.

Bellringer says the changes made so far will ensure better decision-making on large-scale projects in the future.

“There should always be complete information about the costs, benefits, and risks to be managed when making decisions about capital projects.”

She says her office will continue to monitor whether the government implements the remaining recommendations.