Metro Vancouver is considering contributing $5 million to the Burnaby Lake dredging project.

The money would fill the funding gap left by the federal government which has turned down Burnaby city hall’s funding requests for several years. Burnaby and the province have already committed $10 million each.

The smaller figure being sought from Metro is due to the project costing less than anticipated, said Burnaby Coun. Pietro Calendino, who also serves as vice-chair of Metro’s parks committee.

The money would allow the project to increase the amount of dredged material from the lake, from the current 200,000 cubic meters towards the original goal of 360,000 cubic meters.

Metro has yet to make a decision, but has forwarded the matter to a joint meeting of its parks and finance committees likely to happen later this month, Calendino said.

Metro is considering requiring some conditions to its funding. In a report by Metro Vancouver’s parks central area manager Frieda Schade, it’s recommended that issues of tenure to land and water lots at the lake be resolved, that a park management plan for Burnaby Lake Regional Park be completed within two years, and that the money be paid out over 10 years at $500,000 annually.

The parkland is owned by Burnaby but leased and operated as a park by Metro Vancouver. The province retains ownership of all bodies of water, Calendino explained, but Burnaby holds a lease for Burnaby Lake itself, something Metro wants to be included in.

“Metro Vancouver policy is they can’t fund things they don’t have direct ‘ownership’ of [through a lease],” he said.

As partners in the park, Burnaby feels Metro has “a responsibility to come in and help us keep the lake alive. After all, we—and we don’t even manage the park—we are willing to dredge the lake and put in $10 million for something that Metro Vancouver will have more or less in perpetuity.

“If they decide not to [contribute] then we have to ask ourselves, if we’re going to spend all this money why should we have somebody else take the credit for managing it?”

According to the Metro staff report, the 149-hectare park draws about 300,000 visitors a year and costs about $300,000 annually to operate.

Calendino expects the Metro Vancouver board will make its decision on whether to contribute in two to three months.

The dredging project aims to revitalize the lake and its ecosystem, which has been slowly filling up with silt, and re-establish an international standard rowing course on the lake.

• Calendino is also optimistic the city will receive its last outstanding environmental permit and begin dredging at Burnaby Lake within a week.

He said he’d spoken with provincial Environment Minister Barry Penner about the project and found he wasn’t aware of all the measures Burnaby was taking to protect the endangered Western painted turtle. Concerns for their welfare have been holding up the permits.

Burnaby has also consulted with a leading expert on the turtle who deemed the city’s plans “more than adequate,” Calendino said.

“We hope by next week we can let the machines start their work.”