P3s - GOVERNMENT STILL IGNORING HIGH RISK

When candidates from either political party engage the public in this General Election, they might hear exasperation over the financial state of the province. Now that the Government has discovered a (relatively) new financing tool, Public Private Partnerships (P3s), with which to fund capital projects like hospitals and long-term care centres, everyone needs reminding that this new credit card has to be paid, too.

In 2017, Mary Shortall, Federation of Labour and CUPE local President, vigorously opposed the idea and issued her position following Ball’s announcement that the Corner Brook hospital would be built via P3. Unfortunately, her concerns sounded far too self-serving and the subject went quiet.

In the two years since, the Ball Government has taken a deep dive into the locally-untried P3 arena. Employed on occasion by most provinces, it is a scheme in which private contractors design, construct, maintain and finance facilities, often for a 30-year term. Typically, the government takes ownership of the facility when the contract ends.