10 problems with P3s

Across Canada, some governments are promoting privatizing public infrastructure and services through public-private partnerships, also known as P3s. In a P3 deal, private corporations make a profit from financing, operating and/or maintaining public infrastructure projects. Municipal or provincial governments, school boards or health authorities sign contracts with private corporations to design, build, operate and sometimes finance infrastructure and deliver services that were once public. These contracts can last 30 years or longer. Working with our allies, CUPE has helped keep many vital services public, because we know they keep our province strong. P3s are privatization, pure and simple. There are many reasons public works best to build and maintain long-term care facilities, hospitals, water and wastewater treatment facilities, schools, transit systems, roads, bridges and other vital assets. Here are 10:  P3s cost the public more Private, for-profit corporations get involved with P3s to make a profit for their shareholders. Those … Read more…

A warning for taxpayers in Nova Scotia

A shorter version of this editorial was published in the Halifax Metro newspaper special edition on unions, published April 24, 2017, along with this ad (see photo below). Time and time again provincial governments are forced to admit they were wrong to use public private partnerships (P3s) to construct health care facilities, costing taxpayers billions of dollars. Yet here we are as the McNeill Government embarks on another foreseeable failure with the QEII redevelopment project. Last year, the Liberal government realized their mistake to privately construct and lease 39 schools. They should have owned the schools outright from the start. They recently bought back the leases for 26 of the schools, at an additional cost of approximately $162 million. The alternative was to walk away empty handed, while developers pocket the money spent over the years ($726 million on principal and interest payments) and keep the buildings. First P3 schools, now … Read more…

32nd Annual Weeklong School

This year’s weeklong school will be held from May 14th to 19th at Terra Nova Resort and Golf Community in Newfoundland. Please see the attached documents which includes the Mike McNeil Bursary Application. Forms and schedule – download a printable copy of the CUPE Atlantic Weeklong Schedule.