Burrill: Liberals QEII P3 plan good for private companies, bad for Nova Scotians

HALIFAX -- NDP Leader Gary Burrill made the following statement in response to today’s announcement that the QEII redevelopment will be built as a public-private-partnership:

“The evidence from Nova Scotia and across the country is that public-private partnerships have higher costs than a traditional build.

Here in Nova Scotia, the Liberal government just had to spend $228 million to buy 39 schools that had been built as P3s. That money went to a handful of private companies instead of creating valuable public infrastructure.

Today’s decision, to go down this road again with our province’s largest health centre, is the wrong choice for Nova Scotia.”

In a 2014 report, former Deputy Minister of Health and Wellness Peter Vaughn pointed out, “It is difficult to find examples of successful P3s where there are no criticisms.” He cited over a half dozen instances from across the country, where P3s had cost the public as much as $200 million more than a traditional build.

-30-