PREAMBLE
This is in follow-up to my email, “Hamilton Water – costs $2800 to Find out. This is how PPP’s work”, Mon 31/05/2004. In which I wrote:
“Governments promote Public Private Partnerships (PPP’s or P3s) – I am told they have a Department now for this purpose”.
… Today I wanted to find out: does such a Department really exist? What I found is the “Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships”.
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P3s are usually associated with projects such as water supply (Hamilton example), and Toll Highways. Our work on RR wheat has been a lesson on P3s: another lesson (in addition to Hamilton) on how P3s work in reality (not as in the rhetoric).
IS the relationship of the Govt of Canada with companies like Monsanto a P3 (PPP or Public Private Partnership)? … I don’t see a distinction between the production of concrete objects such as water infrastructure and highways, and investment in research, so to me the relationship with Monsanto IS another example of a P3. In the end there are products (research, RR canola, RR wheat) through a collaborative and integrated effort between industry and government.
As you know, I think that this “partnering” between Government and business is not in the public interest. The Government loses its ability to regulate. Systems of both governance and business become corrupted.
Sometimes I wonder if something is wrong with my head?! What I see is the wielding of fear as an instrument of coercion. … Turn this over to corporations or you will lose your healthcare and social programmes (Government can’t afford both). Corporations are on the “leading edge”, not Governments, so we HAVE TO go this route or we will languish in poverty.
OTHER COUNTRIES will take our markets so we have to do this.
The attitude is also based on ignorance. (Not that I have a corner on the truth!) Refer to author Jane Jacobs, “Systems of Survival: a Dialogue on the Moral Foundations of Commerce and Politics”. We fail to distinguish between the functions of Government and Commerce at our peril (discussed in earlier emails). P3s fly full in the face of this wisdom.
In the promotion of P3s, the critical questions are not discussed. Real cost information is not disclosed (a big part of the Meridian dam battle was to force realistic cost and benefit figures on the Government, to refuse to let them get away with over-stating benefits while under-stating costs, thereby justifying the project). In Hamilton, a City Councillor has to pay $2800 to obtain actual costs of the contract between the City and the company to which the water service has been contracted. In P3s, as with Government funding and promotion of genetic manipulation, there has been a paucity of public disclosure, debate and decision. Government and big business have worked together, made P3s a reality. It is delivered to you and to me, a fait accompli.
I have copied some information from the “Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships” below. By putting “Government of Canada P3s” into the Google search engine more information is available if you want more.
You make your own decisions. Enough from me.
Cheers!
Sandra
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CANADIAN COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
I was told that the Government of Canada has a Department or agency for the promotion of P3s. I do not know if there is such a Department. If not, there may as well be one, based on the web information for the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships. See the list of “Public Members” and the “Sponsoring Companies” copied further down.
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http://www.pppcouncil.ca/aboutPPP_why.asp
“In an increasingly competitive global environment, governments around the world are focusing on new ways to finance projects, build infrastructure and deliver services. Public-private partnerships (PPP’s or P3’s) are becoming a common tool to bring together the strengths of both sectors. In addition to maximizing efficiencies and innovations of private enterprise, PPP’s can provide much needed capital to finance government programs and projects, thereby freeing public funds for core economic and social programs.
Three countries stand out as world leaders in the number and scale of PPP’s – the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States (primarily in water & wastewater), although many other countries have successfully implemented PPP projects and are benefiting from the results. What tends to distinguish the leader countries (UK and Australia) is that PPP activity is conducted through a comprehensive government program rather than on a one-off basis as we have tended to do in Canada and the USA.
Canada has developed considerable expertise in the PPP field, both domestically and internationally, and increasingly this is being done through coordinated provincial programs. A recent Council publication entitled “100 Projects: Selected Public-Private Partnerships Across Canada,” shows that PPP’s have become a successful vehicle to deliver public services in over 25 distinct sectors, at all levels of government. Canada has many high profile projects, such as the Confederation Bridge, Highway 407 Electronic Toll Route, Moncton Water Treatment Plant, St. Lawrence Seaway Commercialization, Kelowna Skyreach Place and Bruce Nuclear Power Plant lease. They demonstrate that PPP’s continue to be valuable contributors to our country’s economic health.”
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Public/Non-Profit Members
(link no longer valid)
Alberta Finance
Alberta Infrastructure
Alberta Transportation
Association of Colleges of Applied Arts & Technology of Ontario (ACAATO)
Avalon East School Board
BC Buildings Corporation
BC Construction Association
BC Legislative Library
BC Ministry of Finance
BC Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management
Bridges (Marine Technology Alliance Building & Marketing Initiative)
Calgary Board of Education
Calgary Health Region
Canada Lands Company
Canadian Construction Association
Canmore Economic Development Authority
Capital Health Authority
Centennial College
Centre for Addiction & Mental Health
City of Chilliwack
City of Cornwall
City of Cranbrook
City of Edmonton
City of Guelph
City of Hamilton
City of Kelowna
City of Leduc
City of London
City of Mississauga
City of Moncton
City of Ottawa
City of Peterborough
City of Port Moody
City of Prince George
City of Surrey
City of Thunder Bay
City of Toronto
City of Vaughan
Conseil des Écoles Publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario
Consulting Engineers of British Columbia
Council of Ontario Universities
Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan
Fraser Health Centre Project
Gouvernement du Québec, Ministère des Transports
Gouvernement du Québec, Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor
Gouvernment du Québec, Société immobilière du Québec
Government of Canada, Industry Canada
Government of Canada, Infrastructure Canada
Government of Canada, National Defence
Government of Canada, Public Works & Government Services
Government of Canada, Transport Canada
Halifax Regional Municipality
Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
Jasper National Park
McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) – Planning Office
NB Business New Brunswick
NWT Municipal & Community Affairs
Ontario Financing Authority
Ontario Good Roads Association
Ontario Hospital Association
Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services
Ontario Ministry of Culture
Ontario Ministry of Finance
Ontario Ministry of Health & Long Term Care
Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Ontario Sewer & Watermain Construction Association
Operating Engineers’ Pension Plan
Peterborough Regional Health Centre
Provincial Health Services Authority
Queen’s University School of Urban and Regional Planning
Regional Municipality of York
Sault Area Hospital
Toronto Grace Hospital
Toronto Medical Laboratories
Town of Canmore
Town of Goderich
Town of Markham
Town of Richmond Hill
University of Alberta, Finance & Administration
University of British Columbia Campus & Community Planning
Wilfrid Laurier University
William Osler Health Centre
Yukon Department of Economic Development
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Sponsors
(link no longer valid)
The Council thanks the following sponsor members for their continuing support:
ABN-AMRO Bank N.V., Canada Branch
Aecon Group Inc.
AMEC Inc.
Bennett Jones LLP
Bilfinger Berger BOT Inc.
BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc.
Bombardier Transportation
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Borealis Capital Corporation
Brookfield LePage Johnson Controls
Bull, Housser & Tupper
Carillion Canada Inc.
CH2M HILL Canada Limited
CIBC World Markets Inc.
CIT Structured Finance
Davis & Company
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Ernst & Young Corporate Finance Inc.
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP
Goodmans LLP
Government of Ontario
Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP
Macquarie North America Ltd.
McCarthy Tétrault LLP
McMillan Binch LLP
NATIONAL Public Relations
Ogilvy Renault
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
P3 Advisors Inc.
Power LLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers Securities Inc.
RBC Capital Markets
Scotia Capital Inc.
Securicor
Serco Group, Inc.
SNC-Lavalin Inc.
Torys LLP
United Water