Costs will rise, says SGEU.
from the Canadian Union of Public Employees — Saskatchewan
The recently-released Saskatchewan budget opens the door for wide-scale privatization of infrastructure which will increase costs and take away public accountability, says CUPE Saskatchewan.
"Saskatchewan residents should be very concerned about the privatization agenda announced through the budget that will see our hospitals, highways and schools privatized," said Tom Graham, President of CUPE Saskatchewan. “Experiments with P3s have already proven to be a costly mistake, yet the government is ideologically intent to move forward with even more of these privatization schemes.”
The Saskatchewan government recently concluded a pilot project for public-private partnerships in health care with the retirement home corporation, Amicus. According to a report commissioned by CUPE, the resulting P3 long-term care facility cost Saskatchewan taxpayers about $20 million more than it would have using traditional public sector financing. A 2007 study of Alberta's P3 projects showed that for the cost of every two schools built using a P3 model, an additional school could have been built.
"Experience with P3s across Canada and here in Saskatchewan has already proven to be not worth the risk. The Saskatchewan government should scrap their push for P3 privatization," said Graham.
SaskBuilds, the newly-created Crown corporation mandated to drive P3 projects, will receive an increase in funding for P3 construction of the Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford, Regina's southeast bypass, and a number of schools throughout the province.
About Canadian Union of Public Employees
With 618,000 members across Canada, CUPE represents workers in health care, education, municipalities, libraries, universities, social services, public utilities, transportation, emergency services and airlines.
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