$20 billion needed for wastewater upgrading.
from the Canadian Union of Public Employees
A resolution passed recently at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' annual conference in Vancouver calls on the federal government to help cover the costs of meeting new wastewater regulations, without the requirement to participate in public-private partnerships (P3s).
Submitted by the Atlantic Mayors Congress, the resolution states that over $20 billion is needed by local governments in Canada to meet new wastewater regulations introduced by the federal government in 2010. The resolution directs the FCM to urge provincial, territiorial and federal governments to provide the dedicated funding needed to meet the new standards.
An amendment to the resolution calls for funding that is not linked to any requirement to use P3s for municipal infrastructure. The amendment was introduced by Wendy Bales, director with the Fraser Valley Regional District.
"I just wanted to make sure we keep hammering it at the federal government that grants shouldn't be tied to P3s", said Bales.
Canadian municipalities seeking federal support to build or upgrade essential infrastructure are under growing pressure to enter into P3 agreements.
Bales said in many cases the overall costs of P3s are higher than traditional public projects.
"This is taxpayers' money," said Bales. "To be forced into an agreement that would cost more is just not right."
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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