Common Council met this morning on the possibility of a P3, or public private partnership for water treatment.
John McBride of P3 Canada explaining the funding model isn’t the same as privatizing water; rather, since private companies are already doing most of the work it makes sense to put their money on the line, and make them responsible for its entire life cycle. He referred to P3s as a “tool” which are more or less applicable depending on the situation–but for a $200 million-plus project like the one Saint John is looking at, it makes sense.
Mayor Mel Norton says he wants to make it clear we’ll still own the water–because there’s never been a situation where a Canadian municipality lost control of its water supply as a result of adopting a P3.
Members of various community organizations object to the idea saying the federal government is shirking its responsibility to fund essential services like water, and forcing the city to rely on private corporations
