Government makes the right call in building 19 new schools without for-profit partners

Edmonton — Nineteen new schools in Alberta will be built through traditional financing models.

Although the schools had been previously been announced last year as Private-Public-Partnership (P3) ventures, the government did not receive any competitive bids.

“Rather than funneling taxpayer money into corporate pockets, the Hancock Government had the courage to abandon the P3 model,” Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. “This is encouraging. It’s a good decision for Albertans, and I hope they continue to move away from the P3 model.”

Alberta Infrastructure Minister Wayne Drysdale left the door open for the use of the P3 scheme in the future, suggesting that while it hadn’t made sense in this instance, they would return to it. The Alberta Federation of Labour encourages the government to abandon the P3 model permanently.

“Schools need to be built in the way that is best for students,” McGowan said. “When a private corporation is involved, their motivation is to make profit, and decisions about how the school is built will reflect that. P3s are not just more expensive, they’re worse for Alberta’s kids.”

MEDIA CONTACT:

Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour, 780.218.4351 (cell)

or via email – orokne@afl.org