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Not so fast, says union group on new ice pad

The back of the Commerce Court Parking lot where the school could one day see a multi-use sports facility. Photo by Chris Dawson. The local labour council is urging caution, regarding plans to build a new ice pad in the city.

The back of the Commerce Court Parking lot where the school could one day see a multi-use sports facility. Photo by Chris Dawson.

The local labour council is urging caution, regarding plans to build a new ice pad in the city.

See original story here:http://www.baytoday.ca/content/news/details.asp?c=72460

Henri Giroux, President, North Bay & District Labour Council Giroux says in a news release, “A wise person studies history to avoid repeating costly mistakes. It’s truly stunning that Canadore College and the city seem to have learned nothing from Ontario’s P3 mistakes, even though the $8-billion history lesson just came out in November auditor-report.“

The college proposes a public-private partnership to build a new sports facility and has put out an addendum seeking a company to build on their property behind the Commerce Court Campus - right next door to the aging Pete Palangio twin pad arena.

The city, which would likely be a partner in this process, contracted a company to do a feasibility study back in 2012. 

“Sounds nice – a great facility without the cost and risk of building and running it yourself, “continues Giroux.

“But that myth and our reality with P3s is very different. The provincial auditor-general just revealed that Ontario wasted more than $8 billion on these deals. Why? Because private corporations borrow the money at much higher interest rates than do governments. And the contracts often pass many costs back to the public.

“In North Bay we’re learning these lessons first-hand with our hospital, which is closing beds and slashing services, in no small part because of long-term P3 agreements for mortgage payments and maintenance fees.

"If Canadore goes ahead with a P3 sports complex, it is the students who will pay for it through high user and tuition fees. If we want public infrastructure, let’s do it right from the beginning and not waste money on the same old mistakes. Public facilities should be publicly built and maintained. As repeated audits on P3 projects have show, going public is the way to save money and services in the long run.”