Ford Conservatives reckless P3 Pipeline announcement is all about transferring our public funds into private corporate bank accounts
TORONTO, Sept. 12, 2019 /CNW/ - The Ford Conservatives recent P3 $60billion dollar announcement syphons money away from communities in order to build and expand corporate profits. Infrastructure investment is desperately needed, but Ontarians understand that P3's hurt communities, and they have been fighting against them for years. CUPE Ontario agrees with the people of Ontario and does not support a one-sided model that directly deposits millions of dollars into the bank account of the big corporations.
Earlier this week, the Ford Conservatives' Minister of Infrastructure, released the 2019 Ontario P3 Market Update (also known as the P3 "Pipeline"). It includes a list of 32 projects, worth more than $65 billion dollars.
This announcement doesn't represent quality public investment in communities and jobs – but because of the P3 model, it pads the profits of big corporations. At a time when public services are threatened by deep cuts and jobs are at risk, this P3 Model expansion also further advances privatization.
The Auditor General has highlighted time and again how P3's are boondoggles that have wasted billions of taxpayers' dollars. And today, the Ford Conservatives added billions more to the P3 Pipeline.
"This is a transfer of Ontario's public funds into private corporate bank accounts. You don't have to take our word on this, just ask the Auditor General. The truth is that Infrastructure projects funded in the traditional manner without P3s have been proven to be more cost effect while maintaining public oversight and public control." stated Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario.
Hahn went on to say, "This is yet another example of why CUPE Ontario's "Communities, not Cuts" campaign is so important. We are working with others to put the interests of public sector workers, their neighbours, friends and family, cities and communities at the forefront of Ontario's political agenda.
The Ford Conservative government want us to believe that we are forced to have deep cuts to service every community relies on. Then they turnaround and make a 65-billion-dollar announcement using the P3 model that the Auditor General has stressed costs more and takes money away from the services the people of Ontario rely on. This announcement is all about lining pockets of big corporations with big profits!"
CUPE Ontario will work hard to protect good paying jobs in this province and ensure that our standards of living and our quality of services are not compromised for corporate profits. We will continue to organize against P3s in every community across this province and continue to fight to protect jobs and the vital public services all Ontarians need and deserve.
SOURCE Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
Marla Di Candia, CUPE Communications, 416-523-3124
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