TORONTO, April 10, 2014 /CNW/ - A new national poll and community survey in Sault Ste. Marie show that Canadians across the country strongly support using public-private partnerships (P3s) to deliver important public infrastructure and services.
Canada now has 20 years of experience with P3s and 207 projects are currently in procurement, under construction or in operation across the country. In a national Nanos Research survey commissioned by The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP), 62% of respondents are open to using P3s.
A majority of Canadians also indicated that they support the use of P3s across key sectors of the economy, with transit systems (70%), roads (65%), social housing (64%) and hospitals (63%) receiving the strongest endorsements.
"These findings tell us that Canada's two decades of experience in developing a best-in-class model of P3s is paying off," said Mark Romoff, President and CEO of CCPPP. "Canadians are seeing clear evidence that public-private partnerships provide the best value for money and make a real difference to their quality of life."
The Council also surveyed the views of residents in three Canadian communities, including Sault Ste. Marie. Based on their experience with the Sault Area Hospital, a majority of respondents indicated support for P3s (63%) and recognized their benefit to taxpayers (64%). Seventy per cent also agreed that the project might not have been possible without the private sector as a partner in the design, construction, financing and maintenance.
| Community Project |
Support for P3s |
Benefit to Taxpayers of P3s |
Might Not Have Been Possible without P3 |
| Sault Ste. Marie's |
63% |
64% |
70% |
| Winnipeg's |
66% |
65% |
61% |
| Moncton's |
73% |
69% |
69% |
"The Harper Government believes that investments in infrastructure should be made in a way that obtains the best value for taxpayers," said The Hon. Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Québec. "P3 infrastructure projects in Canada have a solid track record of being delivered on time and on budget, and for this reason, in the New Building Canada Plan, our Government will require the use of P3s for large infrastructure projects, where it makes sense, to provide better value for Canadian taxpayers. I am pleased to learn that the CCPPP's research shows that Canadians support the use of P3's to build infrastructure, and appreciate the benefits of this procurement approach."
"The new Sault Area Hospital is a great example of what is possible when the public and private sectors work collaboratively," said Ron Gagnon, President & CEO of the Sault Area Hospital. "As a result of the Alternate Financing and Procurement model (P3) we have realized the dream of a new state of the art hospital in Sault Ste Marie. Further, we achieved it on budget, opened our doors one month earlier than planned and have a long term agreement that will ensure it is properly maintained."
For a complete summary of the survey results, go to: www.pppcouncil.ca/p3pulse.
About The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships: Established in 1993, CCPPP is a national not-for-profit, non-partisan, member-based organization with broad representation from across the public and private sectors. Its mission is to promote innovative approaches to infrastructure development and service delivery through public-private partnerships with all levels of government. The Council is a proponent of evidence-based public policy in support of P3s, facilitates the adoption of international best practices, and educates stakeholders and the community on the economic and social benefits of public-private partnerships.
SOURCE: Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships
For more information about CCPPP: Mark Romoff, President and CEO, CCPPP, 416-861-0500, [email protected], @markromoff; For Media Enquiries: Chris Allicock, 416-694-3131 (w) / 416-319-8003 (c), [email protected], @pppcouncil
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