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Dear Editor Toronto Star, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s comment that they
should have used “alternative financing and procurement” (AFP) to build the
Spadina subway is both disappointing and disturbing. Disappointing because it
shows she has very little regard for or confidence in public sector
procurement — she would rather privatize than ensure we retain the capacity to
build infrastructure publicly. Disturbing because AFP, also known as a
public-private partnerships (P3), is no solution. The most recent provincial
auditor’s report showed 75 of the AFP projects undertaken by our provincial
government cost Ontarians an extra $8 billion.
Brenda Thompson, Toronto
Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca’s scrappy comments about the York
Spadina line are a long way from the “adult conversation” that Premier Wynne
once promised about public transit. He is all too eager to distract attention
from his government’s dismal record on major projects — the gas plant fiasco,
the MaRS boondoggle, the social assistance computer mix ups and the botched
hydro smart meter rollout, for example.
To say that the problem stems from being a TTC-build project rather than a P3
is misleading. There are realistic reasons cited for the delays that have
nothing to do with it being a public project.
With the Ontario auditor general’s finding that the government’s P3 projects
have cost taxpayers $8 billion, we are very fortunate that this is not one of
them.
Moya Beall, Toronto You can read the full article
here
