Public Works! So long, Serco P3 information scheme hits hospital hard NS school buses stay where they belong Winnipeg city council wades out of contracting out High priced consultants fail to deliver Private care ‘a dumping ground’ for people with disabilities Library privatization doesn’t check out Private savings a pipe dream in Calgary Ambulance privatization far from a done deal Public works for green jobs Victoria: Private lab talks must stop Private labs fail test Secrecy surrounds private clinics Ontario: Making services disappear for people Thumbs up, thumbs down...Private savings a pipe dream in Calgary
Contracting out water main replacement has been an expensive mistake for the City of Calgary.
According to the city’s waterworks department, in 1998 private contractors charged an average of $619 per meter of pipe replaced —
30 per cent more than the $472 per meter it cost public sector workers to do the job. As a result, the city paid $1.35 million extra.
Under pressure from CUPE, the city has cut back contracting out for 1999, but is still handing $4.5 million worth of main replacement to private contractors. This will cost the city over $1 million more than if public sector workers did all the work.
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