CUPE Nova Scotia President Danny Cavanagh says the just released Auditor General’s report zeros in on P3 schools – and the picture is not pretty.
Says Cavanagh, “First of all, kudos to Jacques Lapointe and his staff for confirming what CUPE has been saying since the get go - that the contracts for Nova Scotia’s P3 schools were nothing more than a license to print money for the private partners.”
Among the reports many startling findings:
“Comprehensive contract terms and management processes and procedures which ensure services paid for are received are essential to protecting the public interest. Our audit identified significant weaknesses in both of these areas.
As a result we cannot conclude on whether key calculations supporting contract payments are correct or whether many services paid for are received.”
Says Cavanagh, “The report goes on to say the audit identified instances in which child abuse registry and criminal record checks, fire safety inspections, and emergency first aid and CPR training were not completed by the developers as required under the service contracts.
“If I’m a parent with a child in a P3 school, I would be very concerned about these findings,” says Cavanagh.
Cavanagh says, “The P3 school contracts are worth $830 million over their 20 year life. To put that in perspective, the current provincial deficit is $525 million. We sure could use $830 million right about now.
“I trust this will send an undeniable message to the Dexter Government that P3s are simply a taxpayer rip-off,” says Cavanagh.