Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) council has approved plans to proceed with the much-publicized, long-delayed Halifax Harbour cleanup as a public operation.
Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly says the citys three new sewage treatment plants will be publicly owned and operated. They have instructed staff to conclude negotiations with a private consortium to design and build the facilities.
CUPE and the Halifax Waterwatch committee have been front and centre over the last three years in a pitched battle to prevent the privatization of the harbour cleanup. Earlier this year, HRM backed out of a P3 deal with the French multinational Suez to design, build, own and operate the plants. That deal was worth at least $360 million.