CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador would like to invite everyone to meet our 15‑foot tall wooden Trojan Horse at the Royal St. John’s Regatta on August 2. Members will be on hand to talk about the hidden dangers of using public-private partnerships (P3s) to build health care facilities.
The Ball Government plans to use P3 deals to build two health care facilities in Corner Brook – as if it’s a gift to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. But they’re not willing to make public all the details of their value-for-money assessment before the contracts are signed. We think that’s a huge red flag!
Like the mythical Trojan Horse, P3‑built health care facilities are a hollow promise that threatens our public health care system with increased costs down the road, leading to fewer beds, job cuts and lower standards of care.
Private financing is more expensive than the rate the province could borrow at and the facilities become too expensive to operate. The health care facilities will be forced to make cuts and the only part of the budget that is not tied up for 30 years are the doctors, the nurses and other staff. Inevitably, quality of care will suffer.
If these P3 deals go through, the provincial government will pay more over the long-term, pushing costs onto generations of taxpayers.
To date, we have wisely avoided using P3 deals in Newfoundland and Labrador. P3s have been a disaster in every jurisdiction they’ve been used – in every province and every sector.
Let’s talk about it. Please join us at the St. John’s Regatta.