Warning message

Please note that this page is from our archives. There may be more up-to-date content about this topic on our website. Use our search engine to find out.
The Ontario government has released a discussion paper on financing for infrastructure renewal, drawing heat for its plans to privatize the provinces infrastructure.

The discussion paper identifies nine P3 models for building, financing and operating new infrastructure. It also suggests new user fees to link users or beneficiaries to the cost of creating and maintaining the infrastructure.

Approval for this paper would speed the government down a path it has long embraced. Ontarios minister of public infrastructure renewal said last month he is willing to sell off water systems owned by the province. Premier Dalton McGuinty then ruled out a sell-off, but he left the door open to P3s. McGuinty also proposed more toll highways as a way to pay for upgrades and new construction.

As well, a report on Ontarios power system headed by former federal finance minister John Manley recommends that the government pursue joint ventures, P3s and long-term leases for the operation and maintenance of its nuclear power plants.