Montreal Bridge and Other Canada P3 Approaches Targeted in New Reports

摘要

Canada has prided itself on innovative use of public-private partnerships to build major infrastructure projects. But critics, including public employee unions, argue in new analyses that P3s cost taxpayers more than government procurement methods. Canada's Auditor General (AG) contends that for one of the country's most prominent P3 projects, the $3.2-billion Champlain Bridge in Montreal, government owner Infrastructure Canada was overly hasty in agreeing to use the approach, making the decision two years before it finished its procurement analysis.That analysis contained "many flaws favoring the P3 model," says the AG report, noting that the bridge construction cost was overestimated, which, in turn, allowed the P3 proposal to claim it would generate significant savings. The report says government planning delays added more than $374 million in new costs. More than $229 million went to repairs to the existing bridge, which began deteriorating faster than originally estimated. Another $176 million went to the SNC-Lavalin-led consortium to cover added transportation and other costs from significant load restrictions imposed on the old bridge.