Liberals must release justification on P3 contract for QEII redevelopment

HALIFAX -- The NDP Caucus is calling on the McNeil government to publicly explain why a P3 option for the QEII hospital redevelopment is in the best interest of Nova Scotians. The Health Committee will discuss the QEII at today’s meeting this afternoon.

“Our public health care is in crisis, the last thing we need is to put the largest hospital in the province in the hands of private companies,” said NDP Health spokesperson and Health Committee member Tammy Martin. “We need a government who makes the right investments to improve health care and makes sure that public health care stays public.”

The QEII redevelopment will cost at least $2 billion and will take seven years to complete. The Liberals recently announced that health centres in New Waterford and North Sydney will also be built using P3 contracts.

“We know that P3 contracts across the country, and in our own province, have had major problems,” said NDP Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal spokesperson and Health Committee member Susan Leblanc. “Whether it’s cost overruns or lack of flexibility around enhancements to the facility down the line, P3s take control out of the hands of Nova Scotians.”

In 2014, the Auditor General of Ontario slammed that province over 74 P3 infrastructure projects, saying that those builds cost $8 billion more than they would have if financed publicly.

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