John Loxley will be releasing his new book Public Service, Private Profits tonight at the Modragon. Today’s Winnipeg Free Press makes the connection between this book’s exposure of the dangers of P3s and the City’s recent deal with Veolia.
“In Winnipeg, the France-based company will manage and run the renovated plants for 30 years, reportedly saving the city between 10 and 20 per cent of the expected total $1.2 billion operating and capital costs.
Still not made public is how much Veolia will make in profits, the penalty the city must pay to terminate the deal,exactly who covers cost overruns, and from where exactly the 10 to 20 per cent savings will come.
Most of that information is considered proprietary and not even councillors nor Mayor Sam Katz have access to it.
“There is a tremendous lack of information of what these deals actually are. It’s very difficult to get information on them,” Loxley said, adding he’s still waiting for information on the Charleswood Bridge, another case study in his book.
Loxley will launch his book at Mondragon Bookstore and Coffee House on Albert Street at 7 p.m. Loxley won the prestigious 2010 John Kenneth Galbraith Prize in Economics in March, for a demonstrated contribution combining economic analysis with acommitment to social justice.”
Winnipeg Free Press – Book uncovers dangers of P3s, Private-public partnerships explained, By: Matt Preprost, 8/06/2010
To read the full article click here.