| Posted by Winnipeg Chapter on February 20, 2010 at 1:11 PM |
An open letter to the mayor of the city of Winnipeg
Dear Mayor Katz:
According to the official document of record, Hansard, you made the following remarks in response to a query by your colleague, Councilor Gerbasi, as to the timeline for selection of a ‘private partner’ for planned upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment plants…
“Mr. Speaker, just to make this very, very clear, because I know there is a habit of sometimes sending out erroneous messages – this is a city of Winnipeg initiative. There are no private partners. The city is moving forward. There will be expertise from the private sector no different than other projects…”
Mayor Katz, my organization, the Council of Canadians, believes that your statement signals a fundamental change in the city’s approach to managing the provincially mandated wastewater treatment upgrades, and that therefore an official announcement in this regard is warranted.
If the quotes attributed to you are accurate, then the city has undertaken a clear and welcome deviation from the process outlined in its business plan which stated that a private corporation could, as a “strategic partner,” own up to 49% of a subsidiary responsible for the financing, construction and maintenance of said upgrades.
As you know, many citizens and citizens’ groups expressed concerns about this business plan. Experiences with such private-public partnerships around the world have shown that they result in a loss of accountability to the public, rate hikes, lower environmental standards and reductions in workforce – all in the name of making profits for shareholders.
If this plan has been abandoned, it is important that the public be officially notified.
On behalf of the Council of Canadians, I therefore request that you clarify your comments of last month and enlighten the general citizenry as to the exact role of the private sector in Winnipeg’s water and waste services.
Your prompt response is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely yours,
Michael Anthony Welch
Council of Canadians-Winnipeg Chapter
cc: Winnipeg City Council, the Province of Manitoba, media, Council of Canadians, General Public