The following submission was sent to Dame Moya Marguerite Greene OC, DBE, on January 12, 2021. After the recent resignation of Newfoundland Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL) President Mary Shortall from the Economic Recovery Team (ERT), members of CUPE Newfoundland Labrador (NL) are concerned about the substance of the report the ERT plans to submit to government. Following a year …
Asking the right questions: A guide for municipalities considering P3s
This newly-updated second edition of Asking the right questions is co-authored by the late John Loxley and his son, researcher Salim Loxley. The guide reviews the latest evidence and experiences from across Canada and around the world, taking a critical look at the case for and against using public-private partnerships (P3s) for municipal infrastructure. This online text is adapted from the print version …
CUPE NL calls for transparency legislation governing public-private partnerships
CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador released several recommendations to government this week, calling for transparency and accountability legislation to govern public-private partnerships. The recommendations are based on research and discussion coming out of a panel discussion on P3s and transparency held in St. John’s on November 14, 2018. “With the government signing contracts for a P3 hospital and long-term care facility, …
Letter: Partnership is an empty buzzword
The following letter to the editor was published on Monday, November 5, 2017, in The Telegram. The St. John’s Board of Trade offered nothing new in their Oct. 27 letter to the editor (“P3 model unduly criticized”) that hasn’t already been said by consultants and lobbyists that stand to profit from these misguided deals. When public-private partnerships (P3) promoters use …
Letter: No evidence P3s are cost effective
The following letter to the editor from CUPE NL President Wayne Lucas was published in The Telegram on September 201, 2017. Provincial government Ministers Steve Crocker and Dr. John Haggie have taken exception to the alarm bells CUPE is ringing about the higher costs of P3 deals. In a letter to the editor of Aug. 26, the ministers claimed two …
Let’s stop the Ball Government from saddling us with even more debt
People living in Corner Brook and the surrounding region have needed new health care facilities, including more beds in long-term care, for many years. It came as welcome news to everyone, including CUPE members and their families, when the province announced two new facilities would begin construction later this year. However, the secrecy and lack of transparency around these two …
Meet our Trojan Horse at the Royal St. John’s Regatta
CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador would like to invite everyone to meet our 15-foot tall wooden Trojan Horse at the Royal St. John’s Regatta on August 2. Members will be on hand to talk to the hidden dangers of using public-private partnerships (P3s) to build health care facilities. The Ball Government plans to use P3 deals to build two health care …
Call for Volunteers – Join CUPE at the St. John’s Regatta!
Say NO to privatizing our health care! CUPE needs your help to hand out information telling the Ball Government to keep our health care facilities out of the hands of private interests. Please join us August 2nd at the Regatta! Every CUPE member who helps will get a CUPE Trojan Horse t-shirt. While at a meeting in Deer Lake yesterday, …
Natalie Mehra talks about P3s on The Good Morning Corner Brook Show
On May 1, 2017, Natalie Mehra joined Bernice Hillier on The Good Morning Corner Brook Show (CBC Radio) to talk about the public-private partnership the Ball Government will use to build two new health care facilities in Corner Brook. Listen to the interview Bernice Hillier: Earlier this year, government announced it would build a new hospital and long-term care in …
Nova Scotia’s Billion Dollar Trojan Horse
A cautionary tale for taxpayers in Newfoundland and Labrador Imagine a giant wooden horse just rolled into Corner Brook and everyone is impressed with the incredible gift sent to the community from the Ball Government. People come from miles and miles to admire the beautiful gift, to be used to build much needed health care facilities. After all, they’ve heard …