Common council voted 7-1 in favour of applying for the funding from P3 Canada: which, according to a report by city staff, could open up as much as $100 million dollars in funding, or 25% of the project.
Activist groups including Common Causes and the Council of Canadians have been vocal in their disapproval of the model. We asked Mayor Mel Norton whether the rates will rise for industrial users as they will for residential customers. The Mayor responded that while such an increase is not currently part of the conversation, industrial users will certainly be expected to pony up for the cost of delivering their water. The Mayor also said we will be seeing two separate systems for potable water and water used only for industrial purposes, since the former needs to be chlorinated. A new metering system will also likely be part of the future for big companies; however, those would be an ancillary project not funded by P3.
Common Councillor Bill Farren was the only one to vote against and he tells CHSJ News his rationale was simply that he does not believe the project will be cheapest under the model.
The project is expected to take 5 years under a P3. P3 Canada will take a maximum of 90 days to get back to council with an answer.
