Nova Scotia’s NDP leader says the Liberal government should be skeptical of using a public-private partnership model in its massive re-development of aging hospitals in Halifax.
Gary Burrill says a freedom of information request submitted by his party shows the government is being heavily lobbied by large firms interested in participating in a so-called P3 project.
READ MORE: Nova Scotia considering P3 model for QEII hospital replacement
He says the government backed off under public pressure from privatizing three registries and twinning its major highways through private partnerships, and it should heed the message that a P3 agreement “isn’t the way to go” for hospitals.
The government has been up front about a possible P3 option since announcing the project in April of last year.
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Premier Stephen McNeil says while the option is under consideration, no decision has been made.
The NDP documents show that as of the fall of 2014, the hospital project was estimated to cost about $383 million.