PPP Canada is a Crown Corporation recently established to support the development of public-private partnerships (P3) and facilitate the development of the Canadian P3 market. The Government of Canada established a $1.2 billion fund that is managed by PPP Canada to support P3 infrastructure projects.
P3 funding is the federal government’s mandate to develop the Canadian market for public-private partnerships for the supply of public infrastructure in the public interest.
Is a multi purpose sport complex part of our infrastructure? Roads, bridges, sewer systems, water treatment and the like are what the average person views as infrastructure. These are the types of projects that are viewed by the general public as being in the public interest. Will the public view a sport complex as a public infrastructure that is in the public interest? If the public informed themselves of the P3 Funding details they would be better positioned to answer that question. Linking the removal of the rail lines that run through the City of Regina with the construction of a new sport complex capable of accommodating the Saskatchewan Roughriders would better qualify a multi purpose sport complex under the P3 funding program.
If a new multi purpose sport complex goes ahead it must be financially sustainable without government funding for it’s continual operation. The creation of a management board including all the major funding partners with the power to establish a professional management executive for the sport complex would seem to be one way to assure the proposed complex is sustainable over the years. Unfortunately, this whole matter is reduced to building a new stadium for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The discussion needs to be more about a total infrastructure project that is in the public interest. Good luck with this Saskatchewan!
