mayor jun11

Voters in Regina are heading to the polls today to vote in a referendum surrounding upgrades to their waste water treatment plant.

The question is whether to adopt a public-private partnership (P3) or a traditional design, bid and build approach for the $224-million project. The city's council unanimously approved the P3 structure, but the referendum was called after a petition was launched by the Regina Water Watch group, which is concerned that the P3 will take public works out of public control. The City is campaigning for the P3, saying it will save taxpayers millions of dollars and keep utility rate increases at bay.

Swift Current completed a new $15 million waste water treatment plant in 2005 with funding from the provincial and federal governments, and increased debt taken on by the city. Mayor Jerrod Schafer says although they didn't use a P3 for that project, it has become a way to address the province's infrastructure deficit.

"I think it's always going to be a consideration, but the scale of the project is what's so big," he said. "We're not going to look at a P3 for a waste water project like ours, but in a place like Regina, it starts to make more sense for private parties because of the dollars."

Interview with Jerrod Schafer

A P3 is being used for the construction of the Cypress Health Region's new Long-Term Care Facility, and Schafer says that model will be considered along with other options when looking at future capital projects in the city.

"There are different ways to do P3s and there's a never-ending list of demands for infrastructure that we have and need in our community, and there's also that never-ending debate about how you pay for this kind of stuff," he added. "This is just another one of those ways that, in some cases, can alleviate some of the pressure in terms of political debate about who's got the debt, and all that kind of stuff."

The last time a referendum was held in Swift Current was for the casino plebiscite in the 2003 civic elections, which paved the way for the construction and opening of Living Sky Casino. The waste water treatment plant referendum in Regina is the first for that city in two decades.

"We're a democratic society, so when you've got issues that are contentious, it is what it is, and certainly it's a way for the public to get out," Schafer added. "Sometimes, you just want to be careful because the results of the plebiscite can sometimes lock your community in, and if there's any underlying situations that don't get all the facts out there, that can always be problematic. The onus is on both parties, and in the case of the City of Regina, make sure everybody is well informed and they do their homework, and people can make the best decision with the information they have in a democratic way."

Voting in Regina continues until 8:00pm tonight, and there is expected to be some significant response from voters. Turnout for this weekend's advance polling was reported to be six thousand voters, more than there were for the 2012 civic elections.