BC Experience shows failure of P3s

Published in Lower Island News (Victoria), October 2006

So the BC Experience has gone “belly up.” Big surprise. Campbell’s giveaway to CFAX millionaire Mel Cooper has left both the City of Victoria and BC government on the hook for uncollected expenses, along with 226 other unsecured creditors. Too bad the political will doesn’t exist to collect this public debt from Cooper’s private weath. But that’s the nature of Public-Private Partnerships (P3s), isn’t it? The public takes the risk while private individuals, sheltered by “limited liability corporations” and an unfair Bankruptcy Act, walk away.

The Provincial Capital Commission, which owns the building and closed the Crystal Gardens in 2004, spent $3.5 million subsidizing Cooper’s failed “Experience.” The City of Victoria is owed $30,000, which is enough to operate a new homeless shelter for over a month. So much for our (in)justice system.

New Democrats should learn something from this “Experience,” which is an appropriate symbol for the “BC Experience” of recent years: the Medical Services Plan privatization, BC Rail privatization, BC Ferries quasi-privatization, “Save-On Foods” Arena scam. The public takes the risk, private individuals profit, while user fees increase and public oversight is removed. P3s are a rip-off; we should state this clearly and unequivocally, and advocate for public ownership, operation and control of public assets.

Hopefully we have learned our lesson. New Democrats should now turn their attention to future uses for this site. A public market? Recreation centre? Swimming pool? Seniors centre? A community dialogue needs to weigh the benefits of various options. In the short-term, however, one solution is obvious: open the doors of this public building to provide emergency shelter for the growing numbers of homeless people seeking refuge from a cold, wet winter.

Do our NDP MLAs and municipal officials have the courage to fight for this logical humanitarian measure? We shall see.