Portage la Prairie City Council's decision to investigate public-private partnerships (P3) for the $100 million upgrade to the wastewater treatment facility was the right decision.

That's from Portage and District Chamber of Commerce President Dave Omichinski, who attended Monday's Council meeting but didn't speak on the issue. While many at the meeting were opposed to the partnership, Omichinski feels teaming up with a private entity to tackle the provincially mandated project was the best decision Council could have made.

He notes there have been several projects throughout the province, and here in Portage, that have gone over budget, with taxpayers footing the bill. He notes the fire hall expansion was slated to cost $1 million, but that increased to about $1.35 million, while the PCU Centre cost increased by more than 10 million dollars. He feels the P3 could only reduce the risk to ratepayers, preventing them from seeing significant unexpected increases.

"Having this third party that bears the responsibility relative to it coming in on time and on budget really mitigates an absolutely huge financial risk which would be borne by the rate payers."

The addition of a private partner also caused some concerns over water rates, given the natural desire for a private entity to make a profit. However, Omichinski mirrors Mayor Irvine Ferris's remarks, in saying that paying a bit more in the long run is better than facing huge unexpected costs right away.

Another issue raised was the seven employees working at the City's waste water treatment plant. He feels, those concerns were addressed by Council, by including provisions to protect workers in their agreement. Under the proposal, workers would have the choice of remaining employed at the plant under the private company or staying with the City and working in another sector. Omichinski notes that's an approach that has worked in the past, citing Regina as one example.

"I believe only one employee in Regina that chose to remain with the city. The rest of them went with the company. It's been a couple of years now, and the feedback that has been received is that it's working quite well. In fact, that was acknowledged by the national CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) rep that was there."

Overall, Omichinski describes moving forward with a P3 as a sound decision, that helps address the possible risks associated with such a costly project.