City Experience with P3s

The City has had some limited experience with using P3s for infrastructure and service delivery. The success of The City's experience has been mixed. These partnerships have at times raised issues related to public access and the appropriate role of the municipal government. The majority of these projects can be considered examples of the Operation License and/or Operation & Maintenance P3 models. The level of risk transfer and private sector at-risk capital appears to be minimal. In addition, none of the projects discussed above formally went through the rigorous evaluation process described later in this policy paper.

Regional Recreation Centres

  3 regional recreation centres, Westside, South Fish Creek and Cardel Place under "P3" arrangements

  involve partnering with a not-for-profit community-based organization (NFPO).

Westside Recreation Centre

  $25 million capital contribution from The City

  $2 million raised by the community for a capital maintenance reserve.

  built by The City and then turned over to the NFPO to operate under a 15-year license of occupation

  automatically renewed for another 15 years unless the termination conditions are triggered

  operates on a full cost recovery basis,

  characterized as a well-run facility

South Fish Creek Recreation Centre

  $25 million capital contribution from The City

  $15 million raised by The City through other means

  required significantly more assistance from The City

  eventually The City contracted with the YMCA to operate the recreation facility through a 99-year lease

  operated as a YMCA, including the fee assistance program

  arena is operated by the NFPO

  houses a Separate high school and a public library

  long planning and negotiation process between all groups before the facility was built, with considerable assistance from The City

Cardel Place

  $35 million capital contribution from The City

  additional $10 million raised through The City in the form of grants and naming rights

  NFPO operates the facility, but follows The City's fee assistance program

  lengthy planning and negotiation process.

Large Sporting or Cultural Centres

  The City has partnered with community groups in providing sports centres and cultural facilities

  The City typically provides the land and also may provide some grant funding

  The NFPO is responsible for the capital and the operations of the facility

  The City may fund some or all of the lifecycle costs

Outdoor Pools

  The City transferred the outdoor pools to a NFPO

  NFPO hired a private contractor to operate and maintain the pools

  The City provides an annual subsidy

Leisure Centres

  The City has received unsolicited proposals from the private sector to operate and maintain Southland and Village Square leisure centres

  after value-for-money assessment, proponents were no longer interested in Village Square

  The City rejected the proposals

Energy performance Contracting

  private sector operator replaced building equipment

  funded through realized energy cost savings resulting from the project

  disputes with respect to the terms of the contract have resulted in on-going litigation

Louise Crossing

  an agreement between The City and the La Caille Group

  integrates a fire station into a parking structure and an affordable and at-market housing complex

  greater investment in the up-front planning and negotiation process

  expectation of lower costs on a per square foot basis

  the project offers benefits in terms of a high density development and the achievement of highest and best use of the land

  no tangible benefits realized yet

Portrait Gallery of Canada

  The City recently submitted a P3 bid for the Portrait Gallery of Canada

  not a P3 for City infrastructure or services

  The City is providing the land for the Gallery and essentially played the role of a facilitator for a P3 between the federal government and a private sector participant

  provides an example of the resource coordination required to evaluate P3s (resources from Planning, Law, Finance, Supply and Corporate Properties were involved) but the risks faced by The City were relatively minimal

  P3s for City infrastructure and services will require significantly more resources dedicated to the evaluation and procurement processes