A controversial public-private partnership deal for an Abbotsford water works project was rejected in a city referendum this Saturday.
Seventy-four per cent of voters rejected the $291 million Stave Lake Water Project, a proposed new water source for the city. The project had already received federal financial backing of $65.7 million.
Abbotsford councillor Patricia Ross, the sole incumbent in Saturday's municipal election to oppose the project, said she wasn't surprised voters turned the P3 down, but that she didn't expect such a wide margin of no votes.
"It's quite shocking," she said. "It sends a real message that people are not interested in P3, and I think they were not happy with the way this whole thing was handled."
Ross was reelected to council with just under 20,000 votes, the highest any councillor received. She said it's time for council to get back to work, and start exploring new water source options for the city.
"We definitely have to roll up our sleeves and figure this out -- a non-P3 solution," she said.
George Peary, former Abbotsford mayor and outspoken supporter of the P3, had maintained that a Stave Lake P3 was the lowest cost option meeting water quality and quantity requirements for Abbotsford.
Peary was narrowly defeated by mayoral challenger Bruce Banman on Saturday.
"Certainly I was the champion of the P3 water project, and it went down dramatically. It was worse than I thought it would be, quite frankly," Peary told the Abbotsford Times.
Ross said the City will advance a new water solution "sooner rather than later."
"We need to have far more public consultation in finding that solution," she said. "We'll roll out the options to people, pros, cons, and we'll figure it out."
Robyn Smith reports and edits for The Tyee.
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Stephen Cooley
27 weeks ago
Structural deficit
When Campbell took over from the NDP we went on and on about the NDP not really leaving him with a surplus budget, but with a structural deficit. P3's give us a structural deficit, but it can be kept off the books by some sort of accounting slight of hand. Run of the River power contracts added to P3's are going to keep BC in a structural deficit until the contracts run out or are broken.
Henry Dorsett Case
27 weeks ago
accounting slight of hand
We need to start calling it what it is - theft - and start persecuting.
Vox.Pop
26 weeks ago
P3 Scams
The P3 scheme has from the very beginning been a classic Campbell scam. A phony justification is presented (in this case, "it will be cheaper") so that the real motivations are not exposed - more profits for 'Friends of Gordo' who will show their gratitude by making hidden contributions to Gordo's retirement account in Switzerland and to the BC Liberals election campaign.