Manitoba NDP government not yet committing to all schools promised by Tories

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This article was published 03/04/2024 (523 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – The future of nine schools promised by the former Progressive Conservative government in Manitoba is uncertain.

The Tories promised last year to build the schools by 2027, under a so-called P3 system in partnership with the private sector.

The NDP government, in its budget this week, has set aside money for two schools — one in northwest Winnipeg and one in the city’s southeast — to be built by the government alone.

The government says those schools were planned earlier and were not part of the P3s plan.

Finance Minister Adrien Sala says the P3 schools are not cancelled, but the province is not yet committing to them.

He accuses the former Tory government of promising the schools without having the funding for them.

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He says the NDP government recognizes the need for more schools but will proceed responsibly, and a review of the P3 funding model that started last fall is ongoing.

The Tory plan would have had a private contractor design, construct and maintain the buildings. In exchange, the province would have signed a 30-year agreement, including payments for ongoing maintenance.

The Tories had said the plan would allow the schools to be built quickly and would save money.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2024.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said seven of the nine schools promised by the former government were on hold.