Transportation and infrastructure minister Bill Estabrooks sent an email Wednesday to the NDP’s rank-and-file members throughout the province. It explains why “your NDP government has released the financial detail for a proposed new convention centre in Halifax.”
Near the top of the message, Estabrooks clearly says the government “has not yet made a decision on the project.” But by the end it’s also pretty clear he’s kinda sorta made up his mind: “I believe that this is the right decision, should we choose to go forward with the project.”
That’s a little cart-and-horse, isn’t it? If it’s the right decision, you should choose to go forward; it doesn’t become the right decision because you chose to go forward.
Note also that Estabrooks says the convention centre is not a P3 project. I guess everyone has their own definition of “P3,” but there’s so much private involved in this, I don’t see how he can claim it’s not a P3– the private firm will build the building, it will get a gigantic subsidy in the form of height bonuses, it will even take out the convention centre’s garbage and spray for fleas after dog shows. Most notably, it will own the entire complex after the province’s 25-year lease.
Read the full email after the jump.
Dear members,
The decision on a proposed new convention centre for Nova Scotia could have a significant impact on jobs and the provincial economy. For that reason, your NDP government has released the financial details for a proposed new convention centre in Halifax.
While government has not yet made a decision on the project, we recognize that this is an important process and we want to make sure that all Nova Scotians are well-informed about this potential development.
Any decision on a new convention centre will be based upon the potential to create good jobs for Nova Scotians and grow the provincial economy.
For example, when compared to the current World Trade and Convention Centre, a new convention centre could result in as many as 12,000 new jobs. A new facility would also mean more than $40 million more in provincial tax revenue in the first 10 years of operation.
A new convention centre would be an economic engine for the tourism industry in all regions of the province. One conference of 1,000 delegates can inject $1 million in new spending into the provincial economy, with each national delegate spending about $1,600 per visit.
It is important that government considers such investments to build a stronger economy that delivers the quality social services like health care and education that are important to New Democrats, and all Nova Scotians.
The bid details will show that the cost to build a new convention centre would be $159 million — a cost that would have to be shared by all three levels of government in order for the province to proceed.
Let me be clear: this would not be a P3 project. Details of cost-sharing and financing will be negotiated to minimize cost and avoid the pitfalls of P3 projects, if the province chooses to move forward.
A shadow bid was also released today that shows the province would save $26 million overall, or almost $90 per square foot, if it chooses to go with the developer’s proposal instead of building its own new standalone convention centre.
I should also note that the proposed facility complies with HRM By Design and does not impinge on protected view planes from Citadel Hill, and would be constructed to the highest level of environmental standards.
At a time when the province is looking to maximize every dollar it invests in the economy, I believe that this is the right decision, should we choose to go forward with the project. We hope to announce that decision in the near future.
Thank you.
The Honourable Bill Estabrooks, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.
PS – Your ER will be closed for Thanksgiving. We are unable to provide sufficient trained and qualified staff.
PPS – Your seniors in Long Term Care will be treated lovingly by the imported Phillipino staff and the overworked and stressed out Canadian staff.
Someone doesn’t have their priorities right, eh??
Bravo Bill! I can’t wait to see this project move ahead. I’m more than happy to have my tax dollars go towards this project, instead of half of the things I see on my bill which have no relevance to me at all. Come on 2015! Bring on the world!!!!!!
yes…bring on the centre…just wish it was this one: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2…
rcrpmn – interesting… I wonder how they can claim to be “carbon neutral” when everyone who visits it flies there.
If we have the revenue to do this why can’t we reduce the recently hiked HST by 2%, or assist Halifax Water so rates are shot up by 40%. How about spending the money on hospital services so one doesn’t have to wait 6 hours to seek medical attention? How about better meto transit services such as a LRT?
Spending this much of our dollars could be put to so much better use especially when we can’t afford it.
Don’t worry folks, it won’t cost us that much as a provincial taxpayer as HRM is going to buy the old one (for what, who knows), so that’s going to save us money, well except for those of us in HRM who will not only buy the old one but also contribute to the new one. Yep the NDP get to screw us twice and Council is all set to bend over.
unbelievable, scary to think that our new improved leaders can think they can sell this load of bs. They must think ‘we the people ‘ are sniffing glue. Attendance will be way down after we are all suspended from driving after having a beer hahahahaha. I think I’ll have one now.
Bravo, Tim Bousquet, for continuing to bring the political whitewashing to the attention of the public.
Estabrook’s priorities were exposed when he stated that giving tax dollars to support hockey teams in his constituency ( with his name on the jerseys) was honest. This guy is so full of the brown stuff it is starting to drip out of his ears!
Both Bro Tim and Glen M. ‘s comments above are bang on!.
The cost estimates from the HRM and the Province are as reliable as the promise by the NDP that all emergency rooms across the province would be kept open 24/7. ( That means 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or ALL THE TIME). Another promise was no tax increases. Does anyone remember the jump in Provincial HST from 8 percent to 10 per cent? Does anyone recall Kelly’s stated necessity to increase property taxes?
Silence is acceptance folks!
Can’t help but agree with Glen M. If there’s all this money for a convention centre why do we pay so much for fuel, so much HST, so much everything. It’s like buying a playstation3 when you are supporting a family on EI and saying it will help find a job. and I thought the NDP were the good guys.
Contrary to his party’s election promise of no tax hikes Premier Darrell Derter’s derriere hardly had the legislative chair warmed when they announced they were increasing the sales tax taking millions more out of the pockets of Nova Scotians. His unquenchable thirst for our money has all but shut down the retail gas business in Amherst as people cross the border to get cheaper New Brunswick gasoline. I suppose he had to pay for all those GPS systems, cameras, laptops and all the other goodies our elected officials seem to feel they are entitled buy with our money. Premiere Double D is now teaming up with that other well known spender, our Mayor Peter Kelly. They are teaming up to bring us even more horrendous costs with little or no benefit to the tax payers.
The province will trade the old convention centre to the city for city owned land. No indication yet what land but I have the funny feeling HRM will get the shorter end of the stick once again. The city will turn this into offices (suddenly we need that many offices?) at what costs we can only imagine. They will then build the new convention centre. The old one was a provincial owned deal but now, in true Liberal fashion, Premier Double D will download a portion of that cost onto us the ratepayers in HRM. That’s right people you will pay your portion of the provinces cost and absorb even more because you live in HRM.
How will that financial Vaudeville team of Peter and Darrell pay for this? We were recently given a hint, the removal of the tax cap! They mentioned it, there was no great outcry so before too long you will see it vanish and your home taxes will sky rocket.
Remember the blended sales tax was tossed around, then signed into law as a voluntary thing but the good old Liberals under John Savage latched onto in and took hundreds of millions of more tax dollars from our pockets annually.
Remember they have to pay and subsidize the new convention centre. Mayor Peter Kelly wants $55 million plus for a new library while St. John NB can build a police station for $22 million plus and don’t forget about Peter Kelly’s high speed ferry that’s still lurking in the background.
There seems to be no limits to their imaginations when it comes to spending (read squandering) our money and end to the ways and amounts they will take from us.
If you don’t think the new convention centre is an economic hole in the ground take 15 minutes or so and read what the rest of North America says about them without the hype and unfounded statements that you get from you politicians. http://www.governmentripoff.com/001.html
Remember the lies and waste when this bunch both civic and provincial come knocking next time looking for you votes.
Bruce DeVenne
Given that Estabrooks is the minister for *Transportation* and Infrastructure Renewal, and given that he used the phrase “economic engine for the tourism industry in all regions of the province”, how about using some of that cash (that we seem to have lots of) to fix the fucking roads? I don’t mean the money wasted on twinning the 101 or other high-visibility bullshit projects like that, I mean the web of all paved roads *other than* the 100-series highways. Anyone who does any significant amount of driving on any paved roads other than the 100-series can attest to the fact that most are hurting, a significant percentage will cause damage to cars, and no small number of stretches of secondary paved road are flat-out dangerous to the public. Maybe just maybe fixing some of that would do more for tourism and the rest of the economy than this convention centre.
The local politicians who are now tasked with deciding on this project are in a terrible position and have my deepest sympathy.
Their commitment to public service and the best interest of their constituents is undeniable; their efforts heartbreakingly sincere. But they are in an impossible situation. The narrative has been set up as a sucker’s choice – if they don’t support the convention centre it will be said they don’t love Halifax and they want Nova Scotia to fail.
I know nothing could be further from the truth. They are ill-powered to work through the onslaught of pressure from the entrenched, wealthy and powerful professional lobbyists who, though small in number, wield so much sway in our little town.
Tim, what are you going to complain about when the convention center is finished? Your reporting range is akin to the acting range of Keanu Reeves.
Me too! Bravo Tim Bousquet! For your razor sharp journalism and superb writing, thank you! Don’t let the Frat boy and girl trolls get you down! Their juvenile, nasty comments speak for themselves.
Can we have a rally from the site to the legislature? Soon!! Nova Scotia Writer and Activist Greg Cook did a fantastic job in NB with the “NB Power Sale” issue. He is on Facebook if organizers here need some strategies to apply to this issue.
What an absolute waste of taxpayers money! Bill Estabrooks building a new convention centre (which the majority of taxpayers didn’t want), because he claims it will bring thousands of new jobs to Nova Scotians. Then he purchases new paving equipment to get the Dept. of Transportation back into paving. Where is all this money supposed to be coming from? He claims that it is going to be cheaper for taxpayers, if the Dept. of Transportation purchases aggragate it needs from the private companies, to put in his new machines, that he will have to transport all over the province. He is also investigating the possibility of acquiring crown land to build a government owned quarry, if the prices he receives from the private companies are not to his liking. Doesn’t it cost money to have inspectors locate a suitable area to develop a quarry? Doesn’t it cost money to build a road into a quarry area, and then money to truck the material away? The reason road paving went to the private companies in the first place, was because the Dept. couldn’t do the work more efficiently , or better. In fact, they wasted untold millions of taxpayer dollars. Estabrooks is claiming that the rural areas deserve to have better roads and that his dept. is going to do just that. It is the fault of the Dept. of Transportation in the first place, that rural roads are not better. They are the ones who inspect all highways in Nova Scotia, and it is their inspectors who decide what type, and how many inches of material are to be placed on our roads (regardless of who the contract goes to). Now they are misleading the public into thinking that the larger companies are to blame, because they control prices and don’t have enough competition. This is ridiculous! The reason the private companies can do the work more efficiently is because they own quarries in the rural areas and are already established to do the work. Also, if they have an asphalt plant that breaks down, they can have it repaired quickly enough without having to delay production, thus not costing taxpayers more money. So what will be the cost to taxpayers the first time Estabrook’s mobile paving is down, needs repairs, and they have trucks lined up to spread asphalt? What is the back up plan then? Probably, hire the private companies to come in and finish the job. This is exactly what happened in the past. Bill Estabrooks ran as an MLA in his riding of Timberlea on the slogan, that he wanted to see the good ol’ boys club removed from politics. Ironically, he is now attempting to take work away from private businesses to give more work to his own government dept. workers. This move will not hurt the larger, established construction outfits, who have investments in other areas, and provinces. This will only hurt the little guys, who can’t afford to compete with government giving their own more work. Bottom line…I guess we all know who will probably be paving for this new convention centre don’t we? Will someone please vote out the NDP in the next election?