Friday, July 25, 2014

Private Jails? In Snookland?

ThankGodFor
MississippiVille


You bet.

Only this is one of those P3 deals where we the public peons don't know how much we are actually paying out (and for what and why, exactly).

Joe Fries has the story in the Penticton Western News.

Here is his lede:

Third-party business interests outweigh the public’s right to know the dollar value of monthly payments to the group contracted to design, build and maintain the Okanagan Correctional Centre...

{snip}

...Earlier this month, Partnerships BC released a report that confirmed the ministry’s assertion that the public-private partnership with Plenary Justice is indeed the most cost-effective way to finance, construct and run the 378-cell jail north of Oliver, which has a stated capital cost of $192.9 million.

Including other charges, such as facility maintenance and debt servicing, the report pegs the net present cost of the project at $241.6 million in today’s dollars over the life of the 30-year agreement.

Also included in the 28-page report, however, is a small graph that appears to show total payments to Plenary Justice will escalate with inflation, but average about $12 million annually if there are no penalties for missing service targets...



And here's the kicker.

...(Justice Ministry spokesthingy Cindy) Rose declined to provide the actual numbers used to draw the graph, but did reveal that in 2017-18, the first full year of jail operations, payments will total $10.8 million. That amount over the life of the 30-year deal equals $324 million, well above the stated net present cost...



Of course, the PAB-Bots probably already have the press releases written that will be released this time next year that say the prison cost us nothing.

Just like that ice bomb bridge.

Right?


________
And why is it, exactly, that that fine fellow from the 'Canadian Taxpayers Federation', who appears reluctant to crank up the wurlitzer on the matter of disappearing resource tax revenues in this province, never speaks of the billions for the ice bomb bridge?....Hmmmm....I wonder if it has, perchance, anything to do with.....This.


.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

A third of a billion for one prison.!!!

324 Million dollars and thats before cost overruns.?

NOT RELATED ,at bottom of page,to prison-
taxpayer federation link to BC Liberal party.?
in terms of taxpayer oversight potentially biased.?

NDP- response will be "we are dissapointed".?

Lew said...

This is one instance where I wouldn’t mind the BC Liberals building something with public money for their own personal accommodations. A close watch will have to be kept on the accoutrements they specify for the residence due to possible conflict of interest issues, however. But to be fair, a “padded” cell might be in order for some of them.

Mr. Bateman is not the man for the watch-keeping job; blinded as he is by the low-hanging fruit he favors.

Anonymous said...

The Campbell/Clark BC Liberals, certainly keep secrets, just as Harper does. The BC Liberals prorogued Legislature the same time, Harper prorogued Parliament.

I don't believe for one minute, ditzy Christy runs BC. Harper does. Both the BC Liberals and Harper thieved millions of our tax dollars, to run bogus ads of, their economic and job action plans, that exist where?

sd said...

And just who will occupy these for profit prisons? We already know! Native, poor, disenfranchised, and non violent drug offenders. In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott recently held a fund raiser at the home of the C.E.O. of a major private prison company. In his state the justice dept says the company has used gangs to "control" fellow prisoners.Another aspect of this is that the state has to pay penalties to the corporation if the prison isn't full. With cops in many schools in inner city areas around the states, kids enter the system for simply fighting or having a joint in their locker. Here's the implication for B.C. If the government signs a similar type of contract and public schools continue to be dismantled and underfunded we may see a call for "security officers" in the schools.Thus creating a school to prison pipeline.So long as wall street can profit who gives a shit,right?

Anonymous said...

Since when do we need a 1/3 billion dollar prison
And a Massey tunnel bridge
Oh but little for students and teachers.
Pay to play.?

JasonS said...

That's funny I always wondered why they gave Jordan Bateman so much play on the radio. Now I know why he`s a vent for the people`s pressure. There were times I wondered about his tactics and priorities . Now I wish I had
audio vaults of his statements so I could take a closer listen.