Facilities and infrastructure built with public dollars are sold at fire sale prices to privateers. Taxpayers pay to lease facilities they once owned and may eventually buy back. Higher private sector borrowing costs, inflated consulting fees, lengthy tendering processes, costly monitoring of private contractors, new user fees and many other hidden costs add up to a much higher price tag for the public. Recent examples such as leased schools in Nova Scotia, the New Brunswick toll highway and welfare reform in Ontario show going private is far more costly. Compromising quality and safety Whether it's a healthy community water supply, a clean and safe school or a nutritious hospital meal, privatization threatens the quality of services Canadians rely on.
Privateers cut corners and jobs to keep their costs to a minimum.
This poses a significant danger to public health and safety. The push to privatize health care services continues unabated, despite overwhelming evidence of the failure of private health care in the United States. Schools poorly cleaned by contract custodians are becoming health and safety hazards for students and teachers. Polls show Canadians oppose private water by a margin of five to one. Privately-operated water treatment facilities are cutting staff to the bone and lowering standards, creating the conditions for sewage spills and polluted drinking water.