City of Toronto needs to open up competition on municipal projects

Karen Renkema, Vice President of Ontario

It’s nothing to be proud of. From shabby parks to collapsing public housing, ours is a city that’s been shamefully neglected. Restoring civic pride and Toronto’s sorry infrastructure will require a mayor and council that are willing to reel in construction costs and finally get things fixed.

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Toronto could solve its budget crunch by getting more for less

Karen Renkema, Vice-president, Ontario

Here we go again. Toronto is facing another multi-million-dollar budget shortfall. While it’s easy to blame the pandemic, most of the problem is of the city’s own making. For years, Toronto has refused to recognize that construction competition could go a long way in keeping it out of financial trouble.

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Where are the community benefits the Horgan government promised?

Paul de Jong, President

Back in the summer of 2018, B.C.’s John Horgan government announced a “landmark” agreement for key public infrastructure projects. The premier claimed this new framework would deliver all kinds of benefits for the province’s skilled tradespeople. Now, four years later, it seems reasonable to ask, what benefits?

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Encourage competition when building new local hospital

Karen Renkema, Vice-president, Ontario

Windsor Regional Hospital has plenty of time to get it right.

With the tendering process for construction of its new $2-billion acute care facility not likely to start until 2025, there is every opportunity for hospital decision-makers to ensure taxpayers are getting good value on this mega-project.

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