Dear Editor:

Re: Water privatization.

A letter was recently pub-
lished in Vancouver area
_ newspapers in which a Ms.
Schwartzkopf is concerned
about privatization of GVRD

raat

From page 7

“Toronto, Whistler and
‘Vancouver. :
Aad where else if you’re a
: ‘fleeing fugitive? Might as
well come to the one coun-
ry.in the world where we
‘olf ouc the welcome mat for
all manner of international
"gangsters, corrupt officials
-and ne‘er-do-wells. .
Not. to mention the likes

MAIL Box

Incession agrees

water treatment facilities,
apparently because she feels
that such crucial facilities are
safest in public hands, and
that private companies would
not keep the public informed
on key information.

My experience in privati-
zations in North America
and overseas: suggests that
the exact opposite is true.

On the first point, let us
keep in mind that the water
treatment facilities in
Walkerton, Ontario were in
the public hands — run by
the municipality.

The information the pub-
lic should have had was with-
held, and in fact based on
recent testimony, water treat-

ment data were falsified.

People died.

In. my view chis is an
extreme case, but neverthe-
less public ownership itself is

-no guarantee of safety —

examples of this fact abound
around the world. -

In addition, public facili-.

ties are often less cost effi-
cient due to the nature of
governments.

When as privatization
occurs, a “concession agree-
ment” is executed, setting
out in legally binding form
the rights and obligations of
the parties.

If the GVRD were to pri-
vatize water treatment facili-
ties, the GVRD can specily
the minimum qualifications
of the operating staff (e.g.
supervised by professional
engineers), the. dara thar
must be made publi, the fre-
quency of such reports, and
anything else the GVRD dic-
tates.

The concession  agree-
ment can be as strict as the
GVRD wishes, provided it is
not so limiting that nobody
bids (and that has happened
in both the Philippines and
Mexico}.

The GVRD can have all

the control/reporting
needs for the facilities, S hile

taking advantage of having
private parties raise the
money for building /
expanding /modernizing
facilities, and enjoying the
(usually) more efficient pzi-
vate sector operation.

Yes, privatizations can and
have gone wrong.

The game here is to
ensure those in the public
sector dratting the cances-

sion agreement know what

they are doing.

John Hunter, P. Eng.
North Vancouver
johnhunter@idmail.com

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