New Blackfalds High School exterior rendering (Government of Alberta)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

P3: public-private partnerships

Groundbreaking ceremony for new Blackfalds high school on Friday

May 26, 2022 | 4:00 PM

Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) Board of Trustees will be hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for the new and first ever high school in Blackfalds on Friday.

The ceremony will take place at 5000 Leung Rd at 10:30 a.m. on May 27. The official name of the 850-student school for grades 9-12 will also be unveiled.

Among those present will be Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education, Ron Orr, MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka, Blackfalds Mayor Jamie Hoover, and Lacombe County Deputy Reeve John Ireland.

“This new high school is a tremendous opportunity for Wolf Creek and for the community of Blackfalds,” said Luci Henry, WCPS Board Chair. “Families in Blackfalds can begin with Wolf Creek in elementary school and make their way to and through high school in the town they live in, completing their education in their own community.”

Provincial officials say the new school is one of five in the province currently being built through the public-private partnerships (P3) approach.

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READ: New Blackfalds high school to move ahead through P3 partnership

Government officials say the five projects are supporting 1,700 construction-related jobs and are estimated to save taxpayers $100 million as a result.

“This P3 schools project demonstrates the Alberta government’s commitment to attracting private sector investment to the province. We’re saving Alberta taxpayers millions of dollars, providing hundreds of good-paying jobs in local communities and ensuring thousands of Alberta high school students have top-quality schools in which to learn and grow,” said Prasad Panda, Minister of Infrastructure.

A P3 approach allows governments to hire one contractor to design, build, finance, and maintain a facility. Contractors can be held for long agreements, at times up to 30 years. The public sector still owns the facility and provides public services, as in the traditional approach.

In the traditional approach, the public sector hires an architect to design the school, a construction contractor to build it, and awards individual contractors when needed for repairs. The public sector funds the construction and maintains the facility through provincial grants.

Construction is already underway for new high schools in Edmonton, Langdon and Leduc. With work scheduled to begin in Blackfalds this June, the province says all schools are on track for completion in 2024.

“I am so pleased to see these five new school construction projects moving forward. As part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan, this investment will create jobs and provide about 7,000 new student spaces in our province. More schools in our province mean more opportunities for students to learn in modern, innovative spaces where they can grow into our future leaders,” said Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education.

However, Cam Heenan, Alberta NDP candidate for Leduc-Beaumont expressed concern in a statement over the use of the P3 approach.

“This model is a proven failure which harms learning and can even put our children’s safety at risk.

“Edmonton has massive issues with its P3 schools. At Bessie Nichols School, the private contractor would not give school administration control of the thermostat on some of the coldest days of the year citing cost concerns. At Johnny Bright Elementary School, students were forced to walk through mud pits that could be as high as their knees because the contractor refused to address drainage issues.

“After this failed experiment, the PCs [Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta] abandoned P3s. It’s shameful that Brad Rutherford [MLA for Leduc-Beaumont] and the UCP want to force it onto our community.

The Alberta government says, following a competitive procurement process, the P3 contract was finalized for the five high schools with Concert-Bird Partners in September 2021.

“Concert-Bird Partners had the lowest bid price at $300.3 million, saving Alberta taxpayers $114.5 million compared to government’s cost of $414.8 million for doing the same work using traditional delivery methods,” said the province in a release.

“Through collaboration with the Government of Alberta, school divisions, local partners, subcontractors and suppliers, the Concert-Bird Partners team will deliver these P3 schools on time and on budget with a guaranteed high standard of maintenance over a 30-year period once each school opens. The successful delivery of this project is critical to supporting a world-class education for Alberta students,” said Ian Podmore, project lead for Concert-Bird Partners.