A 500-kilometre-long transmission line boosting power to northeastern Alberta and a unique Ontario university student housing project are among the five winners of this year’s National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships (P3).
Presented by The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) since 1998, the prestigious awards will be handed out at its annual conference on November 5 in Toronto at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.
The five infrastructure projects, located in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario, run the gamut from health care to social housing, transportation to energy. They were selected for breaking new ground in how P3s are built, financed or deliver services, as well as their impact on boosting the economy, cost savings and creating more vibrant, inclusive communities.
“CCPPP and its members congratulate the five winners of this year’s National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships,” said Mark Romoff, president and CEO of CCPPP.
“These projects represent the hard work and dedication of thousands of people across Canada who are making these critically important infrastructure projects a reality. Their exceptional leadership and innovative thinking are what continues to distinguish the Canadian P3 model as globally best-in-class.”
GOLD AWARD WINNERS
Fort McMurrary West 500 kV Transmission Project (Project Financing Award): This vital power project, stretching 500 kilometres northeast from Edmonton, will increase the capacity and overall reliability of Alberta’s transmission system in order to meet booming demand in the Fort McMurray area when it becomes operational in 2019. This is also the first transmission infrastructure P3 to be procured in Canada.
The awards committee commended the project’s use of a “unique funding competition that took place after the route for the transmission line was finalized and regulatory approval had been granted, resulting in significant savings for the public.”
At the time of award, the cost savings were estimated to be more than $400 million — approximately 25 per cent of total capital costs.
Partners: Alberta Electric System Operator and Alberta PowerLine Limited Partnership, a consortium of Canadian Utilities Ltd., Quanta Services CC Canada Ltd., Valard Construction LP and ATCO Electric.
The City of Saskatoon North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge Project (Infrastructure Award): The new six-lane bridge on the Parkway pays tribute to Chief Mistawasis, the Cree Chief who signed Treaty 6, while the modern steel-truss structure of the rehabilitated Traffic Bridge uses complex engineering to preserve its historical character while meeting today’s safety standards.
The project is the largest infrastructure project ever delivered in the City of Saskatoon and the first bundled transportation P3 in Canada. “The city and consortium worked closely together to ensure community engagement, to manage artifact recovery and to accelerate approvals. The project bundling helped to significantly lower costs for residents and improves traffic in a bustling part of the city.” The project’s cost savings by using the P3 delivery model are estimated at $69.4 million, compared to conventional project procurement.
Partners: City of Saskatoon and Graham Commuter Partners, a consortium of Graham Infrastructure, ASL Paving, BBGI, Buckland & Taylor Ltd., Clifton Associates Ltd., National Bank Financial, Tetra Tech and Urbaser Environment (Valorga).
Silver Award Winners were Quad at York University (Service Delivery Award), Milton District Hospital Expansion (Infrastructure Award) and Finch West LRT Project (Project Financing Award).
