TORONTO, Nov. 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road, one of the first P3s in North America with an Indigenous government holding a cash-funded equity stake, has won gold in this year’s National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships.
Presented by The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) since 1998, the prestigious award will be bestowed upon the team behind this project, which is currently under construction in the Northwest Territories, at CCPPP’s 27th annual conference on Monday, November 18 in Toronto at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.
“Congratulations to the Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road team for winning the gold project development award in this year’s National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships,” said Mark Romoff, president and CEO of CCPPP.
The project is among five award recipients this year. The winning projects, located in the Northwest Territories, Quebec, Alberta and Ontario, showcase the diversity of projects using P3s to deliver innovative infrastructure that best serves the economic and social needs of Canadians. Read more
“We are quickly approaching the 30-year mark for the use of P3s in Canada and have 285 projects in operation or under construction, which is why it’s so exciting to see there are still new ways the public and private sectors and Indigenous communities can work together to find innovative and sustainable approaches to developing, financing and maintaining public infrastructure that achieves the best outcomes for Canadians,” Romoff said.
The partners involved in the Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road are the Government of the Northwest Territories and North Star Infrastructure GP.
Quotes
“The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to working with our partners to ensure businesses and residents across the North play an integral role in, and benefit from, the projects we deem as priorities for the territory. The Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road is no exception. We are honoured to be recognized alongside our partners for our work on this project. P3s are a proven way to advance major projects while achieving the best value for money for the government and taxpayers.”
- Caroline Cochrane, Premier of the Northwest Territories
“The Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road represents a true collaboration between the Community Government of Whatì, Tłı̨chǫ Government, Kiewit, Canada and the GNWT — an example of how infrastructure projects on traditional lands should be carried out. We have been involved in all phases of the development of this road, from the vision of our elders on planning and routing, through approvals by our own decision making authorities and through our equity investment in construction and operations. Today we are partnered with Kiewit, providing financial, contracting and human resources. We are creating successful outcomes through these partnerships.”
- Chief Alfonz Nitsiza, Whatì, Tłı̨chǫ Government
“As a company, we are excited and committed to successfully deliver the Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road Project in partnership with the Tłı̨chǫ Government. This project represents a significant investment in infrastructure that will help transform local communities in the Northwest Territories.”
- Sam Chai, President, Kiewit Canada Development Company
Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road (Project Development Award): This 97-kilometre all-season gravel highway, which will link the remote northern community of Whatì with its neighbours in the Northwest Territories, is among the first P3s in North America with an Indigenous government that has a cash-funded equity stake in the project. “This is a project that includes substantive benefits for the Indigenous community throughout the construction and operation of the project,” the awards committee said. The project is also notable for its unique approach to handling long-term risks related to climate change, which is happening at an unprecedented rate in the North. To address this challenge, the territorial government worked with its advisers and a climate specialist to develop a “bespoke climate change risk-sharing regime” using cutting-edge modelling, enabling the partners to more efficiently price their potential exposure to this risk for long-term operations and maintenance of a road constructed above the permafrost. This climate change risk-sharing model could be used to help other projects globally. The territorial government has said the total cost using the P3 model over 28 years compared favourably to a traditional design-bid-build procurement.
CCPPP’s annual conference is the world’s premier event on public-private partnerships, attracting 1,200 senior public and private sector infrastructure leaders from across Canada and abroad with unparalleled networking and business development opportunities. Media are invited to register in advance at p3-2019.ca.
About the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships
Established in 1993, CCPPP is a national not-for-profit non-partisan, member-based organization with broad representation from across the public and private sectors. Our mission is to collaborate with all levels of government, Indigenous communities and the private sector to enable smart, innovative and sustainable approaches to developing and maintaining public infrastructure that achieve the best outcomes for Canadians. The Council is a proponent of evidence-based public policy in support of P3s, facilitates the adoption of international best practices, and educates stakeholders and the community on the economic and social benefits of public-private partnerships.
