To build infrastructure, public and private parties may take on a cooperative venture called a public-private partnership or a P3. Some examples of P3s include the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Panama Canal, and the Confederation Bridge. The same situation has made the news recently in Edmonton with the construction of an LRT line.
When these projects arise, people have many questions including:
- What exactly defines a public-private partnership?
- What is the history of P3s?
- What models and legal structures can a public-private partnership have?
- What criticisms and uncertainties are involved in a public-private partnership?
The LawNow article, “The Case for P3s: Public Private Partnerships” answers all these questions and analyses how this alternative funding model works in practice.
