Nova Scotia Schools

operational

Opportunity In the 1990s Nova Scotia had a backlog of demand for new schools, particularly in urban areas. Between 1996 and 1998, the Province developed 39 schools using public-private partnerships—six using a net lease model and 33 using a turn-key model. Following a change in government in 1998, the incoming administration cancelled the P3 school program in the fall of 1999 citing the fact that it did not meet the criteria of “off balance sheet” financing as an operating lease. The schools represent an early example of a P3 and were undertaken without the assistance of a transaction agency or oversight from a financial accountability office. Challenges The contracts and agreements lacked the depth to anticipate changes, including building additions and portables, over a 20-year period and as a result the proponents contracted many of the operations back to the school boards.  Greater clarity concerning performance standards and more time spent upfront on contract negotiations were seen as areas that could have been improved to ensure the public interest is protected.  Innovations Traditionally schools had been built to the standards and specifications of the Department of Supply and Services—now the Department of Transportation—but the Department of Education invited its private partners to build “the school of the future” which left behind some of the old standards for classroom size and layout. The private sector partners sought the input of school board staff, teachers and parents about what made a good teaching and learning environment and incorporated it into their design. Results The 39 schools equalled approximately two million square feet, or 9.5 per cent of the province’s total school space. The schools addressed Nova Scotia’s problem of overcrowding in existing schools and replaced aging and deteriorating educational infrastructure. Most of the proponents were Nova Scotia based companies with a background in school and/or public building construction. The government was able to obtain a faster construction cycle than would have been possible with traditional procurement. Job creation from the construction of 39 schools was estimated at over 9,000 person-years of work. O’Connell Drive  Elementary School in Porter’s Lake received the CCPPP Award for Innovation and Excellence, Infrastructure (1998) as well as an award for “excellence in technology” and architecture. Riverside Education Centre in Milford received an award in 1999 for HVAC technology.

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