P3 School Controversy
Alberta Government Revives Controversial P3 Model for Schools Despite Union Warnings
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Alberta's government is once again turning to private-public partnerships — known as P3s — to build and maintain new schools in Edmonton, Calgary, and Chestermere, according to Montreal Gazette. Under the P3 model, a private company handles the design, building, financing, and upkeep of schools, while the government pays a kind of rent over several decades. Critics say this approach costs more and strips schools of basic control over their own buildings.
CUPE Alberta President Raj Uppal warned this is a mistake the province keeps repeating. The government has already abandoned the P3 model twice before, according to National Post. Now it is trying it a third time — and unions say taxpayers and students will pay the price.
What a P3 Deal Actually Means for Schools
In a P3 arrangement, the government does not own or run the building process. Instead, a private company finances and builds the school, then manages it for decades. The government makes regular payments — similar to rent — over the life of the contract, according to Leader Post. These contracts can last 30 years or more.
The problem is that once a contract is signed, schools lose control over their own buildings. Sault Star reported that in some P3 schools, staff could not even adjust the thermostats. Students were left sweating or shivering while the private company failed to fix the temperature. School boards had no power to step in.
Alberta Has Already Walked Away From P3s Twice
This is not the first time Alberta has tried — and dropped — the P3 model for schools. The government has abandoned the approach twice in the past, according to Clinton News Record. Each time, concerns about cost and accountability pushed officials to walk away. Critics say returning to P3s now ignores those hard lessons.
CUPE's Raj Uppal called the repeated flip-flopping a poor choice for students and taxpayers. "This is a mistake Alberta's government keeps making," Uppal said, according to Hanna Herald. Union leaders argue the province should build and own schools directly, keeping costs and control in public hands.
Other Provinces Found P3 School Costs Do Not Add Up
Alberta is not alone in struggling with this model. Many other Canadian provinces have examined P3 school deals and found they cost more than traditional public building, according to Paris Star Online. Auditors in several provinces found that the promised savings from P3s often did not appear. In some cases, governments ended up paying significantly more over the life of the contract.
Experts point out that private companies borrow money at higher interest rates than governments do. That gap alone can make P3 financing more expensive from day one. When maintenance problems arise — like broken heating systems — the response depends entirely on what the private contract allows, not what the school needs.
CUPE Calls for Public Ownership of New Schools
CUPE Alberta is urging the provincial government to scrap the P3 plan and return to fully public school construction. The union argues that public ownership keeps buildings accountable to students, parents, and school boards — not private shareholders. According to National Post, CUPE wants the province to invest directly in school infrastructure rather than lease it back from corporations.
With Edmonton, Calgary, and Chestermere all included in the new P3 program, a large number of Alberta families could be affected. CUPE says the real cost of this choice will show up over decades — in higher payments, less control, and schools that cannot meet basic needs without permission from a private company.
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