PLP: “This Airport Deal Is Dubious At Best”
Following their recent Town Hall, the PLP said they extend their “gratitude to the over 100 Bermudians that filled Warwick Workman’s Club to receive the facts about the OBA’s airport deal and how millions of taxpayer dollars will be funneled into a Canadian company over the next 30 years.”
Acting Deputy Leader Walter Roban remarked, “What is clear is that Bermudians are opposed to the notion of giving away our airport for over 30 years and handing over millions of Bermudian dollars to a non-Bermudian company.
“In fact, the more they learn about this deal, the more Bermudians are questioning not only this deal, but the competence and integrity of this OBA government.”
Shadow Transport Minister Lawrence Scott added, “From paying the electricity bill of a non-Bermudian company for over thirty years to the tune of millions of dollars, driving up the cost for tourists to come to Bermuda, to allegations of political victimization and retribution, this airport deal is dubious at best, represents blatant OBA incompetence at best and at worst demonstrates a government with a dubious agenda that they intend to push onto every single Bermudian tax payer.”
The PLP said, “During the course of the PLP’s Warwick Town Hall on the OBA’s controversial airport deal, Acting PLP Leader and Shadow Finance Minister David Burt outlined to the audience the financial aspects of the deal that have been revealed to date including:
- “1. Aecon stands to collect in excess of $1.6 billion in revenue over 30 years
- “2. Any surplus generated by Aecon’s operation of the airport will likely go to repay the money borrowed by Aecon to pay for the new airport, with no the benefit to Bermudian taxpayers
- “3. Aecon will pay no payroll tax, no customs duties, work permit fees, electricity bill and the Bermudian taxpayer will be forced to guarantee any revenue shortfall.
- “4. The OBA have already spent millions on the airport project including budgeting $13 million this year to spend on Airport Redevelopment
“Shadow Transport Minister Lawrence Scott also spoke last night on how he had been allegedly targeted for dismissal from his place of employment after having spoke out on behalf of Bermudians and in opposition to the OBA’s controversial airport deal.”
Can the plp finally talk about THEIR plan which had a first cost of $500,000,000 ?
Remember , for example , Berkely . First cost $65,000,000 which ended up being $120,000,000 when all was said and done .
So, under their plan $500,000,000 first cost = Well over 1Bn total .
When are they going to put this tiresome drum down ?
The only thing ” DUBIOUS” as far as I am concerned is, the plp themselves!!!
TO TOODLE-OO:
The only drum needing to be put down is the dysfunctional one of the oba/ubp……nasty critters!!!!!!!
It is this sort of mathematics that the PLP used to put us into a near crippling debt. Aecon will not be in a position to collect “excess of $1.6 billion in revenue over 30 years” because they will paid from the facility’s profits and revenue is only one part of a valuation equation… the other part that the PLP keep ignoring is expenses. Maybe if they better understood how to manage expenses, we wouldn’t be so damn broke and having to seek outside help to replace such a critical facility that is long past it’s expiration date… even the PLP said it had past its abilities, and that was 8 years ago. Of course Aecon stands to make money from any profits the new facility generates… we would after all have to pay them back for them paying to build it to begin with. At least this way we won’t be on the hook for cost overruns.
I also agree with you 100% “Build a Better Bermuda”. Following says it all and I suggest them who are opposing the rebuilding of L.F. Wade International Airport take another look at the facts.”It is this sort of mathematics that the P.L.P. used to put us into a near crippling debt. Aecon will not be in a position to collect excess of $1.6 billion in revenue over 30 years because they will be paid from the facility’s profits and revenue is only one part of a valuation equation…this is the other part that the P.L.P. keep ignoring is expenses.”
Please don’t be hoodwicked again u’lot
I actually think they knew perfectly well what they were doing when they were the government. Just like they know perfectly well what they are doing now.
Just wait for the facts. You are guessing – wildly and wrongly. But it suits your purpose and for you, that is what counts.
100 people…How can you reps. of the Opposition, (Progressive Labour Party) suggest that this will cost Bermudians diddly squats? Nothing has been confirmed as of yesterday…so please, stop the scare mongering
)
If this isn’t something the Opposition, (P.L.P.) look forward building in the event they win the next General Election then just like the Port Royal Golf Course plus the shady work in Dockyard and other “dubious projects” that were done by the P.L.P. when they were in “power” just be prepare for the same old same old,(as of yeterday, unaccounted for ($) millions of them up until yesterday
The only reason we aren’t talking about OBA dubious projects yet is because they havant been caught in their bs yet.
Trust me. In 2018 when the OBA are no longer in power we will hear about how the AC actually cost 45 million less and how that money is unaccounted for. Or something of that nature
We’ll continue to hear lots of things from the PLP and they’ll all be framed with “trust me”. Now, why would I?
Money don’t grow on trees, you just don’t get it.
Onion Juice, is this really you? Money don’t grow on trees! Why didn’t you tell your friends that before they put us billions in debt. Maybe you could help the people find out where the unaccounted for $800 mil is the the Auditors still can’t put their hands on.
And Scotland Yard, C.I.A and F.B.I. couldn’t either, now that’s talent.
LMFAO
Onion Juice I think you are in for a BIG surprise……
Immoral but not illegal springs to mind. You are good with immoral I guess.
So OJ is that an admission that you agree there is $800 million missing as a result of the PLP?
Exactly. So get out there and some. Stop expecting it to come from government, which is your narrative.
Acting Deputy Leader Walter Roban remarked, “What is clear is that Bermudians are opposed to the notion of giving away our airport for over 30 years ……..”
Slight exaggeration there Walter. You should be stating “What is clear is that 100 Bermudians are opposed to the notion of giving away our airport for over 30 years …….”
Are you that dumb to believe that only 100 ppl oppose the Airport project…? A better question is why in the hell am I even wasting my time responding to this post.
Why exactly did the shadow mp get fired from jet blue? I’m not sure if I read it right, but did he give away unauthorized ‘charitable donations?’ I’m a bit confused about that story.
Hey apparently made charitable ticket donations – not to be confused with giving tickets to a charity. Very different and creative play on words.
“handing over millions of Bermudian dollars to a non-Bermudian company” er – how much is being handed over to the people who built the new hospital wing?
And, again – throwing as much s#!t around as possible to try and make some stick … gutter Trump-esque politics
Or the over $150 million a year interest on debt to non Bermudian banks.
one awaits with great interest the PLP’s equally feverish efforts to delve into previous projects which “at best were dubious” like the dockyard wharf project, the port royal overspend project …… i could go on!
The plp states dubiously??? Aecon, stands to collect $1.6 billion in revenue!! Is this the latest fantasy number being thrown out there by the lying plp?? Yes it is!!!
Deliberate misleading of the people they claim to represent. It is as simple as that. It should be illegal.
The airport the PLP proposed was “first cost estaimte” DOUBLE the price of this deal. And goodness knows what that would have ballooned into even if they hadn’t already borrowed and spent our way into a huge hole, making paying for it ourselves impossible anyway.
Thank you Aceboy, also don’t forget the plp double estimated costs, did not include the interest we ALL would have been on the hook for the next 30 yrs?? Somehow the they seem to neglect to reveal that info, and their supporters sure as heck either don’t want to hear it, and may I suggest, they most likely are not capable of doing the math for themselves either???
Give it time, that number will be north of $5 billion by election time…
Could not agree more!!!
fey ?
Some things don’t go together.
bron?
Martha’s vineyard
birch?
weegars.
inzane?
gulf.
Dear PLP et al
Let’s chill on the political rhetoric and learn all the facts about the airport.
I think the majority of Bermuda is getting tired of the political spin and scaremongering directed at everything that challenges the PLP position given its past performance.
Sadly the majority of Bermuda is loosing faith in the PLP. Perhaps a more collaborative approach might regain some of the support of the party faithful.
Have a blessed day.
What province in Canada would accept a business arrangement similar to this from Acon ?
http://www.p3canada.ca/en/about-p3s/project-map/
One that their elected officials had virtually bankrupted and which, by the admission of the same officials and their counterparts, needed major updating of an important facility?!?
One that was broke because of former maladminstration.
What province in Canada is $3bn in debt?
Plenty. And much more than that. But the capacity, resources and population to manage it make it an irrelevant comparison.
The population is not managing it. A large number of the population gain some sort of assistance because of their low income. Tax payers put money in and then it goes back out to someone else.
Resources are their main support but much of the ownership of that has been sold off to other countries. There’s also many environmental issues due to the means of obtaining those resources.
Bermuda could learn a lot from the mistakes of others. Someone else way is not always the best.
ONTARIO. Highway 407 toll highway. Contractor SNC LAVALIN.
That wasn’t the best example to bring up. Highway 407 has been a sore issue in Canada for a while now with safety concerns over poor construction and the issue of constantly increasing toll prices to cover the debt of the project.
C’mon Coffee. Really? You’re not that thick.
Every province, they do it all the time!
Dubious is a total understatement. A prime national asset being tossed off to a bunch of foreigners is scandalous. If Bermudians can run the existing airport, they can run any new one too. And the money to build it, set up a Bermuda Airport Company and sell some bonds. Bob, stop giving the country away!
None
How much was Beyoncé again?
I think we can all agree that we need a new airport, even the PLP because I think they talked about it in there tenor. Part of the problem might be the way the govt is not informing the public. There doing this quite a bit, hence the reason we had that week of unrest a couple weeks ago.
They need to communicate with the public more, after all it is OUR island. So mr, Premier get out on the street be visible and let the public know what’s happening. And try to get Mr. Crockwell back I think he deserves a lot of credit for the positive thing s happening in tourism.
Gotta run catch my flight before they start picketing on the runway.
dubious at best even if the PLP plan was very dubious.
All taxpayers money is currently being put towards foreign creditors, the PLP made that happen!
Did any of the 100 people that attended this meeting ask what were the EXPENSES that relate to the revenue generated by the airport etc.
If David Burt became finance minister would the government’s budget only include the revenue and ignore the expenses. In other words his so called facts which I take with a grain of salt only paint half the picture. Does his household only take in revenue and not have any expenses because if so we all want to know how he does it. He needs to be open and transparent and give all the facts and not just some of the facts to win political points and trick his members into believing everything that comes out of his mouth.