Public Private Partnerships and the Public Interest: A Case Study of Ottawa’s Lansdowne Park Development

Date

2011

Authors

Krawchenko, Tamara
Stoney, Christopher

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research

Abstract

Public private partnerships (PPPs) are increasingly advocated as beneficial for the delivery of public services, facilities, and infrastructure for municipal governments. However, such partnerships often raise serious concerns about transparency and accountability. While municipal governments across Canada have tried to increase public participation in local affairs, PPPs can impede such efforts. This article presents a case study of the Lansdowne Park PPP redevelopment in the City of Ottawa. We focus on how transparency and citizen engagement have been compromised and circumvented and link to broader issues of how to balance the privileged status of business and the demands for commercial confidentiality with the public interest, transparency, and citizen engagement in projects that use PPPs. The article concludes by arguing that some projects and some conditions can render the use of PPPs inappropriate and counterproductive in terms of both effectiveness and the basic principles of good governance.

Description

We would also like to thank the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University for providing T. Krawchenko with the funding to attend the 2011 ANSER conference where an earlier draft of this article was presented.

Keywords

Public private partnerships, City of Ottawa, Public engagement, Transparency, Accountability, Good governance, Municipal government / Partenariats public-privé, Ville d’Ottawa, Engagement public, Transparence, Reddition de compte, Municipalités

Citation

Krawchenko, T., & Stoney, C. (2011). Public Private Partnerships and the Public Interest: A Case Study of Ottawa’s Lansdowne Park Development. Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.22230/cjnser.2011v2n2a92