Crown corporations on sale?
Waldeck - Thursday, February 21, 2013
by:Henry Nuefeld
Murray Mandryk’s 700 word rebuke of Brad Walls crown privatization record leaves much to be desired (Leader Post Feb. 13 2012).
Let’s get Wall’s record strait:
2009
- Direct West Canada – sold ($31,732.28)
- Heritage Gas – sold ($109.8 million 75%)
- SaskTel Operator Services contracted out
- Rural Internet Stop-Sell in 15 communities.
2010
- Stripped Crown of 100% of annual dividends (394.8 million) forcing a debt of 317 million onto the Crowns
- Northland Power - Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
- SCN sold ($350,000.00
- signed New West Partnership Trade Agreement
- SGI General License Plates contracted out
- 20% of SaskPower offices closed
- AgDealer sold
- SGI Canada shares in Charlie Cook Insurance, Western Financial Group, AAA and MFAC sold.
2011
- Hospitality Network (Made 3 million profit 2009) sold ($36.6million)
- Saskatoon Square sold ($50 million
- Algonquin Power PPA
- Gas Sur sold
- Igasamex sold (40.1%)
- SaskTel’s SAP contracted out
- SaskTel, SaskPower, and SaskEnergy line locations contracted out.
2012
- Television and Internet installations contracted out
- Wireless Broadband Internet contracted out
- Rural Internet and telephone infrastructure contracted out (Chinese-based Huawei)
- All but five SaskPower walk-in locations closed to the public.
- 120 million siphoned from SaskPower forces a 4.9% increase in residential rates.
And of course 2013 - three private liquor stores approved plus 60% of ISC privatized.
Prior to the 2007 election, Wall said, “the Saskatchewan Party will not be privatizing Crowns or their subsidiaries – not in whole or part.” Was he lying or hiding his true colours?