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Infrastructure Minister Brian Mason says the NDP government won’t launch any new public-private partnerships pending a decision by executive council on their continued use.

Mason, who also serves as transportation minister, said he wasn’t declaring a moratorium on the so-called P3s, but he planned to stick to the traditional methods of funding as he launches a five-year, $34-billion capital construction program.

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“I think there are real questions about the overall benefit that is received by P3s,” Mason said in an interview this week. “Certainly, the design-build and operate model is not something I want to proceed with at the present time.”

Mason directed an internal review on the use of the partnership arrangements last fall and the resulting report is still being considered by the policy co-ordination office of executive council in the premier’s office.

“I thought it was a very thorough, valuable review and it explored both positive elements and negative elements of P3s,” he said. “I have decided, as minister of infrastructure and transportation, that we’re not going to be proceeding with P3s, in the meantime, until a final decision has been made.”