The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships held its 12th annual conference in Toronto in late November 2004. Well-attended sessions on the first day clarified the extent of Canada's infrastructure deficit and the increasing pressures on governments at every level to find the money and means to address the issue. A National Research Council visiting researcher, Dr. Guy Felio illustrated the situation in Canadian municipalities quite clearly, pointing to the federal government's declining role in infrastructure maintenance and repair. One stream of the conference focused entirely on communications and there seemed to be general consensus that Partnerships BC is on the right track. It has a structured communications plan in place for every stage of a P3 deal that keeps the public and media well and clearly informed on what is taking place. Another stream in the conference program revolved around the burgeoning interest of Aboriginal groups and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs in public private partnerships.

Conferences
Public private partnerships