| Calls are ringing out for an evaluation of some of the Alberta government’s longest-running privatization schemes after the operation of provincial campgrounds became the latest initiative to raise questions.
In his recently released report, auditor general Fred Dunn says the government has not kept close enough tabs on the private operators of many provincially owned campgrounds and the success of privatization should be evaluated. The report recommends improved monitoring of private campground operators and evaluating the cost-effectiveness of "service delivery alternatives for operating parks and protected areas."
Trevor Harrison, research director of the Parkland Institute, an Edmonton-based organization that examines public policy, says the report is the latest indication that the provincial government has never seriously examined whether its privatization initiatives of the past 15 years have been successful.
"They haven’t put in place the kind of methodological system so you can compare pre-privatization or post-privatization," Harrison says. "It could just be they had so much faith that privatization is much cheaper… that they steamrolled things through and didn’t think how they would gather evidence."
The Parkland Institute recently released a report examining liquor-store privatization that indicated 10 years of privatization increased convenience, but also led to increased costs for consumers and government along with a loss of government control. The institute also gave up trying to research the benefits of highway maintenance privatization due to government confidentiality agreements and confusion caused by the constant restructuring of departments. Harrison says both cases show that even the oldest privatization schemes in Alberta have yet to prove their worth.
Dan McLennan, president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, says he wasn’t surprised by the auditor general’s report – he thinks provincial campgrounds have deteriorated over the past decade – and it’s time Albertans start questioning privatization.
"Everyone was told the power bills will go down with deregulation and we’re seeing that’s not the case," he adds.
The Alberta government says it is taking the auditor general’s recommendations to heart and will try to implement them within the constraints of its budget. But a spokesperson for Alberta Community Development says the government still recognizes the role of the private sector.
"Our main focus is maintaining the land that’s being preserved," says Cathy Telfer. "Our No. 1 business isn’t to run a campground – that’s for the private sector."
Telfer acknowledged that keeping tabs on private operators is difficult under the ministry’s budget, and that it can be a challenge to find competitive private companies to operate remote campgrounds, but says privatization is still working.
"Bike rentals. Boat rentals. Food kiosks… these are the things private operators can offer," she says. "We need to focus on the protection side." |
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