Partnerships BC


Partnerships BC is British Columbia's public-private partnership unit. It is a Crown Corporation, wholly owned by the Government of British Columbia. Created in 2002, it is governed by a Board of Directors reporting to its sole shareholder, the Minister of Finance. It is incorporated under the British Columbia Business Corporations Act. Its threefold mandate is to facilitate the development of public-private partnerships infrastructure projects in BC, to advise the government on whether to use these partnerships and finally to evaluate their value for money.
Partnership BC is British Columbia's P3 unit. Partnership BC charges work fees to government departments, and its services are mandatory for infrastructure projects. Because they require p3s for their existence, do policy promotion and evaluation, and charge a user fee, they have an incentive to recommend ever more P3 projects. Partnership BC operates more like a business than a government agency. As per example, they refer to other government agencies and ministries as its clients despite being a crown corporation and under the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance.
Partnership BC had a mini-scandal when it was revealed they were paying their executive staff well above the public sector's standard pay rate, which they justified as necessary for enticing people with financial experience to work for them.

Major projects