Following the city’s much-publicised referendum on whether the project should be procured as a P3 or solely state-funded, over 57% of the public voted in favour of the former.
As a result, and according to the original proposals, a private firm will now oversee the design, finance and building of the new $224m facility, as well as carry out operations and maintenance for the plant over a 30-year period.
Originally issued in May, the problem was almost immediately hit with opposition from lobby group Regina Water Watch.
The organisation had been seeking to trigger a public vote on the P3 funding model prior to the release of the request for qualifications, amid fears that the service would be taken out of the public’s hands. This process was subsequently approved by city mayor Michael Fougere in July.
The federal P3 Canada Fund announced the previous month that it would invest up to $56.8m to support the construction of the new facility, which would have been withdrawn should the city not have continued with a P3 framework for the project.