Canada willing to support PPP

Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly Orville London welcomes Canadian High Commissioner his Excellency Gerard Latulippe to his office for a courtesy call on Thursday 10th April 2014.
The Canadian government is interested in developing Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects in Tobago.

Gerard Latulippe, Canada’s High Commissioner, met Chief Secretary Orville London on April 10 2014, at the Calder Hall Administrative Complex, Scarborough, to discuss this and other initiatives of the Tobago House of Assembly.

The two also discussed the Caribbean Local Economic Development (CARILED) project in the island, according to Leslie-Ann Boisselle, Public Affairs Officer of the High Commission in Port of Spain.

She said that these two initiatives by the government of Canada in Tobago supported the continued bilateral relations between Canada and Trinidad and Tobago and its policies for engagement in the Americas.

The Assembly is currently pursuing PPP initiatives to finance a number of projects in the absence of approval from the Central Government to borrow money.

The Inter-American Development Bank has also promised to provide support to establish a PPP secretariat at the Division of Finance and Enterprise Development; Representatives of the Ministry of Finance PPP secretariat have been liaising with the Division to set up such a secretariat.

Settlements and Labour Secretary Dion Isaac disclosed two weeks ago that his Division will shortly be inviting expressions of interest under the PPP initiative to built housing units on a 63-acre site in west Tobago.

The High Commissioner hosted a cocktail reception at the Sea Horse Inn in Black Rock on Thursday night as part of the visit to Tobago.