T&T government cancelled $16M contract to Canadian firm: Planning Minister

Planning Minister Mary King told the Senate on Tuesday government has cancelled an "exorbitant" contract that the former Manning PNM government gave to a Canadian firm.

She said the contract, valued at $16 million, was to prepare a national development plan.

“In 2010 the former administration entered into a contract with Dessau International Inc, Montreal Canada, to prepare a national physical development plan,” King said. She was responding to a question filed by Independent Senator Dr James Armstrong.

“On assuming office, this administration reviewed the contract and determined that the proposal did not meet all the objectives of this Government,” she said.

“They did not take into account the fact that there were local experts capable of doing the job and we did not approve of a cost which was very high and which totaled $16 million,” King added.

“We considered this an exorbitant cost besides the fact that it was an insult to our many qualified and expert land-planners in Trinidad and Tobago.”

The minister said all 14 Local Government Corporations have already developed plans as part of a parallel process of Local Government reform.

She said a new policy is expected to be submitted to Parliament within two years and a revised Planning and Development of Land Bill will be tabled by December of this year.