Nortel reno costs kept hush hush
Posted Nov 28, 2011 04:48:09 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA, On.- Senior Defence Department officials kept quiet regarding the hefty price tag for renovating the Nortel campus, reportedly, because they were worried the public, media and parliamentarians might raise concerns about the bill if they found out about the cost. The numbers? $208 million on purchasing the Carling Avenue campus and a reported $600 million on preparing the Nortel site to be its main location in Ottawa.
Documents obtained by the Citizen show the Department of National Defence not only knew about the cost a year ago, but senior officials ordered references to it removed from public statements and documents.
Some officers say such tactics are just the tip of the iceberg of DND efforts to keep information from the public. They point to recent examples, including the decision not to inform Parliament about plans to spend $477 million on a U.S. military satellite.
