Acting opposition leader David Burt has accused the Government of secrecy and dishonesty regarding the proposed airport redevelopment project.

Mr Burt spoke to a capacity crowd of more than 100 people at a Progressive Labour Party town hall meeting in St George’s Cricket Club.

During his speech, the shadow finance minister accused his One Bermuda Alliance counterpart Bob Richards of withholding 200 pages of the proposed contract between the Government and Aecon, its chosen construction firm for the $249 million project.

Mr Burt said: “We’ve been told that this deal is not privatisation, and we’ve been told that the contract is still under negotiation, so the details cannot be revealed.

“This contract was signed in August 2015. If you sign a contract, you are no longer negotiating that contract. Show the people of the country what (you) have signed.”

Mr Burt also claimed that the taxpayer would foot Canadian firm Aecon’s electricity bill throughout the contract’s 30-year agreement.

“That bill is $250,000 a month,” he said as the audience gasped. “That’s $90 million over 30 years, and that’s without inflation. Your tax dollars are paying a Canadian company, who are going to take over our airport, for their power. That’s what we know.”

Mr Burt also stated that, under the current deal, Aecon would be exempt from payroll tax, customs duties and work permit fees.

“We’ve been told that the new terminal will not cost the taxpayer anything, that it’s going to be free,” he said.

“We’ve already spent millions of dollars. This year, inside of the budget session, a line item was inserted for $13 million for airport redevelopment.

“Maybe (the Government) were fuzzing up the facts. Maybe they were fuzzing up the numbers.

“I have a simple question. Do the rules apply to the OBA?”

Shadow transport minister Lawrence Scott called the topic at hand “a passion of mine”.

“We believe that the airport should not be privatised, and we believe that the profits generated by the new airport should belong to the people of Bermuda and not a Canadian company,” he said.

Mr Scott also claimed that new airport would be smaller than L.F. Wade in its current form.

“Right now we have eight gates, the new airport will have six,” he said. “So whoever is planning on building this airport is not planning on our tourism numbers increasing.

“This is not Field of Dreams. If you build it, they will not come.”

Mr Scott implored the Government to consider the consequences of its actions.

“We must focus on increasing air arrivals by developing our tourism product before committing limited revenue to a new airport,” he said.

“I believe that the revenue that we are giving away to an entity in another country could be better spent on our educational infrastructure.

“We cannot afford a $250 million airport at this time - at any time.”