[MonctonRad]

I find the discrepancy between the $300M & &700M cost of the project interesting too.

This is a scientific research centre (at least in large part), and, equipment costs and final fit up could be extremely expensive. $400M in equipment still seems like a lot however.

I know that the accounting of equipment purchase price often factors in the costs of lifetime upgrades, as well as service, maintenance and repair contracts, which can effectively double (or more) the expense of the equipment assuming an operating lifetime of 20 years or so. For example, a new mass spectrometer or NMR spectrometer that might cost $3M might go on the ledger for $7.5M. Costs therefore can get inflated quite quickly based on this alone.

In addition, depending on the accounting practices that are employed, it could be fair game to consider new ongoing operating costs in the overall project too (in addition to the capital costs). If for example, a fancy new piece of equipment is purchased, you may need new technicians to operate it (beyond the pre-existing staffing levels) , and then there is also the cost of powering and supplying the equipment, and the ongoing educational expenses for the (new) operators. I have no idea how the accountants are spinning this............