The desire to trade off our future (energy) then (people) for the sake of arguing or the lack of belief in ourselves is incredible. Simon Lono et al. have been discouraging the use of power in our own province for years. Yet all the jurisdictions with aluminum and other significant smelting operations are not running around trying to get rid of them - cheap power or not.
Simon you are wrong in your thinking for without power - renewable - competitive - reliable power we have no growth potential. Look at the jurisdictions using their power for economic development and you will see growth - increased population - employment - increased tax revenues - increased secondary opportunities.
Even in Sim City the importance of Power is evident. Why would other provinces including NB MS ONT and QUE want our power so much?
That should ring some bells in your head.
The wisdom of privatizing NL Hydro is the same wisdom used to ship out hydro.
And no I do not believe in the BRINCO fiasco nor what it stood for - we are using 5000 MW's for industry Ed? Get a grip - settle in and understand we can make it and will make it on our own. That regimented thinking is out of vogue.
Talk about Iceland - 300,000 people - less natural resources - Island - North anything else? Simon do you believe we can stand on our own? Past Liberal and Tory policies have failed our people. We have to break the chain - you know fearful of speaking about new opportunities - or spreading our wings - afraid the bureaucracy will laugh? They roared when anybody in the last Liberal government suggested that we should seek amendments to the Accord. Your fear is typical and is evident in the latest crop of politicians.
You would never hear a Quebecker suggest the tripe you get on with. Of course they can do it - that is exactly why they have. Not much geography between Labrador and Quebec hey?
I guess the artificial line is the reason they can and we can't. What rubbish.
Labrador - Nothing - NIL - Zip
Do we have the Power? Yes
Do we have the Vision? No
Hey Politicians - what are you doing other than - my name is and I want to be part of the Williams's team - or I've decided to run Liberal because that's where I am comfortable. Just imagine if Randy Simms asked questions to the political wannabes in the same manner he asks myself or Carl Powell or Gus Etchegary.
From the Bechtel Site
Over the years, Bechtel has worked in some 140 countries. But until recently, the company had never undertaken a project in Iceland.
That changed in 2003, when Alcoa asked Bechtel to build a 346,000-tonne-per-year aluminum smelter on Iceland’s eastern coast. The Fjarðaál project, now well under way, is Alcoa’s first new primary smelter in 20 years—and Bechtel’s first experience in this island nation near the Arctic Circle. At the budgeted cost, it also is the largest private investment in Iceland’s history.
The project site is at the inner edge of a large, glacier-fed fjord that empties into the Norwegian Sea. Like most of Iceland, the area is sparsely populated—the nearest town, Reyðarfjörður, is about eight kilometers away and is home to about 650 residents.
By March 2006, the project had completed more than 2 million job hours without a lost-time accident. When the 1-million-hour milestone was reached in December, Icelandic Minister of Industry and Commerce Valgerður Sverrisdóttir said at a celebration, “This great achievement does not only matter for the companies involved but for Iceland as a whole and the future of construction in this country.”
____________________________________________________________________________________
Outside the obvious lack of vision by our current crop of politicians - Williams included - there remains a potential to attract major industry to Labrador using the vast hydro resources and industrial climate.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Thorsteinn Hilmarsson
Head of Corporate Communication
Landsvirkjun, the National Power Co, Iceland
This gentleman wrote a paper on Energy and Aluminum In Iceland
Read the paper and ask yourself - What is wrong with Newfoundland and Labrador.
Here is an excerpt from the paper:
The actual price of the power is only one of many points needed to make a coherent and trustworthy siting picture. For Landsvirkjun this implies that a good combination of competitive pricing and a long-term contract is needed to attract the customer.
* Modern society with well developed infrastructure
* Political and economic stability (“Scandinavian”)
* Strategic market location between North America and Europe
* EEA membership - tariff-free access to the European market
* Supportive government policy
* Efficient environmental regulatory system
* Low corporate income tax (18%)
* Absence of corruption in business and politics (OECD)
Well that's an interesting piece of info!
___________________________________________________________________________________
A CBC Story says in part:
In New York, one industry analyst says he likes what he's hearing from the B.C. government. Clarence Morrison, an aluminum industry analyst with Prudential Securities in New York, says he is encouraged by premier Clark's promotion of good deep water ports in B.C. and competitive Hydro rates for new investors.
An AME Info story says:
$3.8bn Saudi aluminium smelter signals major diversification
After several years deliberation the Saudi government has approved construction of a $3.8 billion aluminium smelter. The plant, to be developed by state-owned mining company Maaden, will be built at Ras Az Zour industrial zone in central eastern Saudi Arabia. Aluminium exports could begin in 2008.
ALCOA of Interest...
Canada Baie-Comeau, Quebec Primary Aluminum
Aluminerie de Baie-Comeau
Becancour, Quebec Primary Aluminum
Aluminerie de Becancour, Inc. - Canada
Becancour, Quebec Wire/Rod/Bar
Deschambault, Quebec Primary Aluminum
Alcoa Canada Headquarters
Montréal, Québec
Iceland
Reydarfjordur Primary Aluminum
Alcoa Fjardaál
Norway
Farsund Primary Aluminum
Elkem Aluminium Lista - Norway
Mosjoen Primary Aluminum
Elkem Aluminium - Mosjoen Works - Norway
Australia
Anglesea, Victoria Power
Anglesea Power Station (Alcoa World Alumina - Australia)
Huntly, Western Australia Bauxite Mining
Alcoa World Alumina - Australia (Huntly)
Kwinana, Western Australia Alumina Chemicals, Alumina
Alcoa World Alumina - Australia (Pinjarra)
Point Henry, Victoria Primary Aluminum, Sheet/Plate
Alcoa -- Point Henry
Portland, Victoria Primary Aluminum
Alcoa World Alumina - Australia (Portland)¹
Labrador - Nothing - NIL - Zip
Do we have the Power? Yes
Do we have the Vision? No
6 comments:
By the number of Canadian flags I see flying all over St.John's homes it seems unlikely that the form of thinking here that you speak of will ever change. Yes indeed the messiah in the form of Ottawa remains entrenched in the minds of the people of this province. The views you are expressing must be propagated on a wide basis through out the province in an active manner. VOCM and the blog is not cutting it obviously. While you talk about an educated youth that now questions my experience with young adults has been the exact opposite. It is too late for the middle age and older group.
Yes, why don't the VOCM Open Line Talk Show hosts ask pertinent questions to the political wannabes in the same manner they ask you and the other names you mentioned.
I don't suppose any of them is contemplating that he/she will be in the same position as political wannabe somewhere down the road and he/she would want the same 'easy on questions' manner played on them?
The wannabe politicians should be bombarded with questions, since we need to know, whether they are going to be working on behalf of the electorate or themselves.
Also why don't the hosts asks the pertinent question of why the Lower Churchill Hydroelectric Project is not being talked about for development to create industry for Labrador first, and Newfoundland second, if the need cannot be met in the Big Land.
No matter what province was concerned in the past, when a resource came up for development, they, too, had to find the interested parties and work out the details. It is no different for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, it will have to advertise to the World, the clean hydroelectric power will be available and that the province is looking for expressions of interest to utilize that power, and that industry will have to located in Labrador and Newfoundland.
I remember a story that I read in a Golden Reader when I was a child, of a man who bought a piece of leather, he sewed a pair of shoes and he sold his first pair of shoes and then he bought enough leather to sew two pairs, he sewed the two pairs and sold them and he did it in increments, no different than any business in this world evolves. We have to start somehwere.
Sue ,dont waste your time with what the scum of the Island is writing.That team would sell thier own mothers to make themselves look good to thier central canada masters.
How many times do we have to be told that we arent good enough or that we simply cannot do it by ourselves.Yet ,when we go anywere else in Canada ,our trades are sought after ,our people are excalted ,and our work ethic is admired.
Yet for some strange reason to this bunch ,we are nothing more then the food for the Canadain Industrail machine.But,we are not good enough to have it for ourselves and take control of our own house.Just another excample of why canada does not work and why we should get out now .Why not believe in yourself.Because,the federal Governement wants nothing more then to create a system of dependace on them ,so we can keep feeding Ontario and Quebec.Its time leave canada.Plain and simple.
Calvin, I agree with you completely. But what portion of the population do you think would want to leave Canada? How much of an appetite does the population have for this? I wonder what a poll would say? And where is the consolidated group to lead such a movement. I don't see it outside of a few bloggers. When it comes to Iceland they are able to be an independent nation because they believe in each other as a people. They look around and see and admire like minded individuals who are highly educated in terms of skills, history and culture. We on the other hand are not. We have a 65% literacy rate and have for the most part forgotten or never knew our history. It is a sin to say but such people are easily manipulated by governments at all levels. One of the most dangerous things to any government is a highly educated, critical thinking people.
Kalvin ,
I really dont think that it will be our generation that will actively seek independance from canada.But,the next.
Speaking to a few young people that I ran into in Canada,they noticed the Pink,White,and Green on the back of the car.I was so shcoked to hear how they hate being on the mainland and that two actually planned to return home because they couldn't deal with the stigma attached to thier being a "Newfie".
What really shocked me though was the fact that all three agreed on how bad Newfoundland and Labrador have been treated since confederation ,and all wanted her to be a "RePublic".
There is hope in our young people .We simply have to educate them on why our people are scattered thru out North America like homeless Jews.They will see the in-justice that was done.The truth always finds away.
Calvin, first of all I am not part of the baby boomer generation. I am also not a teenager. So I hope it will happen for my generation also. I am encouraged to hear that the few you met were intent on a country. But I deal with youth on a daily basis and most are very ignorant as to what is going on here. Most want to get out of here as soon as possible to make a few bucks away. Over the years most of the youth I have dealt with already live on the mainland. They are content and intend on staying. They see Canada as the only way to make a living and as their ticket out of here. History and culture is not important to them. They do not think in terms of nation or patriotism. Material goods and entertainment trump all of that. I agree that we must start with education, but there is currently very little talked about Newfoundland and Labrador in the school curriculum. I think that there is a course in the intermediate schools, but the kids are too young to debate the questions and no real critical thinking is taking place. At the high school level there currently is no course on Newfoundland issues and the Canadian history course contains about 3 paragraphs on Newfoundland and Labrador. However, there is a pilot course on Newfoundland issues being offered in the next few years. That is encouraging. Honestly it is all Canada in the current curriculum.
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