Clock ticking for hydro deals, Canada told
Comment 1New England is just trying to hoodwink the maritimes, just as quebec hoodwinked Nfld. Take your time and get the correct and profitable price, Preferably for a short term contract, so we can gouge the snot out of them as they become more reliant. We can get our soft lumber settlement out of the crooks yet. We have to start taking care of our own backyard before we worry or get pressured by the arrogance of the yanks.
Comment 2
why don't the americans put their money where their mouths are!!! this is a canadian issue, and the yanks have no place sticking their two cents in. if they weren't such energy hogs, they wouldn't be in an energy crisis, would they?! our project, our money...our choice!!!
As you can see above - the first fellow is writing from New Brunswick and he thinks the Lower Churchill project is a Maritime issue and they would get taken in just like NL on the Upper Churchill.
The second fellow is writing as a Canadian - and he thinks the power is a Canadian Issue.
There are others like this on the page - the Maritimes and even a writer from Quebec see the Lower Churchill project as theirs. With the sale to Emera and the link to the Maritimes - it would appear we have already lost control of this last best resource.
Dunderdale appears happy enough to be getting attention from her "colleagues". What a joke this is. Kathy Dunderdale is not able to achieve the best deal for this project so she must be told by the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to stop.
The CBC story begins with this paragraph:
New England governors are calling for a swift resolution to transmission and financial issues associated with the potential development of Labrador's Lower Churchill hydroelectric project, with one warning that Canada is "running out of time" to sell power south of the border. (emphasis added)
This is more than alarming - this is ridiculous. Canada is not running out of time for anything - they do not own the power. Further this haste required by New England is nothing more than do it now or we will not allow you to give away your power.
So if things are so desperate for power - should be a big call to use it in Labrador for industry - right?
Stop this giveaway of our resource!
6 comments:
Sue, I see where you are coming from with your thinking, but, indeed, this is a Maritime issue because there will be no 'loan guarantee' from Ottawa for this project that will be paid for dearly by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians unless Nova Scotia will be the Primary Beneficiary of cheap energy for 35 years from the Muskrat Falls deal. This NL Energy Project will provide Nova Scotia, like the Upper Churchill Hydroelectric Energy Project provided Quebec with almost free power, as in Quebec's case for 70 years with no escalator caluse. Nova Scotia will have lots of lead time to be off and up,up and away with very cheap energy to entice Industries, while Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will be on the hook to pay for this very expensive project and will be shafted out of creating industry themselves. I don't see the logistics behind this project. I heard just recently by one of our government cabinet ministers that the rest of the damming in that area will be taken care of by Quebec. Everything is an enigma to me. The Muskrat Fall is going to be a very small project just one-seventh (14%) the size of the Upper Churchill and a very expensive one and the people of NL will see the doubling of their energy bills to keep it going and our public debt will sky-rocket with a terrible expense to us as well.
A trivia question for you and your readers Sue: why, when the province of Newfoundland and Labrador was enticed into the Canadian Federation by hook or by crook, some say by crook did Ottawa create two monikers for the Atlantic Region, the "Maritimes" which includes Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick exclusive of Newfoundland and Labrador, while the "Atlantic Region" included Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick. By the way no province in the Canadian Federation, except British Columbia which abuts the Pacific is more Maritime than the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Was the Maritimes moniker created so that Federal Government could exclude Newfoundland and Labrador from certain things it handed out gratis paid for by Federal Taxpayers dollars, like Federal Crown Corps, Military and Naval bases, and all the other Federal Regional offices that can be found in any of the other Maritime provinces but not in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador?
No sorry - I do not see this as an issue outside Newfoundland and Labrador. We own the power. How about we use the power in Labrador and invite industries from these other jurisdictions who no longer have power - to set up in Labrador? No more giveaways.
Sue an excellent suggestion and I concur it is the only reason that I would like to see this project developed, but for some strange reason it is being developed the way it is and I have a feeling that the players in on this deal don't give a damn about their fellow Newfoundlanders and Labradorians' economic and financial well being, all that they are concerned about is they are going to build a nest egg for themselves, the same reason all of the other Newfoundland and Labrador natural resources were developed over the past 62 years. Those players received a very interested ear in Ottawa and Nova Scotia on the proposed development of this Muiskrat Falls project so this crazy project is being done for an alternative reason than providing good economics for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. That is my opinion and I am sticking to it unless I have all the details that makes good economic sense.
Already it has been stated any energy garnered from the damming of the rest of the Lower Churchill will be wheeled through Quebec Hydro lines. I am so perplexed over this deal that I am completely shocked and don't know where to turn for the true answers on this process.
Previous post said: "Was the Maritimes moniker created so that Federal Government could exclude Newfoundland and Labrador from certain things it handed out gratis paid for by Federal Taxpayers dollars"
Get your history straight. Maritimes to describe NS/NB/PEI pre-dates Canada. The Charlottown Conference was called by the Maritimes to discuss Maritime union. NL was not invited because it was thought they were not interested. Conspiracy more interesting than historical fact...? Incidently Canada(U&L) was at that table & pushed union between them & the Maritimes. With exception of PEI, they agreed to join. Use of term "Atlantic Provinces" came about after confederation in '49. It wasn't coined by the Feds it was coined by Joey! See below exerpt from Wikipedia:
The first premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Joey Smallwood, coined the term Atlantic Canada when Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada in 1949. He believed it would be presumptuous for Newfoundland and Labrador to assume that it could include itself within the existing term "Maritime Provinces", used to describe the cultural similarities shared by New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. The three Maritime provinces joined Confederation in the nineteenth century: New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in 1867 and Prince Edward Island in 1873.
Way to go Sue!
I love your Blog & agree with 99.99% of the things you write.
I'm not here or on online like I used to but I still follow you. You seem to be more effective on the open-line shows though.(A bigger local audience, maybe)
To much work for me to do around the house this time of the year. I think the public know where i'm coming from by now. Adjacency & environmentally friendly development is my big things.
Take care and keep up the great work.
A lot of skulduggery against the province of Newfoundland and Labrador has been committed under the moniker "The Maritimes".
I need not say more!
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