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Lower Churchill roadblock shows lack of due diligence by government
The possible sale of New Brunswick’s power utility
to Hydro Quebec again demonstrates how unprepared this government is when
dealing with route options for the Lower Churchill development, says
Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones.
In September, Natural Resources Minister Kathy
Dunderdale downplayed this province’s missed opportunity to bid on
transmission capacity through New Brunswick when requests for proposals
were issued in 2008. The minister stated at that time that she was not
concerned that the province did not submit a bid and it was not a missed
opportunity for the Lower Churchill development. Instead, Hydro Quebec
purchased all excess capacity on the New Brunswick grid.
“Government did not complete its due diligence on
transmission options for Lower Churchill power and it is their fault that
we are in this situation today,” said Ms. Jones. “This is a continuous
cycle of this government, when they haven’t done their homework, they
throw their hands up in the air and find someone else to blame. If
government participated in the request for proposal process in 2008, we
would be in a better position today with more transmission options
available.
“We’ve seen this haphazard approach from the
premier before on the Lower Churchill. He was willing to put transmission
lines through Gros Morne National Park, but recently took that option off
the table saying he was only kidding. It appears the premier is unprepared
to deal with the real circumstances facing the transmission of power from
the Lower Churchill. This is not the approach of someone who is serious
about working with other provinces as opposed to telling them how to do
their business. If the premier was serious about this development, we
would see more action and less political rhetoric.”
