Bill, I agree. We’d be buying a pig in a poke. It’s a question of arriving at a conclusion first and then looking back for
justification. Dexter and company seem to be in thrall to Emera, which is a very strange political romance. Your earlier comment that we should start with the question of how much power do we need is valid. How we get it is the next question. A small province with an aging, declining population and a large debt ought to be careful about a billion dollars.
Dexter has been up against the wall in trying to deal with NSPC rate increases, particularly in the face of an upcoming election. Don’t think for a minute that Emera didn’t know this. They presented the Premier with what was supposedly a sure winner for an election – and he bought it, hook line and sinker. Now he can’t back out of it without serious damage to a re-election campaign, so the pressure goes on the UARB to approve. As Harold says, a hugh public outcry has to be raised to stop this fiasco.
Re Bus 101, who else is going to buy Emera’s share of Link power – New England? Little chance of that when they have all the Quebec power they need (probably at even more competitive rates) as well as any amount of Montney shale gas that is now available. So Emera goes back and, IMO, somehow uses NSPC again to wring more $$ out of the NS public purse.
The UARB has shown itself to be a tool of NSPC and the current NDP Gov’t – I very much doubt if THEY will say NO UNLESS there is a HUGE public outcry. NSPC and Nalcor seem to be looking out for each other’s interest, rather then ratepayers. They are treating this whole contracting arrangement on the basis that they BOTH have monopolies in their respective provinces, and that the NS & NF Gov’t are both committed to this deal – they have shown little interest in hard negotiations on this project. They realize that they both have the ratepayers to carry their water (i.e., we can be stuck with substantial future rate increases) on this project. NS ratepayers will sorely regret that NSPC has committed us to this project down the road IMO.
Bill, I agree. We’d be buying a pig in a poke. It’s a question of arriving at a conclusion first and then looking back for
justification. Dexter and company seem to be in thrall to Emera, which is a very strange political romance. Your earlier comment that we should start with the question of how much power do we need is valid. How we get it is the next question. A small province with an aging, declining population and a large debt ought to be careful about a billion dollars.
Jim Radford | February 7, 2013 |
Perhaps the UARB should put this out to a consultant (goodness knows, they have plenty to decide).
gordon a.... | February 4, 2013 |
Dexter has been up against the wall in trying to deal with NSPC rate increases, particularly in the face of an upcoming election. Don’t think for a minute that Emera didn’t know this. They presented the Premier with what was supposedly a sure winner for an election – and he bought it, hook line and sinker. Now he can’t back out of it without serious damage to a re-election campaign, so the pressure goes on the UARB to approve. As Harold says, a hugh public outcry has to be raised to stop this fiasco.
Re Bus 101, who else is going to buy Emera’s share of Link power – New England? Little chance of that when they have all the Quebec power they need (probably at even more competitive rates) as well as any amount of Montney shale gas that is now available. So Emera goes back and, IMO, somehow uses NSPC again to wring more $$ out of the NS public purse.
John | February 2, 2013 |
The UARB has shown itself to be a tool of NSPC and the current NDP Gov’t – I very much doubt if THEY will say NO UNLESS there is a HUGE public outcry. NSPC and Nalcor seem to be looking out for each other’s interest, rather then ratepayers. They are treating this whole contracting arrangement on the basis that they BOTH have monopolies in their respective provinces, and that the NS & NF Gov’t are both committed to this deal – they have shown little interest in hard negotiations on this project. They realize that they both have the ratepayers to carry their water (i.e., we can be stuck with substantial future rate increases) on this project. NS ratepayers will sorely regret that NSPC has committed us to this project down the road IMO.
Harold | February 2, 2013 |
They need to sell more than we need to buy.
A great bargaining position.
Just keep saying “NO” till they get down to our terms
Business 101
Bill | February 1, 2013 |