Newfoundland residents seek answers, assurance as Quebec energy deal heads for debate
CTV
About 50 people gathered in a St. John's, N.L., gymnasium on a recent rainy night to seek answers about a massive energy deal with Hydro-Quebec trumpeted by the Newfoundland and Labrador government as a new chapter in the province's history.
About 50 people gathered in a St. John's, N.L., gymnasium on a recent rainy night to seek answers about a massive energy deal with Hydro-Québec trumpeted by the Newfoundland and Labrador government as a new chapter in the province's history.
One by one, a stream of attendees at the provincial NDP's town hall on Thursday stepped up to a microphone to say they were uncertain about whether they could trust that the tentative agreement was the best deal for Newfoundland and Labrador and that it wouldn't repeat mistakes of the past.
The legislature is set to open Monday for a debate about the arrangement, little more than three weeks after it was announced. Some said that didn't leave enough time for opposition politicians — or the public — to fully understand the deal, and prepare.
"This is so big that we have to take our time and do it right," said George Power, drawing applause from the crowd.
"I say to Premier Andrew Furey, shame on you for trying to push this through," he added. "And if we let this happen, shame on us."
Furey unveiled the agreement on Dec. 12 at a splashy press conference in St. John's, N.L. Quebec Premier François Legault sat next to him, grinning in front of a crowd of applauding Liberals from across Newfoundland and Labrador.
The draft deal calls for Hydro-Québec to pay more for the energy it has long purchased for basement-bottom prices from the Churchill Falls plant in Labrador, thanks to a contract signed in 1969. It also lays out plans for Hydro-Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to develop more hydroelectric projects in Labrador, promising thousands of jobs and billions in revenue.
