December 17 is an auspicious day in Muskrat Falls history. That was the date in 2012 when Kathy Dunderdale stood in front of a group of cheering supporters of the ludicrous megaproject and proclaimed that the government had formally approved its construction. “It all begins here!” she shouted to the
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The Sir Robert Bond Papers: Reality Control #nlpoli
The Memory Hole Nineteen eighty-four is popular these days. People think that the ideas in the book like the memory hole are modeled on communist or fascist dictatorships from the early part of the last century. What those people forget is that George Orwell worked at the BBC during the
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Muskrat committee flags cost risk for potential alternate transmission software #nlpoli
At the end of December 2019, the Muskrat Falls Oversight Committee added development of alternate protection and control software for the high voltage direct current transmission system – that is, the Labrador-Island Link – to its list of risks the committee is monitoring for potential added project costs. Alternate software
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Cleaning up the mess of Muskrat Falls #nlpoli
There are a couple of points in his 1,000 page report where commissioner Richard LeBlanc refers to politicians and other officials of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador as being naive in their dealings with Nalcor officials about Muskrat Falls. He says Ed Martin took advantage of the politicians and bureaucrats. It
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Interesting news, buried under bull #nlpoli
There are two aspects to Monday’s announcement about Muskrat Falls and electricity rates: political and practical items related to Muskrat Falls. Another set of decisions are actually related to the provincial government’s non-Muskrat Falls finances. And then there’s a little tidbit about how far behind Muskrat Falls is. Political –
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: A mouthful of burp #nlpoli
Not one mitigation scheme. Not two mitigation schemes. Three mitigation schemes. Delivered by the end of January. All wonderful grand and all believable if you have had the sense knocked out of you by the endless string of promises Dwight Ball has made about mitigating the impact of Muskrat Falls
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: No change in the weather? No change in we. #nlpoli
The problem we have is not a lack of options and opportunities to sort out the government finances ourselves. The problem facing Newfoundland and Labrador is that the leading people of the province, not just the politicians but all the leading people, don’t have the stomach for making the kinds
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Restoring Power: destroying the monster #nlpoli
The threat from Muskrat Falls can only be removed by concerted action that addresses the project’s financial burden, restores integrity to the system of electricity regulation, and that breaks, once and for all time, the fundamentally corrupt relationship between the provincial hydro-electric corporation and the provincial government. This is the
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Luncheon Speech: From Muskrat Falls to the Future #nlpoli
Your humble e-scribbler will be speaking to the St. John’s Rotary Club about getting beyond Muskrat Falls on Thursday, August 1, 2019 at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland. Luncheon starts at 12:30 PM with the talk at around 1:00 PM. -srbp-
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Restoring Power: The Section 92A Option #nlpoli
One of the potentially most valuable revenue sources would be a new tax on electricity production that could yield upwards of $450 million a year. The bulk of the tax would be paid by Emera and Hydro-Quebec, both of which currently profit from free or near-free electricity through two patently unfair
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Kick in the Guts #nlpoli
Those following the Muskrat Falls inquiry last week will likely have noticed that one of the big issues not discussed during Dwight Ball’s testimony was the circumstances surrounding Ed Martin’s resignation.It bears on the inquiry since the entire episode goes to the heart of the government’s relationship to Nalcor, which
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Quebec appeals court decision on Churchill Falls contract no win for Newfoundland and Labrador #nlpoli
Media reports, political comments, and pundit opinions are wrong about the decision last week by the Quebec Court of Appeal in a case about the renewal clause of the 1969 Power Contract between Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation and Hydro-Quebec. The Court decision leaves Hydro-Quebec with virtually all of the electricity
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Restoring Power – Mitigating the Impacts of Muskrat Falls #nlpoli
Left untended, the Muskrat Falls project threatens the financial well-being of the government and people of Newfoundland and Labrador. The threat cannot be removed merely by directing money from one pot or another to offset the impact the mismanaged project’s costs would have on electricity rates in the province. The
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: A CHEAP Framework – the PC and Liberal Muskrat Falls plans #nlpoli
The Conservative and Liberal Muskrat Falls rate mitigation plans are the same. Both include magical assumptions of revenue. Both omit crucial details. Note: Some people asked on Monday for comment or analysis of the two plans to mitigate Muskrat Falls’ impact on provincial electricity rates. This is an abbreviated summary
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Napalm sticks… #nlpoli
The latest poll from MQO is being reported as a statistical tie by NTV , while CBC says it shows a “neck and neck” race between the PCs and Liberals. That’s not really the story of the polls, though and what they might mean. Here’s the pretty chart showing every party
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Mitigating Muskrat Falls: Ron, Harry, and Hermione are still baffled #nlpoli
Mitigating the impacts Muskrat Falls will have on taxpayers of Newfoundland and Labrador remains the single biggest unanswered question in the province nine years after the project started and the politicians first started talking about how they might do it. To mark the 14th anniversary of The Sir Robert Bond Papers,
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The PUB, Exemptions, and Muskrat Falls #nlpoli #cdnpoli
Here’s some background on the issue of Muskrat Falls and Public Utilities Board exemptions. At the end you should know what an exemption is all about, how the exemptions – there are more than one – came about – and what that means for now and in the future as
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Electricity prices, risk, and what the editors didn’t say #nlpoli
Okay. What Muskrat Falls will do to electricity prices is not funny. Never was. But what *is* extremely funny are columns like Russell Wangersky’s latest hand-wringer about the most recent round of electricity rates hikes. Remember when we were told that Muskrat Falls was needed to stabilise electricity rates? Now,
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Muskrat Falls Inquiry Terms of Reference – Comments #nlpoli #cdnpoli
MF Inquiry TOR Commentary EGHollett by Edward Hollett on Scribd
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Don’t blame me (-dia) #nlpoli
Now that Muskrat Falls is officially a boondoggle, all sorts of people are rushing forward to criticise it. Others are also rushing forward to ensure we all know that they were on the side of the angels back in the day and so, as Brian Jones pleads this weekend in
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