The annual cash
deficit of the Government remains at the $2 billion level. The Governing
Liberals and the Opposition Parties — PC and NDP — have the same agenda: keep
the public placated, maintain the illusion that there is no crisis, and otherwise
keep public expectations of them low.
As to other sectors of Newfoundland and Labrador society, including
business and unions, short-term self-interest prevails. For all of them,
serendipity (translated as “offshore oil”) will provide a “fix” for gross mismanagement
in a Province boasting the second largest per capita revenues of any Canadian
Province.
Nalcor continues to perform as well as it ever has. The
additional delay in commissioning at Muskrat has been trivialized by CEO Stan
Marshall, who committed to a schedule for first power in the fourth quarter of 2019.
The Nalcor Press Release, which carefully omitted any reference to the moniker “international
experts”, was timed for burial under the Christmas tinsel! It did not advise of
the additional cost of the delay anyway. A back of the envelope estimate is
$3,000,000 or so per day! And that may be low.
The software problem experienced on the LIL transmission
line is equally emblematic, as is Nalcor's refusal to provide the PUB current
Reports from its software contractor. Second-rate (that might be too generous) Minister
of Natural Resources, Siobhan Coady, is still puzzled why she is in the job. Many
members of the public are equally puzzled!
Little wonder that Commissioner Richard LeBlanc needs
another three months to finish his Report. I had considered sending him a one-word
thesaurus for Christmas but thought the better of it. I expect that, by now, he
knows all the synonyms for Nalcor beginning with the word “incompetence”.
What can we laugh about in 2020? I'm thinking two words: “Chinese
turbines”.
HA.....HAHAHAHAAAAA!!! Happy New Year! - Des Sullivan
HA.....HAHAHAHAAAAA!!! Happy New Year! - Des Sullivan
Now for last year's top ten Posts based solely on the number
of pageviews each received according to Google:
1. "ANONYMOUS ENGINEER" IDENTIFIES DEVICE USED TO LOW-BALL ESTIMATE" by the
"Anonymous Engineer"
2. MORE PRE-SANCTION FRAUD OR INCOMPETENCE? by PlanetNL
3. MINORITY GOVERNMENT LIKELY SHORT-LIVED
4. ATLANTIC ACCORD: DEAL OF A CHARLATAN
5. CARLA FOOTE AFFAIR: DOES OPPOSITION HAVE METTLE TO FACE DOWN DISHONESTY?
7. RATE MITIGATION - GRASPING AT STRAWS by David Vardy and Des Sullivan with research by PlanetNL
8. THE NORTH SPUR: WARNINGS IGNORED by David Vardy
(A related
post by Jim Gordon received almost identical readership, so I have arbitrarily
judged them a tie.)
NORTH SPUR: JIM GORDON TRIES AGAIN TO GET SIOBHAN COADY'S ATTENTION by James L. Gordon
10. HOW GOVERNMENT HAS GOUGEDRATEPAYERS FOR 30 YEARS by PlanetNL
HAPPY NEW YEAR!