STAN MARSHALL'S TENURE SAYS AS MUCH ABOUT US AS IT DOES HIM (PART 2)

The Report of the Commission of Inquiry named the chief culprits of the Muskrat fiasco as Ed Martin, Gilbert Bennett and the PMT. Some of the originals, including Bennett and Harrington, were permitted to keep their positions. The Commissioner’s conclusion evokes a number of questions including whether Stan Marshall was the right person for the job.

Last week’s piece concluded that he was not. 

More important for this conversation, is the Government’s relationship with Marshall, the public’s reaction to their hands-off approach, and the worry that our expectations of  politicians and public servants remain low.

Let’s start here.

What is Muskrat’s status five years after Marshal’s arrival? 

ASSESSING STAN MARSHALL'S TENURE AT NALCOR (Part 1)

As Stan Marshall headed for the exit at Nalcor Energy on June 10^th – the Annual General Meeting completed, and the media given something akin to an oratorio on his own tenure – he might have been expecting public applause for a job well-done. After five weeks there is no echo to be heard – there having been not a sound!

Marshall reminded us that he arrived at Nalcor at a time of crisis – which is true.

He also suggested that after five years of giving the Crown Corporation his guiding hand, everything about the Muskrat Falls project is under control – which is not true.

Nor does his claim hold water that Nalcor’s expertise is something the province can’t do without.

RATE MITIGATION: FOOL ME TWICE…

Throughout the Nation’s Capital and beyond, the loud drumbeat of an impending General Election is heard. The pundits forecast that the new GG will be asked to dissolve Parliament around the end of August. That may leave as little as six weeks for PM Trudeau to stop dithering over “rate mitigation” and address the Muskrat Falls debacle.

Newfoundlanders are doing themselves no favours ignoring the fact that such an agreement remains outstanding.

The public are witnesses to Premier Ball’s failed attempt but have learned little from the experience.

Ball’s good intentions are echoed by Premier Andrew Furey who seems content if a deal is done by November though he has no proof such an outcome is assured.

By then, Ottawa will have forgotten – again - that this place exists.

BLOCKCHAIN MINING AN ALTERNATIVE FOR LABRADOR POWER WITH GREATER PROFIT

PlanetNL38: Large Pent-Up Demand For Power in Labrador

An Alternative to Export With Greater Profit

Ready for some eye-popping news?  NL Hydro has received more than enough requests in a relatively short period, to not only sell out all Muskrat Falls energy but they also have enough demand to sell all Churchill Falls energy if they had it available.  Yes, every watt generated would go just to meeting this backlog of power requests and its all in Labrador – potentially nothing would have to flow through Hydro-Quebec.  If only this year was 2041!

This must be great news for rate mitigation then?  Not in the slightest really.  You see, all this demand is focused on solely the Labrador Interconnected System (LIS), home to the cheapest utility rates in North America.  Current rates are set so low, Government would be unwise to allow the connection of any new customer in the area.  There is more money to be made selling the power out of province.

How messed up is that?