PADDY DALY SPUTTERS CATHY BENNETT’S CAMPAIGN

Actually that title is a slight exaggeration, but one no worse than the pumped up propaganda Cathy Bennett attempted as she got hoist on her petard, by VOCM Backtalk Host Paddy Daly.  She must have been trying to be Kathy Dunderdale, again. 

 The two are ‘cheek to jowl’, on Muskrat; the only difference is that Bennett believes she can explain the Project better. 

My Blog Post, How The Premier Damages Her Own Credibility (Part II) deals with Dunderdale’s wish to supply New England electric power for a fraction of its development cost. 

When no less a personage, than the Premier, advocates that we develop Labrador’s Gull Island, which is larger than Muskrat and reportedly cheaper per KWh, but still well in excess of 20 cents per KWh, and that we should sell it to the Governors for net 3.5 to 4 cents per KWh, you just know we have a problem.  When Bennett uses her soapbox to sell the same message, you know ‘Alice’ must have left the two behind, in Wonderland.

Faster than a Hammer Squad

Against a backdrop of massive risks and severe criticism of the $7.8 billion Muskrat Falls Project, the NL Government has ignored it all and is pushing full steam ahead. This is despite the fact that a key player in this development, SNC Lavalin, is under a massive cloud of suspicion with allegations that several of its senior executives have engaged in some very dodgy business dealings, misappropriating millions of dollars to influence big contract awards.

You may well ask: Why should this make any difference to the NL Government when nothing else seems to slow their gamble of NL’s future?

SNC Lavalin may book  ±$600 revenue from the Muskrat Falls Project for engineering, procurement and construction management services (EPCM). EPCM companies generally take no risk on cost overruns or schedule, but have an enormous impact on the outcome and success of a project.  No doubt, this is the case with SNC Lavalin on the Muskrat Falls Project.

Given this situation, trust and integrity are absolutely vital.