DARKNL: WEAK MEDIA NO MATCH FOR DAMNING PUB REPORT

DarkNL, an event now recognized as the low point of utility mismanagement by Nalcor, finally gave comeuppance to Ed Martin, the Corporation’s master of spin. 

The PUB Report did not mince words.  Indeed, in tone and text it constituted an indictment of the Province’s energy provider.  Using over 60 pages, the independent Agency detailed a litany of failures in basic Hydro planning and equipment maintenance.  

As if anyone needs reminding, DarkNL saw virtually the entire Island without heat and light; almost all suffered rotating black-outs over an extended period. The concept of warming centers entered local lexicon.

Nalcor’s Ed Martin quickly plucked a forthright Hydro V-P Rob Henderson away from reporters.

Martin had scripted a different narrative; one more self-serving.  His tale of woe spoke to historically high power demand, excessively cold weather and old machinery. 

The feeding frenzy by all the media, for listener audience, gave little attention to facts; with the Report's release the media now owed the public the truth.

While the PUB Report offered that opportunity, reporters didn’t seem to know Nalcor had gotten another one over them.  The Report contradicted Ed Martin's assertions in their entirety. Somehow, it just didn't seem to matter.  

ARE YOU IN THE DARK OVER NALCOR'S BLACKOUTS? STOP BEING BAMBOOZLED BY BULLSHIT!

I don’t know about you, but to me 220,000 people without power or suffering rolling blackouts, seems a rather compelling crisis. 

Not to Premier Cathy Dunderdale, though.  “WE’RE NOT IN A CRISIS” says Dunderdale at the Sunday News Conference. The Premier must have been the only one, in the whole Province, running a high temperature!  Appearing on the third day of, yes…a “crises”, to acknowledge something is afoot, perhaps it is still not clear if the Premier even knows the power is out.

If the outages failed to cause Premier Dunderdale frustration, anger and resentment that was not the outcome for most people.   

NL Hydro V-P’s admission, "we saw this coming" apparently applied only to his ability to read the next days’ weather forecast. Couldn’t someone have told him: when it gets cold, as it often does in Newfoundland especially in winter, the demand for power increases. It’s been happening since Newfoundland got electricity.  DA!!!!!