Short-term thinking is the specialty of politicians
Published Monday November 2nd, 2009
Re: Sale of NB Power
Power in a democracy?
I thought that it was supposed to reside with the people, but apparently not. Given that I am part owner of NB Power's $4.69 billion debt and given that I am already subject to an energy monopoly, I would like to be consulted on whether or not I want the government to sell my power company.
Energy Minister Jack Keir says that, "if there is a deal at the end of the day, it will be rolled out, be very transparent, and be the most important debate we have in the history of New Brunswick in the legislature."
As a tax-payer, and a ratepayer, a debt-holder and citizen, I want to be consulted about my preferences at the beginning of the day, not the end.
I want to be part of the debate rather than told about it later.
I am not sure from which monopoly I would like to buy power.
I can't evaluate the deal because I don't know which chess pieces are on the table. I would likely want to buy power from the company that offered me a fair purchase price for power that I might produce with a windmill or solar panels.
Kier thinks New Brunswickers will be happy with a deal that lowers power rates for the short-term, but short-term thinking is the specialty of politicians, not energy consumers. We will need energy in the long haul.
Finally, is selling off our ability to produce and distribute our own power really part of self-sufficiency? Will that make us an energy hub, or a spoke on someone else's wheel?
Tom Beckley
Keswick Ridge, N.B.
Hydro-Quebec is not here to lose money
Re: Sale of NB Power
Will there be a public inquiry? I think if NB Power has to be sold, there should be one.
Who has been lying to New Brunswickers about the financial security of this public utility? What ministers, past or present and at what level of government? Which heads should roll?
There was no real guarantee that a refurbishment of Point Lepreau would ever work - this was a world first.
The total cost of the project, overruns and delays were to be underwritten by AECL, backed by the federal government if it did not work.
If it worked, it would pay for itself. So we were told!
Except for this, NB Power is a profitable business serving New Brunswickers well - so the bonuses would lead us to believe. So why sell?
NB Power was formed from the consolidation of many New Brunswick interest groups. Public and private interest all contributed to building a secure energy future for New Brunswick.
Hydro-Quebec is not looking to come here to lose money. The first thing they will do is change the management. Maybe we should be doing that first, and I do not mean the operations managers. I mean this is an election issue boys!
Premier Graham, if you're selling NB Power, you need to be elected on that issue.
John R. Staples
Fredericton
A short-sighted move without a mandate
Re: Sale of NB Power
I believe that Premier Shawn Graham brings a whole new meaning to the word incompetent.
This short-sighted move without a mandate from the voters will have repercussions for decades to come. What happens when a separatist government is elected in Quebec? I would hope that will never happen, but unfortunately, I believe it will occur in the future.
I can't believe that an Atlantic premier would not work closely with another Atlantic premier (Danny Williams) to help Atlantic Canada achieve some measure of strength co-operatively and benefit from the transmission and sale of electricity to the USA.
Unbelievable is probably an overused word right now, but it is very applicable to this poorly thought out move by our premier. But then again, just about everything this government has done so far, under the leadership of Premier Graham, has turned out to be a fiasco.
Connie Denby
Queenstown, N.B.
Help us keep remembrance alive
Re: Remembrance Day activities
It is time once again to remember our fallen comrades and our heroes who returned home.
This is a gentle reminder to any one planning to lay a wreath or cross on Remembrance Day at Mactaquac that they must request such from either Ashley at 363-2069 or Don Toole at 363-2348.
For the Millville cenotaph, please give your request to Arden Braun at 463-8284 or Stan Graham at 463-2069.
The poppy remembrance campaign began Oct. 30. If you wish to donate to the memory of a deceased veteran or ex-military personnel of the Canadian Allied Forces rather than a wreath or cross, let us know and the name and memory will be read at the cenotaph on Nov. 11.
The host church this year will be the Church of England in Zealand on Nov. 8.
If you wish to make a donation or payment (Millville area only) the address is Royal Canadian Legion, Branch No. 59, 3972 Route 104, Millville, N.B. E6E 1S9.
Please help us to keep remembrance alive.
Arden Braun
Poppy chairman
Branch No. 59
Royal Canadian Legion
Millville, N.B.
If you love the Nashwaak, get involved
Re: Sisson Brook Mine
Travelling down the Nashwaak Valley on a late August afternoon, I marveled at the continuous caravan of tubers, canoers and kayakers leisurely enjoying the river and its valley.
I wondered how many of these river rafters are aware of the imminent threat to this beautiful resource, posed by a mining proposal for the Upper Nashwaak, hatched in Vancouver, and championed by a provincial government desperate for mining development at any cost.
The Graham government is intent on pushing through the Geodex Sisson Brook Mine in the Upper Nashwaak Watershed.
This mine is only a small part of 18,000 hectares of mining claims and potential mine developments that will devastate the Nashwaak Narrows Mountain Region of the Nashwaak Valley and release tons of airborne and waterborne toxic lead and arsenic onto the watershed.
It is obvious that the misguided engineers at the Department of Natural Resources are convinced that the Sisson Brook mine, and its offshoots, are the anvils on which future self-sufficiency of the province can be forged.
The fact that Stanley, Taymouth, Durham and surrounding communities will be subjected to social degradation, and this beautiful river sacrificed as an industrial sewer, seems not to affect their thinking or determination in the least.
It is astounding that a proposal from a company that has been admonished by the B.C. Securities commission in the past, and which is currently on their list of defaulting issuers, can still be taken seriously and can continue to move forward. See: http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/DefaultIssuersList.aspx
I urge all who love the Nashwaak and enjoy its gentle beauty to get involved in stopping this mine and preventing any more taxpayers' money from being thrown away on this ill-advised project.
Lawrence Wuest
Stanley, N.B.
More Opinion
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
Comments (3)
All comments are subject to the site Terms of Use. For a full commenting tutorial click here.
Our editorial team relies on filtering technology and our visitor community to identify inappropriate comments. In the event that a site user has submitted offensive content that has evaded our filter, please select the option to Flag As Inappropriate presented within the comment. Thank you for helping to keep this site clean.
I realize people would love a 10-15-20 year rate guarantee, but in today's shaky economy, to get a 5 year guarantee is doing pretty good. After all it is very difficult to predict where the world will be in a year. Will industry recover or get even worse? Will there be jobs created or lost? How much will interest rates rise? Will housing prices go up or down? Will income taxes be higher or lower?
No one can predict the future.
Hang on to NB Power and make it profitable. Hang on to NB Power and watch it go deeper and debt. Hang onto NB Power and have the debt stay the same, not rising, but not being paid off. Sell to Hydro Quebec now for $5 billion. Sell to someone else in five years for $2 billion. Sell to someone in five years for $10 billion.
Anything is possible.
The residential users must demand a drop in their rates that puts them on the same level with residential users in Quebec. This was done for industry, no surprise, but if we can get giddy over a 5 year rate freeze then we will surely be dumb enough to vote this figurehead of a premier in for another term.
You Liberals out there need to learn the difference between crap and cupcakes. Demand a drop in residential rates. Grow some.