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Monday, January 12, 2009

Coming Crisis

As a follow up to the Web Talk article, “Joint Review Panel Named for Lower Churchill Development”, published on Friday January 9th (see preceding article), I thought it might be beneficial to take a look back at some of the key issues surrounding the Upper Churchill contract itself.

The following article appeared last year in the now defunct newspaper “The Independent” which was Newfoundland and Labrador’s only locally run newspaper before closing its doors, the rest of the papers in the Province being owned and operated by Transcontinental out of Quebec.

The Independent may no longer be in circulation but the following article, which ran in the March 21st, 2008 edition, summarizes some of the key issues surrounding the Quebec/Newfoundland & Labrador dynamic as it relates to the Upper Churchill contract. It also identifies the potential for future tensions between the two Provinces regarding that specific project as well as to the Lower Churchill development.

Coming Crisis
Research paper traces upper Churchill renewal clause; indicates Québec 'exploited the moment'

By STEPHANIE PORTER
Friday, March 21, 2008

Relations between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador may become a little testier over the next eight years, predicts Memorial University economics professor James Feehan.

In 2016, the first 44 years of the infamous upper Churchill power contract expires. But then the “renewal clause” kicks in, automatically continuing the sale agreement between Hydro-Québec and Churchill Falls Labrador Corp. (CFLCo) for 25 more years — but further cutting the price of the already cheap electricity.

“I can imagine by 2016, where the prices of other things have gone up, and we cut the price of what we’re getting from Churchill Falls power by 20 per cent, that’s got to cause another, maybe not a crisis, but certainly it’s going to touch off other political events,” Feehan tells The Independent.

“People are going to get more upset about it as time goes along … and 2016 is not so far away anymore.”

Feehan, along with Memorial archivist-historian Melvin Baker, researched and wrote The Origins of a Coming Crisis: Renewal of the Churchill Falls Contract, published in the most recent edition of the Dalhousie Law Journal. The 52-page paper explores the negotiation of the Churchill Falls contract, particularly tracing the evolution of the renewal clause.

The authors show Hydro-Québec was fully aware of the ramifications of the deal they, in the end, were able to push to be signed.“Clearly there was no sympathy from the Québec side in terms of the resource owner, Newfoundland,” says Feehan.

“It certainly raises a lot of ethical issues for Hydro-Québec in terms of business practice. One wonders if anyone would get away with doing anything like this these days.”

In terms of the renewal clause, what began as an item of use to both sides at the table — in a 1963 draft, there was a brief provision allowing for the right to renew the contract “upon terms and conditions then to be agreed” — evolved “at a very late stage” into concrete terms, with fixed prices and time span.

In the paper, Feehan and Baker describe the post-2016 costs: “During the renewal period, the price is pre-set at two mills per kilowatt hour … two mills is 0.2 cents."

"Even in the late 1960s, a price of two mills was extraordinarily low … to put this price in perspective, in 2004 the average wholesale price of electricity in Ontario was 52.2 mills per kilowatt hour and in 2003 Hydro-Québec received an average of approximately 84.9 mills for its electricity exports.”

In other words, the authors say, that price “is barely distinguishable from being free.”

With about 30 billion kilowatt hours of electricity to be sold annually, the gap between the value of the electricity and the revenue for the province “could amount to billions of dollars per year for 25 years."

“Surely,” the authors continue, “this is the seed for a serious conflict involving the contracting parties and their owners, namely the two provincial governments.”

The vast discrepancy between the worth and price of the electricity is clear — and well-known to most Newfoundlanders and Larbadorians. But what Feehan and Baker systematically show, perhaps for the first time and using primary materials previously unexamined, is that the renewal clause was accepted in a high-pressure situation at a time when CFLCo was scrambling for cash and a deal.

“They didn’t want to do it,” says Feehan. “But they were in a position where, quite literally, it was a do or die condition for CFLCo and you know what you do? You prefer not to die.”

When beginning his research, Feehan says he — like many — was tempted to point the finger of blame squarely at Joey Smallwood or the provincial government for signing what should have been an obviously bad deal.

“I didn’t have the sense that the renewal clause came about the way it did; I had the sense this was something that had been in the works since the beginning. But dramatic change happened at the last minute.”

More damning still is evidence he found that shows Hydro-Québec knew very well what it was doing.

“Then you find the documents about what Quebec was saying about what a great deal this was and the price was so low, even in terms of 1968, everybody knew about inflation, everybody knew this was such a low price. It’s not that they were naïve on either side of the negotiating table; they knew that this price for renewal was incredibly low, yet it was pushed to the point where CFLCo had to take it or leave it."

"If I had found different facts, I would blame who I thought; and you can always go back and examine everybody’s role … but the party that really exploited the moment was Hydro-Québec."

"They knew exactly what they were doing.”

Feehan says he knows government “is aware of” his research, but hasn’t been privy to any discussions about potential upcoming challenges — legal or otherwise — to the renewal clause. He does expect discussions to heat up.

“Like the title of the paper says, Coming Crisis. Somehow, some way, as people get refocused on this, as 2016 comes and the price is cut as energy prices continue to rise …”

In adding further weight to the long-held feeling Newfoundland and Labrador was strong-armed by Quebec, Feehan also realizes his work could affect future negotiations between the two provinces.

“This sort of history very much spoils the relationship with Quebec for potential developments,” he says.

“You need some sort of basic element of trust to deal with another party.”

Feehan is paying attention as the province works toward developing the lower Churchill.

“In some ways it’s a separate issue,” he says. “You would think whatever happened on Churchill Falls shouldn’t influence the decision to make a good deal or not with the lower Churchill. If you have a good deal with any party then you should put aside the experience of a bad deal with a party in the past. But this still lingers in the background and it still creates political difficulties for relations between the two provinces.”

18 comments:

Glenn said...

Canada's biggest infrastructure projects:

(The townies get to clean up their septic tank, yaaaah! Danny and Doc should be good for another term now. No mention of Churchill Falls, Hebron, or Long Harbour, maybe they don't count. At least there'll be plenty of work in the ROC for the working Newfoundlander. The more things change the more they stay the same.)




1. Romaine Hydroelectric Complex Project. Capital cost: $6.5 billion. Havre-Saint-Pierre, Que.


2. Bruce A Nuclear Generating Station Restart. Capital cost: $5.25 billion. Kincardine, Ont.


3. Eastmain-1-A/Sarcelle/Rupert Project. Capital cost: $5 billion. Quebec.


4. Spadina Subway Extension. Capital cost: $2.63 billion. Toronto.


5. Alberta Clipper Project. Capital cost: $2 billion. Hardisty, Alta.


6. Canada Line. Capital cost: $2 billion. Vancouver.


7. Port Mann/Highway 1 Project. Capital cost: $1.6 billion. Vancouver.


8. Keephills 3 Generating Plant. Capital cost: $1.6 billion. Keephills, Alta.


9. Autoroute 30. Capital cost: $1.5 billion. Montreal.


10. Edmonton Ring Road, Anthony Henday Drive NW. Capital cost: $1.42 billion. Edmonton.


11. International Facilities Project. Capital cost: $1.3 billion. Calgary.


12. Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station Refurbishment. Estimated project spending: $1.4 billion. Point Lepreau, N.B.


13. Edmonton International Airport Expansion. Capital cost: $1.1 billion.


14. Niagara Tunnel Project. Capital cost $985 million. Niagara Falls, Ont.


15. Edmonton Clinic North at University of Alberta. Capital cost: $909 million. Edmonton.


16. Golden Ears Bridge. Capital cost: $808 million. Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Surrey and Langley, B.C.


17. Prince Rupert Port Expansion (Phase 2). Capital cost: $770 million. Prince Rupert, B.C.


18. Canaport LNG Terminal. Capital cost: $750 million. Saint John, N.B.


19. Portlands Energy Centre (PEC). Capital cost: $730 million. Toronto.


20. West LRT Line. Capital cost: $700 million. Calgary.


21. Alberta Schools Alternative Procurement (ASAP). Capital cost: $643 million. Calgary and Edmonton.


22. Woodstock General Hospital. Capital cost: $ 685 million. Woodstock, Ont.


23. Chute-Allard et des Rapides-des-coeurs. Capital cost: $680 million. Saint-Maurice River, Que.


24. Red River Floodway Expansion. Capital cost: $665 million. Winnipeg.


25. East Toba and Montrose Run of River Project. Capital cost: $660 million ($500 million in construction costs). Powell River, B.C.


26. Calgary Ring Road, Stoney Trail N.E. Capital Cost: $650 million. Calgary.


27. New Data Centre Project. Capital cost: $650 million. Toronto region.


28. Edmonton Remand Centre. Capital cost: $620 million. Edmonton.


29. Interior to Lower Mainland Transmission Project. Capital cost: $602 million. British Columbia.


30. Bruce to Milton Power Line. Capital cost: $600 million. Toronto.


31. Seymour-Capilano Water Utility Projects. Capital cost: $600 million. Vancouver.


32. Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project. Capital cost: $600 million. Vancouver.


33. Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Redevelopment. Project cost: $585 million. Winnipeg.


34. 2010 Winter Olympics (Southeast False Creek/Vancouver's Olympic Village, and Whistler's Olympic Village.) Project cost: $580 million. Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.


35. North Bay Regional Health Centre. Capital cost: $551 million. North Bay, Ont.


36. Harrison Hydro Project. Capital cost: $500 million. British Columbia.


37. Wolfe Island Wind Project. Capital cost: $450 million. Wolfe Island, Ont.


38. William Osler Health Centre. Capital cost: $450 million. Brampton, Etobicoke and Georgetown, Ont.


39. Kelowna and Vernon Hospitals Project. Capital cost: $432.9 million. Kelowna and Vernon, B.C.


40. Calgary Ring Road, Stoney Trail N.W. Capital cost: $430 million. Calgary.


41. Sault Area Hospital. Capital cost: $408 million. Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.


42. Sydney Tar Ponds Cleanup. Capital cost: $400 million. Sydney, N.S.


43. Durham Consolidated Courthouse. Capital cost: $334 million. Oshawa, Ont.


44. Halifax Harbour Cleanup. Capital cost: $330 million. Halifax.


45. Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science, University of Alberta (PHASE II). Capital cost: $312 million. Edmonton.


46. Deltaport Third Berth Project. Capital cost: $300 million. Vancouver.


47. Foothills Medical Centre McCaig Tower. Capital cost: $300 million. Calgary.


48. Union Station Signalling Contract. Capital Cost: $280 million. Toronto, Ont.


49. Peter Lougheed Centre. Capital cost: $260 million. Calgary.


50. Glenmore and Bearspaw Water Treatment Plants Upgrade. Capital cost: $235 million. Calgary.


51. South LRT Extensions. Capital cost: $228 million. Edmonton.


52. Nanaimo Centre Project/Vancouver Island Conference Centre. Capital cost: $220 million. Nanaimo, B.C.


53. Bluewater Health. Capital cost: $214 million. Sarnia, Ont.


54. London Health Sciences Centre North Toronto. Capital cost: $212 million. London, Ont.


55. Autoroute 25 Expansion. Capital cost: $210 million. Montreal.


56. Residential Care and Assisted Capacity Initiative. Capital cost: $210 million. Vancouver Island, B.C.


57. Montreal Port Expansion Phase I. Capital cost: $200 million. Montreal.


58. Cariboo Connector. Capital cost: $200 million. Prince George, B.C.


59. Pitt River Bridge and Mary Hill Exchange. Capital cost: $198 million. Port Coquitlam, B.C.


60. Henderson General Hospital Redevelopment. Capital cost: $198 million. Hamilton.


61. The Rivers District Community Revitalization Project. Capital cost: $192.5 million. Calgary.


62. Edmonton Clinic South at University of Alberta. Capital cost: $185 million. Edmonton.


63. Royal Alberta Museum. Capital cost: $180 million. Edmonton.


64. Hospital Montfort. Capital cost: $173 million. Ottawa.


65. East Windsor Cogeneration Centre (EWCC). Capital cost: $170 million. Windsor, Ont.


66. Queen Elizabeth Way Widening. Capital cost: $167 million. St. Catharines, Ont.


67. The Credit Valley Hospital Phase II. Capital cost: $162.8 million. Mississauga, Ont.


68. Filmport. Capital cost: $160 million. Toronto.


69. Corus Building. Capital cost: $160 million. Toronto.


70. Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant Odour Control. Capital cost: $160 million. Toronto.


71. Colchester Regional Hospital. Capital cost: $155 million. Truro, N.S.


72. Canadian Museum of Nature. Capital cost: $152 million. Ottawa.


73. St. John's Harbour Cleanup. Capital cost: $144 million. St. John's, N.L.


74. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Capital cost: $142 million. Toronto.


75. Kingston General Hospital. Capital cost: $142 million. Kingston.


76. Algoma Steel Cogeneration Facility. Capital cost: $135 million. Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.


77. Kicking Horse Canyon Phase 3. Capital cost: $135 million. Golden, B.C.


78. Deh Cho Bridge. Capital cost: $132 million. Fort Providence, N.W.T.


79. Sudbury Regional Hospital. Capital cost: $131.9 million. Sudbury, Ont.


80. Queenston-Lewiston Bridge Crossing. Capital cost: $130 million. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.


81. Windsor Gateway Project. Capital cost: $128 million. Windsor, Ont.


82. Nova Scotia Community College. Capital cost: $123 million. Halifax.


83. Marriott Hotel - Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport. Capital cost: $120 million. Montreal.


84. Northwest LRT Extension. Capital cost: $120 million. Calgary.


85. Queen's University, Queen's Centre Phase I. Capital cost: $115 million. Kingston, Ont.


86. Ottawa Hospital Regional Cancer Program. Capital cost: $113 million. Ottawa.


87. Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Capital cost: $112.1 million. Toronto.


88. Peace Canyon Turbine Upgrade. Capital cost: $112 million. Hudson Hope, B.C.


89. Highway 7 Expansion. Capital cost: $106 million. Ottawa.


90. Trillium Health Centre. Capital cost: $104.1 million. West Toronto and Mississauga, Ont.


91. Twinning of TransCanada Highway. Capital cost: $100 million. Banff, Alta.


92. Britannia Mine Remediation Project. Capital cost: $99 million. Britannia Beach, B.C.


93. Roy McMurtry Youth Centre. Capital cost: $93.2 million. Brampton, Ont.


94. Boundary Bay Airport Redevelopment. Capital cost: $90 million. Vancouver.


95. David Braley Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Research Institute. Capital cost: $90 million. Hamilton.


96. George Brown Waterfront Campus. Capital cost: $90 million. Toronto.


97. Lakeshore West Rail Corridor Improvements. Capital cost: $88 million. Mississauga, Ont.


98. York Archives. Capital cost: $85 million. Toronto.


99. George M. Shrum Generating Facility. Capital cost: $78 million. Hudson Hope, B.C.


100. Mica Generator Improvements. Capital cost: $77 million. Revelstoke, B.C.


http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=1169633

Cheers Myles.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Glenn for reminding of us the list of the ranking of Canada's biggest infrastructure projects for 2009 that estimates $61 billion in public and private capital investments which will soon be pumped into the country's economy for construction.

Newfoundland and Labrador's share -St. John's Harbour Cleanup. Capital cost: $144 million. St. John's, N.L.

Does anybody else find that $144 million number to be ironic? It works out to be 2.3 percent of the $61 Billion or the same percentage as the 7 seats held by the province of Nefoundland and Labrador in the Canadian Parliament.

2.3% of the 308 Canadian Parliamentary seats compute to 7 seats and $144 Million computes to 2.3% of the $61 Billion.

Is that the formula that was used to distribute the $61 Billion dollars.

Are our politicians going to dispute the small amount of money coming to this province compared to what is going to the others?

Isn't one of the reasons we elect Federal and Provincial Politicians is to make sure that our province gets its just share of what is handed out in the Federal Government? Is it any wonder that we are as poor off economically as we are, if we let Ottawa off the hook so easily by accepting such a small piece of the pie which has been baked out of our Federal Tax dollars and no doubt will be paid for by a portion of the natural resources which are exported out of out province?

That share will keep the economic divide as wide as it always has been. The gulf will never close. We will never attain parity with the other provinces given those figures.

I would like to hear from our politicians on why they would be happy with just that amount, given what the other provinces are receiving.

Anonymous said...

Patriot there is no way that I can understand why Federal Monies are doled out to the provinces the way that they are in such an inequitable fashion.

I try to understand the formula but I can't.

Take for instance the province of Nova Scotia, it receives over $1 Billion dollars from this allotment of Federal monies and Nova Scotia has been ingratiated over the years with many Federal Regional offices and Military bases and god only knows what else, compliments of Federal Tax payers dollars. Then also New Brunswick receives $2.15 Billion dollars and it has been well padded, as well, down through the years with Federal goodies from Federal Taxpayers dollars.

Yes compare that against a measley $144 Million for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is sickening isn’t it?

And neither Nova Scotia or New Brunswick contribute nearly as much to Canada from its natural natural resource base as does the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Why do we allow such inequities to exist between provinces?

Anonymous said...

I am adding up the amounts manually and from my accounting Quebec receives $14.2 Billion -Ontario receives $14 Billion - British Columbia receives $9 Billion , please note the addition amount added in to fund the Olympics, I guess that is to pay for the down fall which was reported in the Globe and Mail this weekend.

I will probably add up the others as the day goes on.

Yes compare that to the measley $144 million for Newfoundland and Labrador.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we should all take a look at the accounting here and just scrutinize where those dollars are going. It is amazing where some of those dollars are destined.

Anonymous said...

VANCOUVER SEEKS $458 MILLION EMERGENCY LOAN, which is needed to complete the troubled Olympic Village project blares an article by ROD MICKLEBURGH From Tuesday's January 12, 2009 at 9:30 PM EST
Globe and Mail.

I wonder does Number 34 below havs any connection to that article.

34. 2010 Winter Olympics (Southeast False Creek/Vancouver's Olympic Village, and Whistler's Olympic Village.) Project cost: $580 million. Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.

By the way Ottawa pledged $1 Billion of Federal Taxpayers dollars to the Olympics when Vancouver won the bid.

According to a comment in the Globe and Mail this past week Montreal just recently paid off Expo with the help of the Federal Government. I believe Expo occurred in 1967.

Anonymous said...

Calvin said;

Mind numbing.

Were are the Pro-Canada voices here.

We are shipping BILLIONS to canada and this is how we are treated.If this does not make Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans mad as hell nothing ever will.

We are second class citzens folks.Believe what you want about thease people but the sooner we are out of this country the better off we shall be.

Were are those six Liberal voices now.

The same thing OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER.

Can we not find one politician or brave man that the people will follow to lead us out of this bondage.

Mr Smallwood look what have you done to your people.

From Term29 to present it has been nothing but lies from evil men.

We will never amount to anything while we are in Canada folks.I know that I pump the same song Patriot but I dont need to be hit in the head with a brick when we have the evidance right on your own blog.When are we going to see the light.

"WE NEED TO SUPPORT AN INDEPENDANT REPUBLIC OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR NOW".

Has anything changed since this.

http://www.exec.gov.nl.ca/royalcomm

Were are your canadain voices now.

COWARDS.

Anonymous said...

Dear Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans, make your Vote Count!

In 1957 John Diefenbaker became Prime Minister of Canada and created a flury of protest by our province and our Premier Joey Smallwood. One that would spark national debate and criticism of lies and decit by the federal government. Joey fought back with vengence and determination for our province. However, from 1957 to 2007 little has changed in way of treatment Canada gives this province.

In 1991 the population of our province was 568,475 according to statistics canada. Today we hover around the 500,000 mark. Out migration, low birthrates and an aging population, makes this a very important time in our history. Since 1949, our province has been unjustly served by Canada. Our place has always been last, and our federal government strives to keep us under the balance - economically and socially. We all are too familiar with the inequities forced upon us and the destruction of our livelihoods from the sea. "When less than 2% of Canada's population is producing 16% of Canada's oil with tremendous federal tax benefits to boot - we have to question our place in the country."

Sue Kelland Dyer

Sue was right then Patriot.Shes right now.

I wanna vote for Sue !!!

Sue Kelland Dyer for Premier !!!

NL-ExPatriate said...

That study "Origins of an impending crisis" really is a mind blowing read.

You know when I was in school they actually told us that the Upper Churchill deal was a good one for NFLD (NL)?

I miss the Independant!

Anonymous said...

Actually, "Le Gaboteur" still publishes regularly, and entirely locally owned.

Ironic that all the English papers in the province are owned in Quebec, while the only local paper is French.

Anonymous said...

As you said:

$61 billion in public and private capital investments which will soon be pumped into the country's economy for construction.

That's not money from Ottawa, you idiots. It's mostly money from provincial governments and private investment.

Anonymous said...

I can't see how the federal government or the our place in canada garbage has anything to do with a listing of major projects being undertaken by federal, provincial, regional, and municipal governments, health authorities, crown corporations, and private-public partnerships.

Do you people honestly think the federal government is responsible for everything?

Glenn said...

Just to clarify, the above spending is from public, provincial and federal sources, the 61 billion is not the Ottawa money that the feds are looking at injecting during the upcoming budget on January 27th. After the 27th it will be clearer where the money is going and what % went where.

What bothered me most about the list was these 2 items:

1) Romaine Hydroelectric Complex Project: A construction project to build four new Hydro Quebec generating stations with a total capacity of about 1,500 megawatts in a region north of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The environmental assessment was referred to a panel, but construction was slated to begin in mid-2009, lasting about 10 years. Capital cost: $6.5 billion.

3) Eastmain-1-A/Sarcelle/Rupert Project: New Hydro Quebec project expected to generate 893 megawatts of power, enough electricity for half a million homes. Construction is scheduled to finish by 2012. Capital cost: $5 billion
(Easy to get shovels in the ground for this stuff when you control right of way and your enterprise and infrastucture has been subsidized since the early 60's by another province's resources.)

and

the 3 projects cleaning up the Sydney tar sands, Halifax and St. John's harbour. What have they been waiting for????



Off topic...

http://pocketpollster.com/apps/PelaLusa/Radio/Canada/stations.aspx

Above is a link to AM talk radio statons across the country that I thought some might find useful.

Rumour out west here is that Mike Duffy's CTV replacement is a toss up between AM radio talk show host Charles Adler and, gulp, NL Senator George Baker.

Also glad to see you are posting more often Myles.

Anonymous said...

Calvin says,

Well anon January 14, 2009 1:33 AM, (or, should I say Ed/Wallace/Mike/Erik/Babe), yes it has everything to do with this.

“the our place in Canada garbage has anything to do with a listing of major projects being undertaken by federal, provincial, regional, and municipal governments, health authorities, crown corporations, and private-public partnerships.”

The people of Newfoundland and Labrador have said that “No “they do not wish to pursue secession from Canada “with a resounding NO, but they also said “with a resounding NO, to the same old relationship and way of doing business with Ottawa. My sincere apologies, for not making it as simply as the nose on your face to understand.

The question I now put forth is this. Has anything changed since we spent 3 million dollars on a Royal Commission? In my view, NO.

Let’s take a look at Glen’s research involving major projects going ahead in Quebec.

1) Romaine Hydroelectric Complex Project: A construction project to build four new Hydro Quebec generating stations with a total capacity of about 1,500 megawatts in a region north of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The environmental assessment was referred to a panel, but construction was slated to begin in mid-2009, lasting about 10 years. Capital cost: $6.5 billion.

3) Eastmain-1-A/Sarcelle/Rupert Project: New Hydro Quebec project expected to generate 893 megawatts of power, enough electricity for half a million homes. Construction is scheduled to finish by 2012. Capital cost: $5 billion
(Easy to get shovels in the ground for this stuff when you control right of way and your enterprise and infrastucture has been subsidized since the early 60's by another province's resources.)

Then of course we have what could be developed in Labrador

http://www.lowerchurchillproject.ca/LCWeb/LowerChurchill.nsf/293ee4104f47034ba3256eb40054ff09/a6496eb6d3b13269a32571fd0066cc71?OpenDocument

Gull Island

The Gull Island facility will consist of a generating station with a capacity of approximately 2,000 MW and will include:
• a dam 99 m high and 1,315 m long; and
• a reservoir 200 km² at an assumed full supply level of 125 m above sea level.
The dam will be a central till-cored, rock-fill, zone embankment. The reservoir will be 225 km long, and the area of flooded land will be 85 km² at full supply level. The powerhouse will contain four to six Francis turbines.
Muskrat Falls

The Muskrat Falls facility will consist of a generating station approximately 800 MW in capacity and will include:
• a concrete dam with two sections on the north and south abutments of the river; and
• a 107 km² reservoir at an assumed full supply level of 39 m above sea level.
The north section dam will be 32 m high and 180 m long, while the south section will be 29 m high and 370 m long. The north section will serve as a spillway in extreme precipitation events. The reservoir will be 60 km long and the area of flooded land will be 41.2 km² at full supply level. The powerhouse will contain four to five Propeller or Kaplan turbines, or a combination of both.
Anybody with a grade two education or one from Carlton University can simply see that Labrador has the bigger bang for the dollar. But, because our colonial masters see us becoming masters of our own house and that we are finally getting ahead, they have to do whatever they can do to put dear old “Newfie” back in his place. The same can be said for what “vive le terre-neuve libre “has said,

Very easy to see what has the biggest bang for the buck.

“Actually, "Le Gaboteur" still publishes regularly and entirely locally owned.

Ironic that all the English papers in the province are owned in Quebec, while the only local paper is French.”

Yes Anon,January 13, 2009 11:44 PM, it is very easy to see who controls the media and the advertising dollars.

Whatever happened to the Independent? Did Mr. Cleary make too much noise? Did his truth start to get out, did people start to realize that what he was writing had some truth to it. Now we see start to see the true stripe of our neighbors to the west. They used insider trading to gain control of a land they claimed as theirs. They raped its resources for the betterment of its own nation, not for the people that owned them but for those that thought they owned them, because they laid claim. And, have they ever come forward with compensation for our native people. Not one red copper was sent to the Innu of Labrador .The true owners of the resource.

Our colonial masters have control over our newspapers, our natural resources and now they want to try and shut us up because the truth is coming out.


“The fact that the candidate you're being asked to vote for is at this moment rotting in an English jail shouldn't put you off! Sure wasn't I one myself 'til a week ago.

They can jail us. They can shoot us. They can even conscript us. They can use us as cannon fodder in the sod.

But -- But we have a weapon more powerful than any in the whole arsenal of their British Empire -- and that weapon is our refusal. Our refusal to bow to any order but our own, any institution but our own.

Our friends in the Royal Irish Constabulary would like to shut me up. Oh yes, jail me again, shoot me, who knows? And I'd like you to send them a message. If they shut me up, who'll take my place?

Who's going to take my place?


I can't hear you. Who'll take my place?! Will they shut you up?!!

Will they shut you up next? - Michael John Collins

It’s time to say “No” to a Provisional Government. It’s time to think about home.

NO REPRESETATION IN GOVERNMENT, NO TAXES, NO RESOURCES, NO PROVINCE.

NL-ExPatriate said...

There are a few terms and expressions I use to properly describe what our confederation has become and will continue to be under it's current political system.

Tyranny of the majority

National proxy parties/govts for ON/QU

Per Capita Colonialism

Democratic Discrimination by all of the national proxy parties against the minority provinces

Using Regionalism to try and justify the powers of upper and lower canada.

Equality or Exit! Everything else is just a symptom, the real root cause of our woes in confederation is our lack of equality and without equality you are nothing but a colony to be used and abused at every opportunity.

Anonymous said...

We all thought that Harper was going to change Canada. That he was going to break down the doors of Regional Governement.

All he did was reinforce past mistakes and turn the Conservative movement in Canada into a regional voice.A voice for the western provinces.

We dont need to send seven MPs from differant partys to Canada.We need our own voice.


PS, Glenn is it possible to stream the VOCM online shows. Have they cancelled Ryan Cleary.And does anybody know if you can stream his show live on the net.

Anonymous said...

Aboriginal rights

The Churchill Falls hydroelectric plant development was undertaken in the absence of any agreement with the aboriginal Innu people of Labrador. Despite the flooding of over 5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi) of traditional hunting and trapping lands, no compensation was ever offered.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churchill_Falls

Do you want to edit that Winki page Wallace or should I.

http://www.lowerchurchillproject.ca/LCWeb/NewsArchive.nsf/News/10202EC43719BA49A32574D000624269?Opendocument

Who gave them compensation Wallace.( the self described defender of the Labrador )

It wasnt Ottawa.Notice Patriot how the room goes deadly silent when the truth is spoken.

For Shame on You Canada.

Glenn said...

Anon @ January 14, 2009 4:57 PM

here's the link to the pocket radio website since it's not displaying properly on one of my laptops from this site so here it is as a tinyurl

http://tinyurl.com/7t9aeb

Copy and paste the url in your browser and hit enter, highlight the city you want to listen to, St. John's for example, and the VOCM logo will appear. Click on the logo and it will take you directly to VOCM's streaming live player.


Keep your powder dry folks. These projects have been announced by mostly private and provincial interests as the benedicts above have somewhat correctly pointed out. What will be of greater interest in about 2 weeks from now will be the % of stimulus dollars applied to these projects, or subsidization, by the feds. Remember, the feds have been criss-crossing the country asking govts what projects are at the ready stage for commencement of work to put Canadians, otherwise known as Ontarians and Quebecers. So yes, the 61 billion dollar figure above will include a significant amount of federal funding. I also don't expect to see ANY of that federal stimulus spent in AB so that's plenty of cash for ON/Que.

Poor babies. I empathize with their economic plight and misery.

Anonymous said...

I was in the company of a certain party a few months ago when one person mentioned that our whole system is infiltrated by, as one person on this site referred to as Benedicts.

He said the newspapers, the talk shows, business magazines, and even a National Newspaper which welcome commentary to some of its articles have these so-called Consultants rebutting what is being said by commentators from Newfoundland and Labrador.

Everything, he said that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians bring to the attention of the public, which is substandard or unequal in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador when compared to the other provinces of Canada, is counteracted by those so-called Benedicts.

He said that these people are paid by the Federal Government to do so. I don't know whether they are or not, but I am throwing it out for discussion. The person said that the Benedicts get paid as much as the MPs do in Ottawa, and they call themselves Consultants to camouflage their true identities. Again I don’t know that they are employed by the Federal Government, but I do know they are out there working against the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, while toeing the line for Ottawa. Why would they do that without payment? After all that is a nasty job!

I have noticed a lot of what is being said in terms of letters to the editors of our Newspaper, calls to the Radio call-in shows and the like; there have been people who appear to be willing and waiting on behalf of Ottawa to denounce everything which has been said.

I do know the names of some of these so-called Benedicts but I couldn't vouch from my knowledge that they are being paid by the Federal Government. I would love to know though if they are receiving payment. If they are, the average Newfoundlander and Labradorian should know who they are dealing with. If Ottawa is paying them to do this job, they should be turfed out into the open so that every Newfoundlander and Labrador know their true identity and can deal with the knowledge accordingly. These individuals are holding the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in a backward position. They should not be allowed to be operating under the alias of a 'Consultant' if they are doing dirt against our gentle and unsuspecting people, instead they should be exposed for what they are doing.