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Jones reminds minister not to forget Labrador in Lower Churchill discussions April 4, 2007
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Yvonne Jones, Opposition Natural Resources and Labrador Affairs Critic and MHA for the District of Cartwright-L=Anse au Clair, is reminding Minister Dunderdale not to forget the interests of Labrador in discussions on how best to develop the Lower Churchill project. AWe have heard much rhetoric from government on the development of the Lower Churchill, however, nobody seems to know what direction this project will take,@ said Ms. Jones. AEarlier this week, Ontario representatives were in the province expressing interest in purchasing the power. We have heard other Hydro representatives express interest in the sub-sea route to New Brunswick. Before any decisions are made on this project, full disclosure is needed to advise the people of Newfoundland and Labrador what direction government is going to take on this development. AFrom a Labrador perspective, energy issues in this region of our province must be addressed before any project can proceed. There has been very little discussion surrounding a transmission line from the Lower Churchill to Goose Bay, and I have received no indication that government is even exploring the option of putting a transmission line to the coast of Labrador. We have the potential of four new mines in our region and before any decisions are made to export power, domestic issues must be investigated to ensure there would be sufficient power available for these developments. AI am also encouraging government to use this resource to lower the cost of power on the coast of Labrador. Currently, the primary source of power is diesel and it is very expensive and costly for consumers and businesses. Unfortunately, it is placing significant hardships on people who try to heat their homes and it is putting rural communities at a disadvantage to maintain and compete for new business and infrastructure. Unfortunately, in many cases there is no available power for expansion of business or industry. The power rate for customers on the coast of Labrador is significantly more than anywhere else in the province and these rates must be lowered immediately by government. It seems that subsidies are acceptable when addressing power concerns in other areas of our province, Labrador should be no different. If government was willing to provide Abitibi with $150 million, why not address similar issues on the coast of Labrador.@ |
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