Cheers and Jeers

Cheers: to being, well, nice. As businesses open under new public health rules, please remember that there are going to be hiccups, mistakes and accidents along the way. You don’t have the right to take your ire out on retail sector workers who are implementing rules they aren’t making. If you feel the need to fly off the handle, please physically isolate, stay home and yell at your mirror.

Cheers: to pressing and urgent issues. Try this news release on for size, from Friday: “The Honourable Siobhan Coady, Government House Leader and Chair of the Select Committee of Rules and Procedures Governing Virtual Proceedings appeared yesterday before the House of Commons Canada Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs related to its study of Parliamentary Duties and the COVID-19 Pandemic. During the videoconference appearance, Minister Coady spoke generally to the progress of the Select Committee on Virtual Proceedings to date, and discussed modifications the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly has made to accommodate public health measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.” That’s it. The whole enchilada. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

Jeers: to 2041, and the return of the Upper Churchill being so far away. Here’s Hydro-québec’s distribution arm in a new release from June 5, talking about its very successful year. It points out that it was able to deliver “The lowest residential rates in North America — On April 1, 2019, Hydro-québec’s residential rates were still the lowest in North America. In fact, people in Québec still pay about half the price consumers pay in Toronto, and only a quarter of what people pay in New York.” Still waiting, by the way, to find out what Muskrat Falls will mean for the residential rates in this neck of the woods, and how we’re going to manage to control power rates.

Jeers: to not being the only ones in the dark. Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro has asked the province’s Public Utilities Board to allow it to delay filing its next general rate application (GRA), which was due to be filed no later than Sept. 30. Why? Because, just like the rest of us, Hydro has no idea yet how the provincial government expects rate mitigation to work. As the utility said in its request to delay the application, “Hydro requires information regarding the government’s rate mitigation plan and the restructuring of the Muskrat Falls power purchase agreement to prepare a GRA filing that would reasonably reflect the costs that Hydro will incur in providing electrical service to its customers for use in determining proposed customer rates.” The PUB agreed to the delay, saying that, “as there continues to be a great deal of uncertainty as to a number of important factors,” Hydro can delay the process.