Holt Liberals pick 3 leaders for N.B. Power review
The Holt government has announced the names of the three people who will lead a major review into the future of N.B. Power.
Two energy sector veterans and a former legislative watchdog will oversee the process, which will include public consultations and which is expected to wrap up with recommendations by next March.
It's a thorny task that must reconcile the public appetite for affordable power rates with the utility's need to undertake multibillion-dollar power station projects while managing a debt that now exceeds $5 billion.
"I know enough about the people in New Brunswick to know the will and strength of spirit," said Duncan Hawthorne, a former CEO of Bruce Power in Ontario and one of the three review leaders. "We've just to line it up in the right place.
"And the way to do that is to talk about options and have people buy into those, because it cannot be achieved without support. … There's a number of things that people will have to do in every single household in New Brunswick to make this transition work."
But Anne Bertrand, another review leader and a former provincial information and privacy commissioner who later sat on N.B. Power's board, said the recommendations will not be hostage to public opinion.
"The public does not have a veto," she told reporters.
"Comments and opinions will be taken into consideration, and are very important. We need to know what the expectations are. But the expectations can't dictate what the future of N.B. Power will be."
Michael Bernstein, the third appointee and a former CEO and investment fund manager in the energy sector, said the review team would point out the positives and negatives of each of its recommendations.
"Ultimately, it's up to the government and, really, New Brunswickers to decide what direction to take," he said.
Premier Susan Holt launched the review in the wake of a controversy over a perceived spike in the January power bills of some N.B. Power customers.
While that phenomenon has been explained by an independent audit, the utility has acknowledged it faces deeper, longer-term problems. These include the need for a multibillion dollar overhaul of the Mactaquac Dam, west of Fredericton, the utility's largest hydroelectric generating station.
The Point Lepreau nuclear plant in southern New Brunswick has also faced costly shutdowns, and the Belledune generating station in the north must be converted from coal burning to comply with federal climate policies.
Holt has not ruled out selling the utility, as a previous Liberal government tried to do in 2009, as one possible outcome of the review.
"We have not restricted the three leaders on discussing anything," Energy Minister René Legacy said Friday.
"If that's what New Brunswickers want to discuss, then we should have an open discussion about it, and put the subject to bed one way or another."
Hawthorne, who as CEO of Bruce Power oversaw one of the world's largest nuclear power sites, said the process will not be "a talking shop, where we will tell you what we're doing. We're really going to spend a fair amount of time listening to you."
Legacy said the review process would be covered by his department's budget, and the government committed to release more information soon about what the three review leaders will be paid.
The government is promising not only recommendations but a decision on those recommendations by March 31, 2026.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
11 minutes ago
- CBC
Spruce Woods byelection candidates square off in final debate
Three candidates fielded policy questions in front of about 90 people in Sprucewoods, Man., on Wednesday evening, as part of the second and final debate leading up to the Spruce Woods provincial byelection.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
First Nations criticize province over Joffre Lakes Park closure dates
The Lil'wat and N'Quatqua First Nations say they're unhappy with the B.C. Environment Ministry's decision on how long to close Joffre Lakes Park next month. The Lil'wat Nation's political chief says the decision to close the park from Sept. 2 to Oct. 3 isn't in the spirit of reconciliation, and the nations had requested more dates.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Cambridge named as hotspot for copper thefts
How does copper wire thefts impact communities? CTV's Karis Mapp shares the repercussions of this rising crime. As copper wire thefts become increasingly popular, part of Waterloo Region is being recognized as a hotbed for the crime. According to a news release published by Bell, the parent company of CTV News, copper thefts are up 23 per cent year-over-year. So far this year, 500 cases involving Bell wires have been reported and 63 per cent of those thefts happened in Ontario. ADVERTISEMENT Thieves will often cut and steal telephone wires, which contain copper. 'Over the past several years, the price for copper has gone up. That's made it a valuable commodity for thieves,' Eric Smith, senior vice president with the Canadian Telecommunications Association, said. 'They try to take copper and sell it as scrap metal for profit.' Telephone wires aren't the only target. Electrical utilities and construction sites have also been impacted. Cambridge, especially the Galt area, has emerged as a particular area of concern. 'We've seen 75 events so far this year alone,' Dana Lohnes, a director of field operations with Bell, said. 'That's up from 44 last year. I would say nationally, [Cambridge] is one of the hottest regions in all of Bell's territory.' When the lines are cut for nefarious purposes, it causes an outage for users. 'This is a health and safety issue,' Smith said. 'If people are in trouble and need to call 911 and their services have been knocked out, they cannot contact emergency services.' Business owners also feel the sting. 'They lose access to their point-of-sale system or to critical internet connectivity that they need to do day-to-day business,' Lohnes said. Rogers is seeing a similar problem, with vandalism blamed for at least 14 service disruptions in Waterloo Region and the surrounding area within the last year. 'Like other providers, we're seeing a troubling rise in vandalism to our network infrastructure across the country, causing service interruptions and affecting Canadians who rely on our networks to stay connected. When these incidents occur, we engage local law enforcement and our crews work around the clock to repair the damage to our fibre. Beyond being a significant inconvenience for our customers, these acts can have a serious impact on public safety,' an emailed statement from a Rogers representative said. Meanwhile, the Waterloo Regional Police Service is investigating the troubling trend. As of Aug. 17, 111 cases of scrap metal or wire thefts under $5,000 have been reported across the region. Almost half of those investigations were in Cambridge. Another 30 reports have been filed for thefts over $5,000. Twenty-three of those cases were in Cambridge. A recent case unfolded on Avenue Road when a downed cable was spotted lying across the street. Police said roughly 100 metres of Bell cable had been severed from the utility pole and a suspect or suspects made off with 30 feet of copper wire. The estimated cost of the damage comes in at $30,000, including repairs and replacement. Telecommunications companies are trying to find a way to cut off the thieves. 'They're investing million of dollars in enhanced security,' Smith said. 'Whether it's monitoring with humans, whether it's monitoring using technology – but you have to remember we've got hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of kilometers of cables traversing this country. You can't keep your eyes on all of it.'
