winnipeg-free-press, February 05, 2014, Page 15
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Winnipeg Free Press

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

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Issue date: Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Pages available: 36
Previous edition: Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Next edition: Thursday, February 6, 2014

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  • Publication name: Winnipeg Free Press
  • Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • Pages available: 36
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Pages 1 - 20 of the Winnipeg Free Press February 5, 2014.

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Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 5, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B3 winnipegfreepress. com XYFOLIOXY WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2014 B 3 Open Letter to Manitobans Of all the power Manitoba Hydro generates, Manitobans only use about 70%. The other 30% is exported. The United States, Hydro’s dominant export customer, is becoming less and less reliant on power from Manitoba Hydro. Why? Huge discoveries of natural gas in North Dakota have resulted in natural gas power plants popping up and selling power to American customers at a cheaper rate than it costs to transport power all the way from Northern Manitoba. Meanwhile, Manitoba Hydro is continuing on, like a train barrelling down a track, with its plan to spend $ 34- billion on building new dams and fixing up old ones. The entire plan is based on the hope that Manitobans and Americans will buy significantly more power can they do now. And that $ 34- billion estimate ( which is larger than our provincial debt) is optimistic. Consider that when the Selinger government approved construction of the last dam that was built - Wuskwatim - its budget was $ 900- million. Yet the final price tag was twice that; $ 1.8- billion. Incredibly, no independent review of the massive cost overruns was sought. If Hydro’s risky $ 34- billion plan stumbles, rates will skyrocket. Already they are expected to increase by 3.95% every year for decades. Experts have suggested they could triple. Next door in Ontario, their electricity rates have skyrocketed. As a result, several businesses and factories have closed; resulting in thousands of job losses. The decisions that led to this economic decline in Ontario were made by politicians – the same kind of decisions being made by NDP politicians in Manitoba. Unless the government’s ‘ runaway train’ plan for Hydro is brought to a quick stop, or at least a pause, we could soon be greeted with the same results that Ontario is suffering with - skyrocketing rates for consumers, energy poverty for lower income households and departing industries. Instead of the provincial government’s ‘ dog and pony show’ that is reviewing Hydro’s $ 34- billion gamble, stacked with people in favour of the proposal, we need a halt to the projects and a truly independent review. There’s just too much at stake. Sincerely, Manitoba Forward B_ 03_ Feb- 05- 14_ FP_ 01. indd B3 2/ 4/ 14 7: 56: 27 PM ;