Hon. Mike Currie, Minister of Development and Technology, today called recent comments of the Leader of the Opposition concerning Maritime Electric to be nothing more than a slap in the face to the company and an insult to the intelligence of Islanders.
"The Leader of the Opposition has been told on many occasions but he doesn't seem to want to hear the truth - that the deal signed in 1994 was outdated and there had to be changes made to avoid a disruption in energy service to the province," said the Minister. "Legislation had to be changed to allow Maritime Electric to get back on sound financial footing to enable the company to make improvements in aging infrastructure and to invest in new on-Island energy generation.
"We could have left the agreement in place and let the lights go out in the province, but we chose to try to find a workable solution, which was to allow the company to remain viable and to continue to give Islanders fair electricity rates."
Minister Currie said the regulation changes brought forth in the spring will enable Maritime Electric to continue to expand and improve its infrastructure, as well as to participate in the construction of new generation. The proposed changes will provide Islanders with stable electricity rates over the next number of years.
The Minister said government remains committed to the pursuit of a large gas-fired generating plant in the province and is presently exploring its feasibility. The construction of a generating plant will help reduce the province's dependency on New Brunswick energy. The Province is also attempting to attain a natural gas pipeline from the mainland.
"Mr. MacKinley talks about vision, but he forgets that he spent 10 years in a government that wore blinders and spent money trying to stay elected instead of doing what was best for the province. You just have to look at where this province was heading in 1996 to know that our government certainly doesn't need a lesson in vision from the Leader of the Opposition," concluded the Minister.