Thank you.
Mr. Baillie said as follows:
This is a good development for Nova Scotia and our entire Atlantic region, and I'm happy to applaud it. The arrangement, when finalized, will be a good example of how our environmental goals and economic objectives can work together. This is just as the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act envisioned.
He's talking about this type of project, going forward.
Second, we need to work better together, as a region, if we are to ensure our future prosperity and independence.
Perhaps most importantly, the project due to come online in 2016 will end Newfoundland's isolation from any Canadian power market.
The P.E.I. government also has plans to take direct responsibility for wind power development on the island, as well as, of course, promoting energy efficiency measures.
Both deals will involve significant new high-voltage transmission lines, much of them under water, new lines that will go from Labrador to Newfoundland and from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, and they will be a big player in both additions to the grid. Given the age of the current cable connection with New Brunswick, P.E.I. will also need to install a new transmission line.
With the linking of Newfoundland and Labrador to the rest of the region, our regional market could ensure the most economical use of generating resources. Instead of each province seeking profit, often at the expense of its neighbours, resources could be deployed to the province with the lowest-cost reliable power on the eastern seaboard.
Another editorial—I only have two more, I'm not dragging things out here—stated this:
The two agreements signal a new spirit in Atlantic Canada, one intended to replace talk with action and to move ahead....“A rising tide lifts all boats.”
These new initiatives are positive signs of a desire in all four provinces to become more aggressive in developing regional energy resources to promote economic development across Atlantic Canada.