What About Manitoba Hydro?

This past Thursday something remarkable happened in the Saskatchewan legislature. Every political party, including the NDP members of the legislature, voted in favour of a resolution in support of the development of nuclear power to help meet that province’s energy needs.

This is remarkable for a couple of reasons. The first is that the NDP of Saskatchewan has been a longstanding opponent of the development of nuclear power in the province. The NDP’s sudden reversal on the topic was surprising. It was also surprising because the NDP government of Manitoba and Premier Gary Doer, have been boasting for years of the potential demand in every direction and every region for Manitoba’s hydro electric power.

But if our closest neighbors to the West, Saskatchewan, are more interested in nuclear power than hydro-electric power, what does that say about the NDP government’s ability to properly develop and market hydro.

In fact, a day after the Saskatchewan legislature unanimously passed the resolution in favour of exploring nuclear power development, a 12 member panel appointed by the Saskatchewan government to study power needs in the province said that nuclear energy is the best option for the province.

Manitobans know that our hydro power has several advantages to other forms of power. It is reliable, affordable, and most of all it is a clean and renewable form of energy. That is a message that is worth selling, but the NDP seem to be having a problem getting provinces like Saskatchewan and Ontario, which is also studying more nuclear power options, to listen.

Perhaps part of the problem is that Manitoba isn’t always invited to the same table as our traditional provincial partners to discuss issues. While the Premier’s of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan recently met to discuss provincial issues, Manitoba was not invited because of its weakening economic status compared to these other western provinces. Manitoba Premier Gary Doer shrugged off the fact we were not at the table and perhaps he will shrug off the fact that Saskatchewan and other provinces and States are showing increased interest in nuclear power facilities.

For years Mr. Doer and the NDP have said that Manitoba Hydro is equivalent to Alberta’s oil. Despite this rhetoric, Alberta’s oil has made that province debt free and Manitoba continues to sink deeper and deeper into debt under the NDP. And now, Manitoba is not even at the table with other western provinces where marketing and deals for our hydro power can take place.

Manitoba’s hydro electric power could play an enormous role in building our province’s economy. The NDP talk a lot about Hydro, but is anyone listening?