Manufacturing facilities connected to J.D. Irving Ltd. dominate a list of 50 companies that would benefit from $91 million in power rate cuts following the proposed sale of NB Power to Hydro-Québec.
The list, released by the New Brunswick government Friday afternoon, shows that 14 of the 50 companies are connected to the Irving group — 12 to J.D. Irving Ltd. and two to Irving Oil.
'In terms of this specific deal, we were not involved in any of the negotiations leading up to this.'—Mark Mosher, J.D. Irving Ltd.
But J.D. Irving Ltd. didn't have any involvement in the proposed deal to sell NB Power, said Mark Mosher, vice-president for pulp and paper.
"In terms of this specific deal, we were not involved in any of the negotiations leading up to this," he said.
Last year, Mosher told CBC News J.D. Irving might move its mill to Quebec if it didn't get lower power rates. Article Continues
The city of Toronto came under siege yesterday, bringing the city to a halt when a crazed deer wandered into the downtown core. The fire department and S.W.A.T responded. It took awhile but the police brought the situation under control by tasering the animal.
Chalk up a victory for Toronto’s finest as they protected Torontonians from this vicious beast.
In response to this attack, Stephen Harper has called for a meeting with all Premiers and Municipal Mayors in an effort to draw up contingency plans for all of Canada.
From Prime Minister Harper: “This was too close of a call. We got lucky today. The brave men and women of the Toronto Police Force put their lives on the line to protect person and property from harm.
It is extremely important that we do not have another incident like this. That is why I am calling for a meeting with leaders from across the country. We are going to brainstorm and come up with a plan to protect all Canadians from another deer attack.
After having discussed this with the ghost of Mackenzie King last night, I have come up with an initial plan that calls for military checkpoints to be established at the borders of all Canadian cities. Canadians will be issued special biometric ID cards in an effort for our brave men and women of the armed forces to do their jobs easier. That way we can be sure that we are dealing with a Canadian citizens and not a deer in disguise.
After a reporter asked: “Military checkpoints? Isn’t that turning Canada into a Police State?”;
Harper responded with “I am sure Canadians will not mind giving up a little bit of their freedoms so we can all sleep at night, knowing we are safe from this menace. You are either with us or with the deer. Thank you.”
WOW I feel much safer now. A big thank you to our friendly leader. Article Source
I am Mr.Jean Charest, premier of the PROVINCE OF QUEBEC, CANADA (PQ). I have the courage to Crave indulgence for this important business believing that you will never let me down either now or in the future. Some years ago, our province’s electrical utility, HYDRO QUEBEC, came into a great deal of money, THE RESULT OF A VERY FORTUNATE NEGOTIATION WITH THE PROVINCE OF NEWFOUNDLAND and I have been instructed to find a worthy investment.
This amount of money is $10 BILLION CANADIAN DOLLARS made a numbered time (fixed)deposit for twelve calendar months, valued $10B. CDN (TEN BILLION CANADIAN DOLLARS) in an account. I was instructed by my government to return this money to its rightful owner. One JOSEPH SMALLWOOD, after it was determined that the deal which resulted in HYDRO QUEBEC receiving this money from NEWFOUNDLAND had been carried out under duress.
The bank sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month, The bank sent another reminder and finally his contract employers, the Province of Newfoundland wrote to inform the bank that he died without MAKING A WILL, and all attempts by the Quebec Embassy to trace his next of kin was fruitless. Letter Continues - Source: Save NB Power Blog
While the world’s top military elites gather inside a fortified hotel to discuss NATO’s future, protesters question the organisation’s legitimacy, secrecy, and the lack of democratic debate about the increasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan. An imposing ‘United States of America’-emblazoned aircraft greeted visitors on the tarmac of Halifax International Airport Friday, as more than 250 of the Western world’s top military leaders and their brain trust descended on the city for the inaugural Halifax International Security Forum. Co-sponsored by the government of Canada and the U.S.-based German Marshall Fund think tank, over 60 percent of the attendees hailed from these host nations for what is being dubbed a World Economic Forum-style conference for militarists.
Announcing the Forum last July, German Marshall Fund President Craig Kennedy called it “a step in the process of changing the conversation” about Canada’s role in the ‘trans-Atlantic community,’ toward a recognition of its being a top-tier power in its own right that is worthy of a seat at the table with the globe’s most powerful war-fighting nations.
Canada’s transformation to a counterinsurgency-capable expeditionary force and its contribution to the war in southern Afghanistan has earned it the respect of NATO’s key power, the United States, which, in turn, has boosted its global profile among other NATO allies.Article Source
Okay, Dan. You go with that. More “power” to you my friend. Looking forward to meeting you on the bread lines when this deal doesn’t go through. After all if, as you imply, my interests are feathered, I should be rich. I’m not.
As for Williams, a little history might serve.
The fantastic premier of NF/LA was never willing to “lease” the transmission lines. In fact, he was willing to cut a deal for transmission of Churchill power through New Brunswick — not unlike the one the Graham government has just (tentatively) signed with Hydro-Quebec.
Split the hairs any way you want, but NB Power is, has been, always will be an asset in play. Williams lost to his nemesis (Quebec). Again!
That’s it. That’s all she wrote.
And, BTW, how can a gargantuan liability also be “one of our best assets”? That’s a little like saying if my grandmother had a mustache, he’d be my grandfather.
This underpaid, entirely underappreciated “puppet” still says: Good for you Graham. Well done! (Comment on Graham to Williams: Butt out!)
--- # Dan Fitzgerald Says:
Fair enough - I guess you'll be able to say 'I told you so'.
The only feathering on your part I've seen is some occasional fluff in Irving's papers. It was still pretty good considering your constraints. On this power deal though, I'm not so sure.
That NB's Bermudan overlords get major cutbacks on the few taxes they deign to pay, discount loans, free generators, bloated contracts and drastically lowered power rates while Shawn Graham or Bilderberg McKenna play Pinocchio with their noses clipped is undeniable.
Forgive me if I get the impression that the corporate / establishment leaning and funded NB bloggers (i.e. David Campbell, Philip Lee) are also playing the half-hearted approval / disinterested part rather poorly. If you're going to support the deal, do it with some heart - if it's really what you think, please try to convince us earnestly.
You used to seem pretty angry back in the day when tax rates were lowered for those who didn't need it, banks were bailed out while home 'owners' were turned under water - and the globalist corporations got everything they could ever want while the people get nothing (see repeated pledges for NB welfare reform). Is freezing your power rate temporarily really enough to get you on board for this?
Furthermore, you talk as if this NB Power give-away was right on the tip of everyone's tongue for years and you've thoroughly weighed the decision. I'd argue strongly that the former is untrue while the latter is impossible. The tendrils of a power company run through every part of our community and economy, the long-term ramifications of this sale are enormous.
My gut and head say this is a bad deal (and I'd give you a break if the opposite seemed true on your part), it was certainly conducted in the shadiest of manner. No public consultation occured prior to a signed 'MOU' (sounds like what cows do) to sell it all (just consider the massive stretches of land) to Quebec and the banksters.
Like throwing a baby (NB Power) out with the bathwater (fake fiat debt) - your argument is the baby is so messed up from a possessed ex-wife (NB Government) that we should hand it over to a white slaver (TD Bank/Quebec), who promise to take good care of it and cover most of your baby expenses.
I don't know about you, Alec - but I don't want my baby being a slave for the rest of its wretched life just to personally get out from under a difficult but entirely self-inflicted situation.
The pro-sell out crowd keep asking for alternatives - so here's one: How about we throw McKenna's bunch out and transfer our debts to the people's bank of New Brunswick?
We bail out our power plant with some funny money (maybe NFLD could help us out with initial reserves) and we lease the lines to Quebec and give Williams his corridor at the same time? Everyone is happy, except the banksters.
Seriously though, the only good argument I see for selling it now is that nobody could be worse at running it into the ground. The Irving puppets (of both parties) who have fiddled about while the dams were literally cracking certainly don't show any inclination to try and fix or even address the problems.
Lastly, that the notorious Bermudan-NB mafia dropped our new nuclear turbines in the ocean right before this bombshell announcement makes me certain there is little on the up and up with any of this story - it's a scam, pure and simple. It'll definitely be interesting to see what songs and dances go on before the people finally and firmly reject this shady deal. (Reposted from Censurer General)
--- What’s the alternative? Philip Lee - The Mysterious East November 11, 2009 David Campbell explores the alternatives to the NB Power to Hydro Quebec sale. This seems to me to be a key question: if we are going to reject the deal with Hydro Quebec, what is the alternative? Is there a better deal out there? Or is this an opportunity that we better not pass up? Article Source --- Dan Fitzgerald wrote: The alternative is for the party who ran on a 'we won't sell NB power' platform to call a new election and let democracy work.
The alternative, as excruciating as it may seem for Irving bloggers and Twittering frantics, is NOT TO SELL the power corporation to another province.
If Quebec is willing to go into hock to buy the thing up - it's gotta be worth more than they're paying. The result of the buyout will certainly be detrimental to our infrastructure (hint: they're buying it so we can't do a deal with NFLD).
What kind of a government would try to pull this obviously crooked deal in the midst of a world-wide crisis?
Oh yeah - the kind who doubles their own pensions in the middle of a flood, with the cameras off. NB media are either all owned or blocked (see Charles Leblanc) to keep this and other charades going.
Luckily the public are not swayed by the lies anymore - and no multimillion advertising blitz is likely to change things - call it the rice-and-beans / political skepticism phenomenon, and I for one welcome it back not a minute too soon.
Queen Square Leisure Society Politics - Started in 2007 by radical elements of the QSLS in a rejoinder to the corporo-fascist propaganda pushing for global Armageddon and undivided kleptocracy through poorly engineered Terror Wars. Local and regional happenings affecting the QSLS are also covered with a focus on Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
