St. John's, Labrador

Andrew Waugh reported for Transcontinental after a “public” “consultation” on the so-called Lower Churchill project on November 14, 2005:

Premier Danny Williams guaranteed Labradorians a reserve of power from the proposed Lower Churchill hydro development at a public consultation in Happy Valley-Goose Bay Monday night.

During the meeting Williams also committed to holding consultations with the Labrador Metis Nation (LMN). The LMN recently linked their support of the project to a longstanding bid for formal recognition and have demanded the government sign a nine-point Memorandum of Understanding before any Lower Churchill talks commence.

…

Once inside, Williams was greeted with a warm round of applause and began by telling Labradorians their concerns were being heard by St. John's.

"Firstly, to all of the people who think this is a done deal: nothing could be further from the truth," Williams said. "We are close to a year away from the final decision and if anyone thinks this is the final consultation ... that is not going to be the practice of this government.

"The reason we are here in Labrador is because this is your resource. We want to hear what your concerns are, what you don't want government to do with this resource.

Boy, that has been one long year.

It's nice to know, though that Labrador concerns are being heard by St. John's. Because it would also appear to be the case that the best way for the Labrador Metis Nation, or anyone else in Labrador, to get themselves "consulted", is to be in St. John's. VOCM reports:

Hydro is holding an open house in St.John's tonight on the proposed Lower Churchill Project. It's an opportunity to learn more about the plans, request information, and to identify issues and concerns. The event takes place from 6 to 9 this evening at MUN's Inco Innovation Centre