Summary
That's $640 million for nothing other than 450 kilometres of extra transmission line, more boreal forest destruction and payments to landowners, communities and First Nations for their co-operation. To top it off, the move exposes the line to more bad-weather risk and results in the line crossing the Red River flood plain, something Hydro hadn't been prepared to do.
At the all-party debate, Finance Minister Rosann Wowchuk and Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard attacked Conservative Leader Hugh McFadyen for raising the $640-million west side waste without saying what it would cost to get an east side deal. Fair enough, he responded. "But no way will the number be $640 million."The Free Press has long advocated that an east side line could provide a path for a road that would end east side isolation, bring down its air-freight fueled cost of living and create development opportunities It is impossible to believe that would not be a better use of a portion of the $640 million than throwing it away. McFadyen, in fact, pointed out that $640 million is enough to build 10 hospitals, 30 high schools and an entire university campus. At $200,000 a pop, it's enough to build 3,200 houses. But no, our government is committed to simply throwing it away.See the full content of this document
Extract
West Side Emperor Starkers
It is an irony, I suppose, but the fact is that it wasn't until former premier Gary Doer decided to move Bipole III to the west side of Manitoba that the vastly superior merits of the east side option became obvious.
Pr...See the full content of this document
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