ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Premier Dwight Ball met with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in St. John's Tuesday, with electricity rates the main topic of discussion.
Ball and Freeland were joined by federal Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan for the talks.
Ball says negotiations with the federal government are still ongoing.
The Liberals' rate mitigation plan, released during the 2019 election campaign, calls for $200 million annually from the federal government in order to prevent electricity rates from doubling.
Ball says more details on where that money will come from will be known by the end of the month.
Thirteen and a half cents (per kWh) is still our target.
"We're working towards a date at the end of January. The prime minister is there, the deputy prime minister understands that, Minister Morneau understands that, Minister O'Regan is a part of this and working very persistently on this particular file as well," Ball said.
"We're all working towards the end of January. Understand, the PUB report will be out at that time, as well. That's what we're working towards: finding agreement so people of the provice will have an understanding of what electricity rate mitigation will look like."
Ball says the target price of electricity has not changed as negotiations have gone on.
"Thirteen and a half cents (per kWh) is still our target. That's what the rate mitigation plan is still working towards," he said.
Ball says the negotiations mainly centre around the financial structure of the Muskrat Falls project, in order to get the savings needed to keep electricity rates affordable.
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