I was amazed to read the front-page headline in the Tuesday, Feb. 11 Telegram, “Tinkering with Muskrat Falls.”
The Oxford Dictionary defines “tinker” as to make small changes to something in order to repair or improve it, especially in a way that may not be helpful.
Full disclosure here, I am not a member of any political party and have always voted in each election based on the issues of the day, the people running and the party I believed would best serve the interest of the province.
I’m also a pretty big skeptic when it comes to political announcements. In this case however, I’m pretty sure the plan announced by the province and Ottawa on Monday for dealing with the future cost of electricity for the people of this province could not be accurately described as “tinkering.”
In doing so The Telegram has done a disservice to its readers by characterizing this announcement as such.
Of course, it is only a plan at this point, but a pretty significant plan and commitment on the part of parties who can make it happen. I am also willing to concede that numbers are important and until we see the numbers it’s still just a plan.
That said, what I got from the announcement was that those in a position to make it happen have committed to a plan that will hold our electrical energy cost in line with that of our neighbouring provinces, going forward.
Given the quagmire that is Muskrat Falls, that’s not just tinkering, that’s monumental.
Rolly Card,
St. John’s
Editor’s note: The word “tinkering” in the headline was meant to reflect the early stage of any actions that may be taken to mitigate electricity costs resulting from Muskrat Falls. As your letter notes, it is only a plan at this point, and the proof will be in the pudding. See related editorial, this page.