CBC News
October 28, 2005

The director of public utility watchdog Energy Probe says the idea of moving surplus Manitoba electricity to the power-hungry Ontario market is potentially a great idea, although there are some unanswered questions.

Industry analyst Tom Adams says the deal could work well for both provinces – but he is puzzled by one question: why the governments of Ontario and Manitoba didn’t tell their citizens what kind of deal they’re getting.

Adams says financial figures – such as the schedule of energy deliveries, or the prices associated with it – were conspicuously absent from Thursday’s announcement about the power-sharing deal.

"It’s an irony that when publicly traded, private companies engage in major transactions, the public has much better access to information than when there’s a government-to-government deal that transacts large amounts of energy, but we’re not allowed to see it," he said.

The deal will see Manitoba double its transmission capacity to Ontario, with an eye to expanding it even further if the long-planned Conawapa Dam project on the Nelson River comes to fruition.