Newfoundland would have provided the perfect setting for the
British TV Comedy series “Fawlty Towers”. Here, John Cleese would have had no
need for inventive double entendres. And the laughs could have been on Nalcor’s
dime.
British TV Comedy series “Fawlty Towers”. Here, John Cleese would have had no
need for inventive double entendres. And the laughs could have been on Nalcor’s
dime.
According to an Uncle Gnarley Blog source, Nalcor is grappling
with a new problem. And it is no laughing matter. As you might have guessed,
the issue revolves around faulty towers.
with a new problem. And it is no laughing matter. As you might have guessed,
the issue revolves around faulty towers.
Nalcor has discovered structural defects in an undetermined
number of the towers on the 1100 km Labrador-Island Link (LIL). That’s the
extension cord intended to deliver Upper Churchill recall power next year and,
subsequently, power from the Muskrat Falls project.
number of the towers on the 1100 km Labrador-Island Link (LIL). That’s the
extension cord intended to deliver Upper Churchill recall power next year and,
subsequently, power from the Muskrat Falls project.
According to the source, the structural integrity of a selection
of 30 towers was tested recently. The tests produced a failure rate of 100%.
of 30 towers was tested recently. The tests produced a failure rate of 100%.
The source states that the problem is associated with the welding
on a component part located at the base of each tower.
on a component part located at the base of each tower.
The source states that
Nalcor now plans to perform a series of non-destructive tests (NDT) to
determine whether the problem can be repaired without dismantling the towers or
if they will have to come down.
Nalcor now plans to perform a series of non-destructive tests (NDT) to
determine whether the problem can be repaired without dismantling the towers or
if they will have to come down.
The Nalcor source told the Uncle Gnarley Blog that Acuren — a
non-destructive testing, inspections and engineering company which bills itself
the largest inspection services company of its kind in North America — has been
employed to conduct the tests. Acuren has a branch office located in St. John’s.
non-destructive testing, inspections and engineering company which bills itself
the largest inspection services company of its kind in North America — has been
employed to conduct the tests. Acuren has a branch office located in St. John’s.
In early October, Nalcor announced that it had erected the
last of 3,224 towers required to string the transmission line to Soldier’s Pond.
last of 3,224 towers required to string the transmission line to Soldier’s Pond.
The announcement may have been premature.
Of course, the last thing the public needs to hear about is
another cock-up.
another cock-up.
Last year, CBC reported a flaw in the transmission cable
described by retired engineer J.P. Schell as a “popped cable” which Nalcor
Q&A failed to detect in any of a multitude of steps from the factory floor
to the point at which the cable was actually strung.
described by retired engineer J.P. Schell as a “popped cable” which Nalcor
Q&A failed to detect in any of a multitude of steps from the factory floor
to the point at which the cable was actually strung.
Nalcor has still failed to publicly admit the cost of the
error, though engineers estimate that to repurchase the wire and have it
re-strung ran into the tens of millions of dollars.
error, though engineers estimate that to repurchase the wire and have it
re-strung ran into the tens of millions of dollars.
Nalcor needs to make a public statement on the issue. The
problem is a matter of cost but, equally, it is a matter of public safety.
problem is a matter of cost but, equally, it is a matter of public safety.
In addition, since the Nova Scotia UARB confirmed that Nalcor
had failed to inform Emera of schedule slippage on the Muskrat Falls project —
leading to additional costs on the Maritime Link — we might ask if Nalcor has
informed the group with the largest equity interest in the LIL.
had failed to inform Emera of schedule slippage on the Muskrat Falls project —
leading to additional costs on the Maritime Link — we might ask if Nalcor has
informed the group with the largest equity interest in the LIL.
The Crown Corporation also needs to confirm how many of the
towers will be tested, and who will pay for any re-work and delay associated
with the problem weld.
towers will be tested, and who will pay for any re-work and delay associated
with the problem weld.
Nalcor’s approach to Quality Control (QC) has come under fire many
times on this Blog dating back to July 2015, when professional engineers
working on the site outlined a series of recommendations to address the problems
of management, schedule slippage, cost overruns and other issues then plaguing
the project.
times on this Blog dating back to July 2015, when professional engineers
working on the site outlined a series of recommendations to address the problems
of management, schedule slippage, cost overruns and other issues then plaguing
the project.
If my new source’s information is correct, the faulty towers problem
may turn out to be a tough nut for Nalcor to resolve.
may turn out to be a tough nut for Nalcor to resolve.
Early Uncle Gnarley Blog readers will recall that the towers
each constitute a “mechano set,” the pieces having been cut and loaded into
containers in Turkey and transhipped.
each constitute a “mechano set,” the pieces having been cut and loaded into
containers in Turkey and transhipped.
Each of the tower components would have been galvanized at the
Turkish fabrication plant, making the tower assembly process essentially a nut
and bolt type of fabricatio
n.
Turkish fabrication plant, making the tower assembly process essentially a nut
and bolt type of fabricatio
n.
No welding took place on the LIL transmission line during
assembly. Welds cannot (properly) be galvanized except within a facility
designed for the purpose.
assembly. Welds cannot (properly) be galvanized except within a facility
designed for the purpose.
Galvanizing protects steel from corrosion. It is conducted using a multi-step operation which ends with
immersion into a bath of molten zinc, commonly called a “hot dip” process.
immersion into a bath of molten zinc, commonly called a “hot dip” process.
Any “fix” in the field on Nalcor’s towers would exclude this
option.
option.
Is this a problem of workmanship locally or in Turkey?
More likely, in this case, Nalcor took the “self-performing” approach
to Quality Control with the Turkish steel contractor — as it did with many of
its suppliers and contractors, including its Chinese supplier, where the
turbines and other components were manufactured.
to Quality Control with the Turkish steel contractor — as it did with many of
its suppliers and contractors, including its Chinese supplier, where the
turbines and other components were manufactured.
The public, having already heard so much about cost overruns
and project delays, had better not tire of this refrain too soon. Rather, they
should gird themselves for more of the disappointments that were given early
incubation in so many facets of this project.
and project delays, had better not tire of this refrain too soon. Rather, they
should gird themselves for more of the disappointments that were given early
incubation in so many facets of this project.
Commission of Government. Fawlty Towers.
We’ll be bloody sick of British re-runs yet!
_________________________________________
Editor’s Note:
_________________________________________
Editor’s Note:
Nalcor Energy and the Energy Minister have denied the existence
of any problems of structural integrity on LIL Towers. contained in the above. If Nalcor or Minister
persist in refusing to acknowledge those problems in the
“base” or “foundation” of the towers I will give additional
details in a post update on Wednesday. The Uncle Gnarley Blog – and source – stands
by the allegation as it relates to welding failures confirmed by tests conducted on a multiplicity of towers.
of any problems of structural integrity on LIL Towers. contained in the above. If Nalcor or Minister
persist in refusing to acknowledge those problems in the
“base” or “foundation” of the towers I will give additional
details in a post update on Wednesday. The Uncle Gnarley Blog – and source – stands
by the allegation as it relates to welding failures confirmed by tests conducted on a multiplicity of towers.
Is this the kind of markeylarkey that ball calls finishing strong, what a doe doe. Ball played in the fawelty towers in that British comedy, in his former life. And he laughs every time he sees a tower, and calls it "finishing strong". And gotta get her done byes. Where else would he use these terms except in a nalcor comedy, yup a 15$ billion comedy, with balls et al staring…take it to Broadway in 5 years time, and who knows we may eventually make money on muskrat, now I understand, that's what he means by "gotta het her done bys, and finishing strong". What a gong show.
For a small boat lift, I had steel locally hot dipped galvanized 25 years ago. They had a small capacity operation in Mount Pearl or Donovans and the steel was welded before being dipped, by my son, then a teenager, with an interest in welding. Being at the edge of salt water, it is constantly exposed to salt spray. The steel and weld joints are still in perfect shape. Some purchased galvanized cables felt apart 5 years ago, and since replaced with stainless steel. My welder now works as an engineer in the oil industry.
And yet this 15 billion boondoggle has such problems…….
Winston Adams.
Nalcor continues to be unable to do QA QC. Why were the towers' integrity not tested before the first one was strung? What if anything did the structural weakness have to do with the accidents that killed two workers? Are the towers on the Maritime link subject to the same problems? Why or why not? Did the towers come from the same Turkish company?
Where is the contract for these towers? Who is responsible for the failure, Nalcor or the supplier? Is Nalcor going to answer questions or is this problem a "proprietary secret" to be hidden from the rate or taxpayer? Will heads roll over this latest blunder or will the chump be stuck paying the bill for Nalcor incompetence yet again?
Apart from the tragedy and incompetence that this tale describes there is a delicious irony in all of this. That this testimony to political vanity should not be able to keep its towers erect sums up both Nalcor and the political legacy MF leaves behind.
Your first question kind of answers it all. I find it hard to believe that tests on towers, like the one mentioned above, were only done recently… makes this blog post a little more illegitimate that it could already be.
In the end, who knows?
If you are saying this blog must be wrong because Nalcor would never erect towers without testing them I have some bad news for you. See the draft tube disaster and hundreds of km of faulty wire strung before this blog broke the truth.
I wonder from whence your blind trust in Nalcor originates? Is it from a paycheck or extreme myopia I wonder?
Ahh a true dystopian.
I am so myopic. You nailed it. I know nothing. You know everything. Man, I know so little. Uncle Gnarly also knows everything from mysterious sources. Did I remind you of how little I knew? I know nothing.
We've found out so much about the catastrophy of MF thru this blog, I find it amusing how you have blind faith in Nalsor's integrity. I guess you will not be one of us who has to pay for it—$12.7-$15B and counting!! You really think there was and still is incompetance and scullduggery going on here??
correction—"really think there was NOT"
The welds were done on what is called piles. These act as like a base for the towers. These are not made in Turkey and are not galvanized. These "piles" are used mostly where ground conditions are not suitable for tower erection alone. The repairs should be able to be done without dismantling but will still be a lot of work. As for the two people that died, a shame, that was on a different transmission line, different company, different towers, etc. Nothing to do with maritime link.
That is if there is a problem with the piles to begin with..
That entire operation… MRF, the NL government, the whole ball of wax… sounds like it's being run by a bunch of dilettantes who know just enough to be dangerous.
NL could've bought power from Hydro Quebec for pennies per kwh until 2041, when the Upper Churchill contract expires.
Instead, those imbeciles foolishly decided to embark on an horrendously expensive attempt to salvage the pride of a duped generation of NLers, by doing an "end-run" around Quebec.
That they still continue to feel victimized by Quebec is bewildering, considering that NL didn't have to risk a dime on the Upper Churchill.
And now here they are, saddled with the financial burden of MRF, the solvency of their province consequently now at risk.
Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.
I remember honest Ed Martin once saying on the radio they looked at buying power from Hydro Quebec but that it was not the least cost option… when it was suggested we see those documents he did a complete 180 saying they never actually had a meeting but that Quebec Hydro were hard to deal with in the past. Due diligence? World-class management!? This project went off the rails way before sanctioning.
Ed, if you read this, it potentially was hard for Quebec Hydro to deal with the ego of Danny and the incompetence of yourself. Please enjoy our tax dollars and make sure you keep the lotion on your nose and ears while we suffer major financial consequences. History will be unkind to you and your master.
There is only 1 imbecile Danny Smallwood; oops Williams
Yet another chapter, In the nightmare of Muskrat Falls. If I were Premier Ball, I would fire the whole bunch at Nelcor. And then do us all a big favor and resign. Shut down the whole project, And sell off Nelcor and all its assets to the first bidder.
Then maybe we get out of this mess.
Nelcor. Lol
This is not new. In the late 60s when the original metal tower construction was happening across the island, the source steel for the towers was produced in error and required in-field drilling of misfiled steel parts to assemble. I can only assume that these types of errors are commonplace in any environment that purchases based on lowest cost options.
Lowest cost……….laughable, as the whole 6 billion MF was supposed t be 2 billion cheaper than the isolated island option.
Not like this is the first boo boo.
A scam from day one, and the problems still out of control and adding daily. Guess we see the reliability when we get 90 MPH winds with ice and salt on those suckers.
Before we had worries on the Avalon near Sunnnyside…….now the whole Norther Peninsula and Southern Labrador.
The answer to reliability will be blowing in the wind, as the Dylan song goes. Or as Trumo says: We`ll see.
WA
I'm not an engineer or for that matter an expert in power line construction. But when I see many of the towers that have been erected, single point load held up by four cables, I wonder if they are even suitable to our environment. Are they more vulnerable to ice loads? It seems this entire project is being managed by the principle of lowest cost. Where will it fail first?
This project, if it is even completed, will ultimately bankrupt the province or leave it so encumbered with debt and taxes that it will be depopulated in five to ten years. It will become impossible to raise a family or even retire here year round. This is a grim but not unrealistic future.
Seems like a popular choice of tower in my travels through Canada right now…from Nova Scotia to Alberta that design is being used in lots of places…not only that, have you noticed the power line from Cat Arm?…4 guy wires and a single point….still standing..
You are so correct. People only think about the cost of their own electrical bill. Not only will increased electricity rates deplete ones disposable income but businesses will dip into your pocket too. They will not swallow the extra electricity costs (like when gas goes up, transportation costs increase and get pass on). All products and services will increase and further take from disposable incomes. And what about the governments mitigation measures… robbing Peter to pay Paul? Or will it be more gas tax on the gas tax? When the electricity flows the economy will slow, AND IT WILL, small business will be the first to go. Thank you Danny, Nalcor and all those with your hand in the jar.
Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls of all ages, no matter how you cut it, this does not look good. Can't stop shaking my head. Sad, sad, sad!
And those of us living downstream of the North Spur are supposed to feel "confidant" that Nalcor has done the proper stabilization work to keep us safe from a catastrophic flood! Not likely! Bring on the forensic audit, bring on the public review of the entire project..Ball, get with the program. I'm willing to bet if you lived where I live you would be in a hell of a hurry to ensure the North Spur is not as shoddily built as these Fawlty Towers.
I guess the last one to leave won't have to turn out the lights: the system will have already failed.i don't believe the stupidity and/or greed of those involved with MY. From the Premiers on down to MY suppliers.
Oops. MF not MY.
While these towers should be MORE reliable than existing 230Kw island lines, given the distance, terrain, and exposed to severe elements of salt , wind,lightning, and ice load, and solar GICs………it appears obvious that they must be LESS reliable, and would have to be known prior to sanction.
The Avalon gets the entire output of MF, while mor reliable island power goes to NS, so 15 billion for less reliability for the Avalon. So unreliable, that we will need to have standby power at Holyrood, when the Labrador power goes down,… preventing decommissioning of that plant……….so what a farce of least cost ( Wade Locke voodoo economics, Wade,……..head if the economics dept at MUN!)
Mega cost and mini reliability of power…….the Fuddle Duddle Falls.
PENG2 of Nalcor says finish strong then mothball. Can we bury Dwight Ball in that dam somewhere like they did with Jimmy Hoffa, before Goose Bay gets buried by the dam failure.
Wondering what the meaning of strong is, when dealing with quick clay mud. It gets stronger with salt added. Now Dwight`s carcus may contain a few grams of salt, so if buried there, the dam may hold 6 hours longer,……..not much, but time for more evacuation notice for the folks downstream…………worth a study I`d say. Of course, the result may be that scientific evidence lacks certainty , and more study is recommended whether it is worthwhile. Besides, balls tend to keep popping up, unless encased in concrete, instead of quick clay.
PF
I call bullshit. Seems you're pretty critical of this government. Have they not offered you a board appointment or something yet? You and Ed Hollett should get together and compare notes on conspiracy theories.
Dat you Danny??
In a story on the website of VOCM right now, Nalcor has denied that structural or safety issues with transmission towers have been identified.
I seen one being taken down today next to my house… west coast..
There are problems with the most critical part of the towers – foundations on the Labrador Tx line – In vocm they talk about contractor walk downs – cant see the foundations
And all the needed expertise was right next door in Quebec! WTF!
Fake ass article
What is fake about it? It seems to be quality journalism to me, and unfortunately, the type of thing I'd expect from Nalcor.
This comment has been removed by the author.
52 percent to 38 percent think that a fixed link to Bell island would save money (VOCM Question ).
A fixed link for about 3 miles , in water likely hundreds of feet deep, and infested with artic ice at time……tell me where is the economic sense of people after the MF fiasco.
And I suppose a fixed link to Fogo would save money, and then a fixed link to the French Islands on the south coast, for the tourists………..make no wonder few objected to the Fuddle Duddle Falls.
Seems few know the difference between an investment, a gamble or a Ponzi scheme as long as the government funds it from our tax dollars or what should have been our heritage fund.
Clear that over half our population has no financial sense.
Investor
Now invested, you know better than that, you just don't shoot from the hip or lip with no numbers to back it up, that must be out of character for you. Why not give some numbers for providing for ferry services for say the next 30 years, and try and get some rough estimate for a fixed link. As for your comment on infested arctic ice, that may be an overstatement, and maybe the cheaper link is a tunnel. And also a bit off the cuff about st. Pierre, we have no obligation to pay that service, and are not currently doing it. No finically sense, where have you provided that yourself, just because you are doing well in bank stocks does not make you a warren Buffett, or a builder of hundreds of bridges, causeways and tunnels. May e first chat to a few from Norway, where they are and have built hundreds of bridges and tunnels to link their many islands. So be careful of your fiddle diddle too….
Your comment is reasonable,and was a bit off the cuff, but I gave the distance, have an idea of water depth, having been on that bay, and see the ice, though less often in recent decades.
Maybe the ones that pose the question at VOCM, or those that follow VOCM is the problem, and not the 52 percent……not sure.
And a tunnel is likewise very expensive and not cost effective………if any of it was , private investment would be considering it.
Now battery and electric motor propulsion may make sense, to reduce fuel costs going forward…….perhaps a use from the carbon tax that is coming……and help support a declining load on the grid……..
But as you say……….what are the numbers for any of this………caution should be used given our debt load.
Agreed, I am not a Warren Buffett, but a better understanding of bridges, causeways and tunnels than the average Joe, that is I have a technical background. And I am not exclusive to bank stocks.
Would you invest in such fixed links and tunnels……..
Investor
Uncle Gnarley – You may want to get your facts right next time. Truthful info is probably not important to you but rather, you are engaged in the business of misinformation to incite NLers to pursue their favorite activity… whining and complaining. I am a NLer and I have never seen anywhere the unique combination of small brain and big mouth that I see in this province. God forsake that people actually try to contribute to solutions rather than just print lies and complain about the efforts of those who are trying.
"God forsake that people actually try to contribute to solutions". There is one obvious solution that has been written here hundreds of times. Shut the project down. If you believe that there are factual inaccuracies in the articles in this blog then please enlighten us with your analysis.
That's brilliant. Project is approx 70% complete and you want to shut it down rather than spend the last 30% to complete and start to generate revenue. Just because it is written here 100 times doesn't make it sensible. Stan Marshall and Dwight Ball have it sized up right. Continuing is necessary because stopping SURELY would be disastrous, as we would see no revenue source from the large investment that has been made. I guess Stan and Dwight don't write in this blog. Stan Marshall is a P.Eng. and an expert in these type of projects from his days as CEO at Fortis. The path is obvious… and it is to continue. Lesson learned by NL government. Do not engage in business ventures, as the people have no stomach for risk and they want to cut and run at first sign of problems.
Sorry 18:02 you have it back assward. Continuing would be disastrous when the spur fails. Do Labrador lives matter?
The most disastrous mistake you make is assuming that completing MF will earn revenue. When it costs 60 cents KwH delivered to Soldiers Pond and the revenue will be 17-22 cents from ratepayers in NL, 4-5 cents delivered to NS or N England how does that make money??
It makes money for Nalcor who have a disempowered, blind chump, it loses 40 to 55 cents KwH for the ratepayer for EVERY Kwh produced at MF for 57 years! Is that what you mean by make money? Did you take financial lessons from Ed Martin???
Regarding North Spur I cannot comment as it is a matter for highly trained people to design. I am a Professional Engineer (mechancial) with 25 years of experience and I would not be so presumptuous to make statements about technical issues to be sorted out by individuals with PhD in geotechnical engineering, which from my understanding is the qualifications of the primary technical overseer for the North Spur design. I know the public, including you, seem to have this all sized up so you must clearly have the qualifications to make these statements… or do you? There are opinions and then there are informed opinions and I really prefer the latter. Regarding the financial aspects of the project blind chump, the money is already mostly spent so the taxpayer can either repay the associated debt and get nothing or repay the debt and get power in the process. Gee… I wonder which would be better? Not to mention that MF is a new power generation facility in a province where power generation facilities like Holyrood are falling apart. So we shut down MF, take the financial hit, get nothing for it and then build more power generation facilities to replace the faultering infrastructure? Great strategy Bruno… you should run for Premier.
As a PE how did you miss the world class expert on quick clay has reviewed the spur engineering design and determined they used the wrong models. An MA student applied the proper formula and determined the spur WILL fail. With your background why is this not important to you?
You misrepresent my main point. The RATEPAYER will lose 40 or so cents a KwH for every KwH produced for 57 years. Only Nalcor's books win, people lose. Is that not enough to abandon MF or is extortion from rate/taxpayers for uneeded power for 57 years acceptable to you?
Accusing the other for using the rhetorical device one is using oneself is a cheap trick. Just who is misinformed about the spur engineering?
The money is already lost Bruno. The only question now is how does NL repay the debt. You are looking at a picture inside the picture. We can pay the loss through payment of utility bills and receive power or pay it through more taxes on the people and get nothing. Pick your poison as there is no good way out of this one. Regarding experts on science, engineering, medicine… for every opinion, there is a contrarian opinion that can be developed and presented. Complex engineering issues are not simple to model and there is often debate between those qualified as to credibility of different models. There is no single formula that will provide the answers here. I suspect that numerical methods (probably finite element based software) have been used to model the north spur, meaning formulas and analytical methods would be a very small part of the analysis. Numerical methods use computer hardware to crunch the analysis using convergent numerical models. I would buy into this as a failed design if the original technical authority for the north spur openly acknowledged he/she had made a mistake but this to my knowledge has not happened. There are laws related to ethics that bind PEs to disclose mistakes that jeopardize public safety, as knowingly concealing an oversight of this magnitude would likely lead to jail time. I'm highly skeptical that a mistake like this would be made and left unchecked by Nalcor or the technical authority who developed the design. You believe what you want to believe but it seems to me you are dependent on somebody to provide you with their assessments of the technical aspects of the north spur so you can form an opinion as opposed to having the knowledge to form your own opinion. You should stick to your knitting and the leave technical work to those who have the training.
Come on now buddy 804, keep the lid on those underlings that might be incited to rise up and demand from our so called leaders that have lied and bamboozled their way to the top and propped up by the elete of this province, that why we are in the mess we are in, like 30$ billion debt hand counting. Now I have said , and still saying it on this blog, that we as a people are incapable of governing ourselves, we proved it in the 30 idea and may be about to prove it again in the next few years. So first of all recognize that problem, and then we may be in a better position of how to solve it. And by whose standard do you measure small brains and bigh mouths, you own, or do you put yourself in that category too. As for contributing, do you mean as always to prop up the elete of the province. Check the printed lies too, mainly by the nalcor crowd, even wade from mun, and would also include the auditor general, not to mention, Eddie. And Dannie, and Cathy, and can add ball to that list now. As for U. G. Give us some examples of lies, alternate facts, and incitement etc. Before you start blowing off your big mouth and little brain.
Spot on Anon @08:23!
The mess we are in is the product of 50 years of operating like a welfare state. It is the responsibility of the people to create their own opportunities and to drive the economy but for some reason, a lot of people here think that is the role of government. That is a fundamental flaw in the thinking of many of the people here. NLers also use their politicians as punching bags, and the politicians cannot fight back because they do not want to jeopardize losing votes in the next election. One of the byproducts of this situation is to ensure that those who are best qualified to lead this province never do because, let's face it, it is not worth the bs. To say we are not capable of governing ourselves is a sad and inaccurate comment. A more accurate comment is that it is nearly impossible to govern here because the vast majority people have unrealistic expectations of their politicians and their government. Stephen Harper publicly said that NLer have a defeatist attitude and he was right. Many people complain about high unemployment but most couldn't be bothered to try to create a job for themselves or even train for the jobs that are available here. The government is stepping up immigration now partially because there are a significant number of high skill jobs in NL that have for decades been filled by people from outside the country because there are not enough NLers to fill those jobs. For these jobs, government sees no taxation because the employers have head office outside the province. In the midst of near 20% unemployment we have to bring immigrants here to fill some of the best paying jobs available in the province. The immigrants are not like most NLers because they expect nothing from government and generally all they want is a shot at realizing their full potential through their own hard work. Very admirable people and if you haven't noticed, immigrants are increasingly taking leadership roles in government and business across the entire country. They laugh at our complaining and entitlement, as they come here with nothing, work their butts off and realize tremendous success. If I had any advice for Dwight Ball, it is to stop wasting your time in the role of Premier and go back to running your pharmacy business, which has far less headaches and is far more rewarding. Cathy Bennett has already made first steps in that direction and I am sure will not run in next election. You call them elites but they are people who started with nothing and put many years of hard work into education and business to get what they have and they are not in politics for the money because they can make far more money not being in politics. If these are the people you call elites, well get ready for the "elite" class to be people of colour. It will take a generation but it's coming because the immigrants will put the work in where most NLer are not prepared to do that. You get out of life what you put into it and most people here are not prepared to put in much. Regarding big mouth and small brain, most of the people here who run their mouth off have extremely limited insight into what they are talking about. It is really laughable at times. Informed opinions are based on knowledge acquired through education and work experience relevant to the issues, but many of the people here who speak with strongest conviction on issues have neither the training or experience to express informed opinions. It's too bad that people here don't put the same energy into pursuing advancement and opportunity as they do into complaining. This province could be a different place if this were to change.
Hmmmmmm….where have I heard this violent blame the victim rant before? Your reverse Archie Bunker analogy is amusing.
Are you even from NL? What depth of knowledge do you have of this province and its history? Doesn't seem like you have much. The problems here run much deeper than MF and those are the problems I am talking about. I have lived here all of my life, growing up in rural NL the son of a miner and the grandson of fishermen. If you think it's amusing that people should be accountable for their own life choices and embrace self determination over government dependency, you have a bizarre sense of humor better suited to other places.
Eagerly awaiting evidence from the source to refute Nalcor's claims that all is well…
1013… You will need more than half a line for little brains to understand clearly what you mean … Squeak up …state you case…air time is free..or maybe I am out of line….?
You are out of line. I fully expect Nalcor is obfuscating and I look forward to seeing what UG's source has provided for evidince for UG to publish this piece in the first place.
UG may need to fact check his source here… the article talks about tower steel and welds, but then the statement at the bottom is about the foundation having the issue? Is it an issue with the towers or the foundations? Welding can be completed in the field and has been done for many years… just because an item is not hot-dipped doesn't mean that its faulty either? If items cannot be dipped, often the engineering standard is to increase the width/gauge of the steel to deal with the long term environmental cycle of the area… just because an item is not galvanized does not mean its in some way faulty?
looking forward to Wednesdays reveal, hopefully we'll get some clarification then.
All bolted connections except foundation – welded and concrete – many issues – and the project team knew it at the time but direction was – full steam ahead before snow 2018 – recall power needed on east coast
You silly fool 1127, waiting to see if UG is wrong…so what if he is, it doesn't cost the taxpayers or ratepayer a Nicole, and nalcor blunders will cost us billions, and you and your type has got us into this dam mess… Penny wise and pound foolish. Get a grip for Christ sake…
Another dead end industrial experiment;
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1518198-layoffs-announced-at-donkin-mine
Why do we, the people, permit our elected representatives perpetuate the "make work at any cost" ideology.
Ten years from now we will probably be saying the same about the Ball Energy Plan for NL.
https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2017/11/07/bc-liberals-clean-energy-plan/
Wake up people, in particular the 30 somethings, the Muskrat fiasco is about to repeat.
The Kill Site C fight is going down to the wire;
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/15f93c0b3397b56f
Interim NDP leader Lorraine Michael has come alive and wants to see the Nalcor procurement numbers that were due every 6 months. Of course Nalcor produced no such reports.
http://www.thetelegram.com/news/ndp-questions-nalcors-procurement-reporting-159424/
Lorraine seems to have come alive on her rebound leaders gig. The NDP were passive and complicit during her tenure as leader. If she had done this three years ago there is a good chance she would be Premier.
Coady covers for Nalcor saying the monthly "reports" are all that is needed despite the fact that they are devoid of content. They can be summarized as "we met, we talked, we adjourned". And of course the independent contractors are not included.
That the Libs are protecting the whole rotten Nalcor edifice at this point is mind numbing. Sioban must be the daughter of Commander Coady (and his lost planet airmen).
Where is Jack Harris? He either should be at the Fed level running in Judy Foot's riding, or for provincial NDP, to help bring NL into the progressive society.
Siobahn Coady always looks like a deer caught in the headlight.
Save the bloody act for the dupes who elected you. You have a bloody majority, just repeal the god-damned legislation!
http://vocm.com/news/natural-resources-minister-slams-pcs-over-nalcor-exemptions/
Not going to be that easy—these are personal services contracts and may not be governed by NL laws, possibly international/extraprovincial/civil laws depending on the situation of a particular person. NL or Nalcor doesn't get the final say here—will most likely be a long time before any of that is released if ever….
In any event it would be significantly cheaper on a per hour basis to farm personal services via 'body shop' than to either use a 3rd party (Stantec, AMEC, SNC, Golder etc) or for Nalcor to hire directly(check our the HAY scale, Nalcors fig on that is probably about 40% to cover benefits)….
I would say this is the 1 thing done right on this piece of work….
Perhaps they are covered by intergalactic law to protect Nalcor secrecy. Are you sure you are not a beneficiary of the Nalcor largesse? Are you an "agent" skimming a percentage of the contract employees salary (or both in the same incarnation it would appear!)?
And now here we have Anon 20:40, either a Nalcor shill or a Coady the Incompetent shill… likely both… trying to tell UG Nation that the NL legislature might not be able to repeal its own legislation. ??
Because of "international/extraprovincial/civil laws"
???
How daft is that? That's just bloody-well absurd.
So here is the first test for the new Ball carbon/environmental pollution issue.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/oil-spill-corner-brook-stream-1.4390747
What if any penalty would you assess, as compared to how the NL gov. reacts?
The end to offshore gas on the NS shelf?
http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1518388-end-in-sight-for-natural-gas-project.
Some day NL offshore oil may meet the same fate? What is the fallback plan?