| Due process problematic with Bill 50 |
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| Local Content - Editorial |
| Written by production |
| Thursday, 10 December 2009 15:26 |
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The fall session of the legislature didn’t raise any eyebrows apart from a contentious bill carried forward from the spring session, Bill 50. Otherwise known as the Electric Statutes Amendment Act, Bill 50 raised public fears of big government hegemony over the lowly private property owner in the name of the province’s corporate interests. Bill 50, which in its amended form has been passed and received royal assent, gives government the authority to approve the need for critical electrical transmission infrastructure while eliminating much of the usual regulatory procedure. The province claims that this will help facilitate the construction of new transmission lines that will be required in the future. Meeting the public criticism with their own version of the matter, the Stelmach government countered that without new transmission infrastructure the province will probably experience increasing power outages and unreliable service. The truth seems to be somewhere in between. While few would argue with an increased need for more transmission capacity if the province is to move forward with energy production into the 21st century, making an end-run around much of the regulatory process when affecting decisions about transmission lines that will affect hundreds if not thousands of private property owners, sets a disturbing precedent. Responding to the public outcry, Minister Knight introduced amendments to Bill 50 which help alleviate many of the concerns. However, the province needs to remain mindful of the potential repercussions of acting unilaterally in matters of public interest in the future if they are to maintain their own quickly dissipating popularity. |
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