With the futures of hundreds of families lying in the balance today, government is holding out hope that a solution to restart the Terra Nova project can still be found.
Energy Minister Andrew Parsons told the House of Assembly that he wrote the project partners as late as this morning to re-enforce the importance of getting Terra Nova back online.
He says he still believes that the province’s roughly half-a-billion-dollar investment, in addition to interest from other private players, should be enough to at least advance the talks and stave off abandonment.
But Parsons says they must be down to the wire on a decision, noting the window is quickly closing on the viability of asset life extension.
Meanwhile, Speaker Derek Bennett led off today’s sitting with a gentle reminder to keep things civil in the House, following yesterday’s comments by Premier Andrew Furey that were deemed offensive by the Opposition.
While the Speaker didn’t name names, Furey acknowledged it may have been directed toward him and others during testy exchanges in the House yesterday.
Furey says he’s only human, and chalked it all up to the learning curve as a relatively new MHA, but also credited the Opposition for their passion and causing him to, quote, “bite on the bait.”