The Chair of the Premier’s Economic Recovery Team has delayed the delivery of the interim report to the Premier by up to six weeks.
The initial report was due tomorrow.
At an unexpected media briefing this morning, Greene revealed that her team has been working diligently, seven days a week and sometimes 12 hours a day, but due to the “unforeseen circumstance” of the lockdown they are unable to meet the original deadline.
Greene comments that she always viewed February 28th as a “notional date” and never thought of it is a “time is of the essence” deadline.
Ultimately, Greene believes it will take the team between five to six weeks to get the report to where they want it. The deadline of the final report was the end of April – Greene could not offer any comment on how this news will affect that timeline.
On the topic of whether the election played any role, Greene affirmed that delaying the report has “nothing to do with the election,” that it was her decision, and that the report is simply not ready.
“These are unusual times. This is a complex project and I and my team have been working diligently, seven days a week, often more than 12 hours a day to complete this project. The PERT members are brilliant dedicated people. This is a fantastic team and as good as or better than any team I have worked with. The best interest of the province is their first priority. The lock-down was an unforeseen circumstance and we are disappointed that we will not be able to submit the interim report on February 28. My report and its delay, despite some public commentary, has nothing to do with the election. February 28 was a notional date and I never understood it to be a time is of the essence report.”
