The province’s Consumer Advocate says the implementation of recommendations outlined in Justice Richard LeBlanc’s Muskrat Falls Report released one year ago need to remain a priority as the province comes out of the pandemic.

Wednesday marked one year since Justice LeBlanc released his report from the two-year Muskrat Falls Inquiry.

Dennis Browne says COVID has had a dramatic impact on bogging down the implementation of LeBlanc’s 17 recommendations.

Government is on record as saying all the recommendations will be implemented – one of those recommendations is a review of the mandate of the province’s Public Utilities Board.

He says that includes an overhaul of the Public Utilities Act.

Performance-based regulation also needs to be introduced or at least studied according to LeBlanc’s recommendations and that must be addressed in order to implement rate mitigation.

Browne says until costs are controlled at the PUB – there can be no rate mitigation.