It’s looking as though the province’s promised electricity rebate may not be in place in time for the coldest months this winter.

Government promised the rebate on the back of the Churchill Falls deal with Quebec, however its implementation is contingent on the deal being signed.

With the newly-elected PQ government in Quebec wanting to take time to review the deal, Premier Tony Wakeham has indicated that they are willing to extend the deadline to get the final agreements signed to the end of March.

If negotiations go down to the wire, that could mean the rebate won’t show up on people’s bills until April.

In a statement to VOCM News, the department of finance says plans for the rebate have not changed, and it will be implemented “as soon as possible” once the deal is finalized.

The provincial government says delays in getting the Churchill Falls agreement signed will not affect its budgeting process as those anticipated revenues are not being included in financial forecasting at this time.

Premier Tony Wakeham believes the deal will be finalized long before the March 31 deadline.

“The agreement allows for us to go up to March 31st, 2027. I’m confident and hopeful that this will be done before then. On the rebate question, I think that you’re all going to be pleased, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are going to be pleased with announcements that we will make very soon.”

Opposition leader John Hogan doesn’t believe the rebate should be linked to the agreement, noting that excess oil revenues could be put towards it in the interim.

He doesn’t believe government should be asking people to support one thing in order to get something else. He says government can afford to still implement the rebate.