If the typical bill is anything like mine it won't make a lot of odds. Very little of the bill is related to power consumption, it's mostly fixed cost.

True enough, but when the little bit that is actual usage jumps to twice the fixed rate cost there will be a few (more) unhappy punters.

Saint John, surely? St. Johns is in Newfoundland.

Right you are...

Actually its Newfoundland that Quebec are screwing to the tune of millions a year not NS. And there's about 40 yrs left to run on the deal - although Nfld Hydro have just filed (another) appeal in the Supreme Court about it.

Hence all the furorae about the sale of NB Power (& the transmission grid/rights) to Hydro Quebec that has seen the deal modified to exclude the transmission system. I believe one of the purposes of the sale is to address NB power debt and provide for lower rates for NB power customers.

The whole situation is down to Joey Smallwood. He originally made the sweetheart deal with Quebec. That and numerous other questionable ones such as a huge liner-board mill at Stephenville and a proposed oil refinery at Come By Chance with his crony John Shaheen. Despite all these "deals" he was a hero to most Newfoundlanders.

Don't disagree that Joey was responsible for signing the Lower Churchill deal with Quebec, nor the other stuff. I think the key word is in your last sentence....'was' a hero to most Newfoundlanders. Not so much anymore.