The Future ... and stuff to read

The Reading List for 20 Jan 23

One bit of one shelf in one bookcase

The nice thing about these Friday columns is that I get to look ahead.

Well, that and I get to share some of the curious things I’ve been reading.

As looking ahead goes, there’s a map of columns out to the end of February. We’ll spend a bit of time on energy issues, especially Labrador hydro. Some of it will expand on the piece this week in la presse, which is getting some attention on the mainland but not much here.

I’ll be delving into some of the background to the idea for what we can do with Churchill Falls. There’ll also be some detail of the knock-on implications of the proposal in la presse that are specifically for Newfoundland and Labrador. Muskrat Falls and electricity rates are a big part of that for the short term but there are other implications about the rat’s nest of companies created over the past 20 years, none of which have a clear goal.

Next Wednesday, the subscriber column is about the politics of hydro both in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador. That’s a huge part of the tale and will be going forward. That won’t be so much about yesterday as much as it will be about today. This is the bit where you get a bit more of a sober view of what’s likely to come out of the 2041 talks… when they start.

There’ll also be some diversions into health care in this province, minimum wage, government use of consultants, and car and trucks sales. The Tory leadership race won’t escape a mention or two and there might also be some things I have had in the hopper for a while on local political culture and the usual grab-bag of odd topics that catch my attention.

One editorial note: The Monday Free-for-All columns stay that way for six months, after which they become available to subscribers only. That’s new. It increases the value of a subscription to the people who have been supporting Bond Papers, in many cases since the beginning.

That said, the real meat of today’s column is beyond the paywall, and there’s no point in delaying the good stuff any further.