Supreme Court to review 1969 deal that sparked longtime Quebec-N.L. hydro feud
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Perhaps no one was more cautiously thrilled than Tom Marshall to hear Thursday that Canada’s top court will review the long disputed Churchill Falls hydro deal — a case that could reap big money for a cash-strapped province.
The former premier of Newfoundland and Labrador was justice minister seven years ago when he read a collection of legal opinions. They offered hope that there might be a way to win one of the most bitter political feuds in the country: the fight over wildly lopsided benefits from the Churchill Falls hydroelectric dam and power station in Labrador.
Terms of the 65-year contract signed in 1969 have so far delivered about $27.5 billion for Hydro-Quebec versus $2 billion for Newfoundland and Labrador.
If the Supreme Court of Canada rules the deal should be reopened, it could mean a massive windfall in a province that desperately needs one.