Natural
Resources and Energy Development Minister Mike Holland said the nuclear
engineering field is highly specialized with a small pool of talent. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
New
Brunswick's energy minister says N.B. Power would have to justify the
high salary paid to its vice-president nuclear if an Ontario company
ends up helping run the Point Lepreau power plant.
Mike Holland
defended Brett Plummer's large six-figure salary to reporters Friday,
but acknowledged that the provincial utility would face questions if
Ontario Power Generation is brought in to improve the plant's
performance.
Plummer, an American nuclear engineer, is being paid
around $675,000 U.S. this year, N.B. Power says. That's more than
$910,000 Cdn at current exchange rates.
"In the event that the
existing HR framework was there and a successful deal was struck, then I
would be posing the question to the utility: help me understand why
everybody that's in their positions are justified and earning their
keep," Holland said.
Brett
Plummer, an American nuclear engineer, is being paid around $675,000
U.S. this year, N.B. Power says. That’s more than $910,000 Cdn at
current exchange rates. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
N.B.
Power confirmed this week it was discussing a partnership with the
Ontario Crown corporation and said "some OPG ownership" of Lepreau was a
possibility.
On Friday, Holland said that could mean an equity stake in the plant.
Lori Clark, CEO of N.B. Power, said in a statement that the plant would not be sold.
Utility
spokesperson Dominique Couture said the talks were at "an exploration
stage" so it was too early to comment on how an agreement would affect
Plummer's position.
She did not respond to a request for Plummer's current salary.
Premier
Blaine Higgs has refused to talk about what a deal might look like, but
pointed out this week that Ontario Power's large fleet of nuclear
reactors "means they have a level of expertise there."
He said Lepreau has had "ups and downs" and Ontario Power might be able to get "better capacity" at the generating station.
The plant has had a series of problems since a $2.4-billion refurbishment wrapped up in 2012.
It
produced only 90 per cent of the electricity expected of it during the
first 7½ years after refurbishment, costing the utility $200 million in
electrical production.
N.B.
Power confirmed this week it was discussing a partnership with the
Ontario Crown corporation and said 'some OPG ownership' of the Point
Lepreau nuclear generating station was a possibility. (Submitted by NB Power)
A shutdown last December wiped out all of the utility's projected profit for this year, adding to its $5.3 billion debt.
"I
think it's fair to ask questions. Obviously he was brought in to put
Point Lepreau on the right path," Opposition Liberal energy critic Keith
Chiasson said Friday.
"The nuclear station has been
underperforming for years. It's hard to find expertise in the country, I
understand that. But his mandate was clear: bring it back to where we
expect to be."
Green Leader David Coon agreed.
"That plant failed and they need to justify why they thought that was the solution."
Chiasson
obtained Plummer's 2022 travel expenses through a right to information
request, showing he billed $12,827.94 in living expenses and $15,311.88
in mileage during the year.
Holland said Plummer has a home in Maine and a residence in New Brunswick.
Opposition
Liberal energy critic Keith Chiasson obtained Plummer’s 2022 travel
expenses through a right to information request, showing he billed more
than $28,000 in living expenses and mileage during the year. (Jacques Poitras/CBC News)
"I'm
not familiar with the breakdown of his travel and whatnot," Holland
said. "I just know that I have access to him whenever I want to."
The minister argued the nuclear engineering field is highly specialized with a small pool of talent.
"I
encourage everyone to step back and have a look at it in the scope of
the nuclear world that's out there. I don't think an excessive amount
that's being paid based on salary ranges for folks with similar
expertise," he said.
"The idea to get the person that's best
qualified to do it. The residence of choice doesn't matter to me. The
whole concept is to make sure you have someone qualified for the
position."
However, the minister acknowledged that New
Brunswickers — and Ontario Power Generation — may question the salary
and expense arrangements if N.B. Power decides it needs a partner to get
Lepreau on track.
"OPG wouldn't be entering into a deal if there
was extraneous components to it, I would assume. So I would therefore
turn around and say 'explain to me how this framework works and how
everybody justified their position.'"
Couture's email said Plummer
has more than 40 years of commercial nuclear experience, and the travel
and living expenses are part of his contract.
"All expenses follow a rigorous verification and approval process," she said.
N.B. Power CEO Lori Clark said in a statement that Lepreau would not be sold. (Jonathan Collicott/CBC)
Holland
told reporters their questions about future of the VP nuclear position
were based on "a presupposition of a situation that has not been
presented to me."
He said he was not involved in the discussions with Ontario Power Generation.
"I'm
assuming, because I'm not sitting at the table with those negotiations,
the whole structure, logistics and org chart will be fleshed out as to
how a successful partnership would look."
Clark's statement said
the status quo is not an option for the utility but it was too early to
sketch out a possible agreement with Ontario Power.
"This work is
being advanced by NB Power, utility to utility, and we will present to
government when there is more information.... It is too early to
determine what form this partnership could take."
Jacques
Poitras has been CBC's provincial affairs reporter in New Brunswick
since 2000. He grew up in Moncton and covered Parliament in Ottawa for
the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. He has reported on every New
Brunswick election since 1995 and won awards from the Radio Television
Digital News Association, the National Newspaper Awards and Amnesty
International. He is also the author of five non-fiction books about New
Brunswick politics and history.
Methinks the EUB Hearing of the 529 Matter in Fat Fred City beginning this June is gonna be interesting N'esy Pas?
David Amos
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Welcome back to the circus
David Amos
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Methinks the EUB Hearing in Fat Fred City this June is gonna be quite a hoot
Rosco holt
Then the minister will need to justify his salary to the people of the province.
David Amos
Reply to Rosco holt
Good Idea
roland gallant
Decommission Pointe Lepreau, and buy directly
from Hydro Quebec just like North Eastern American States do. Or are
NB'ers against buying "Canadian" because it would be from a French
Province, so they'd rather pay more to a Ontario Company?
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to roland gallant
I have been saying that for years but there is a wicked game being played and its not for our benefit
Lou Bell
Content Deactivated
Reply to roland gallant
roland gallant
Reply to Lou Bell
and Ontario can be trusted?
Don Corey
Reply to roland gallant
That's pure speculation; there is nothing confirmed here one way or another.
And where did you come up with the ridiculous assumption that NB'ers are against buying from Hydro Quebec?
Whoa there? It's one thing to buy some of our power from Quebec Hydro.
Selling NB Power to them is a completely different
ballgame. I'll buy their power to meet our excess demands, but won't
sell the ship and be at their mercy.
Shawn Graham found that out the hard way, as you are well aware; and so am I.
Andrew Gilmour
Reply to Don Corey
Found what out?
roland gallant
Reply to Don Corey
@Don Corey, now we are getting
somewhere...answer me this now...but first reread my original
comment....now wouldn't it be to NB'ers financial advantage to
decommission Lepreau as soon as possible and replace it by simply buying
Quebec Hydro instead of selling it or leasing it to some Ontario
company?
Don Corey
Reply to Andrew Gilmour
That the majority of NB'ers did not want to sell NB Power to Quebec Hydro. Are you not familiar with the history here?
Don Corey
Reply to roland gallant
I've read your comment, and it made no
reference to the sale of NB Power, unlike the link you then posted. Your
last question is a good one, but I don't have the answer because there
are too many questions that go with it; related to both Lepreau and
Quebec Hydro.
roland gallant
Reply to Don Corey
Let me help with some of those unanswered
questions, the Anglo's in this Province would rather pay more to an
Ontario Crown corporation and sink more money into Lepreau, which is a
proven money loser, instead of buying cheap Quebec Hydro. It's that
simple.
Don Corey
Reply to roland gallant
I don't know why you're trying to push the language card here. The questions I would need answered are not in your post.
Ernesto Rafael
Reply to roland gallant
Newfoulander's Churchill Falls contract with
Hydro Quebec comes to an end in 2041 and it can't come fast enough.
Hydro Quebec can't be trusted.
Donald LeBlanc
Reply to roland gallant
Does Ontario already have American run/owned Nuclear Plants? What is Ontario’s track record of performance and efficiency?
Sam Smithers
Reply to Don Corey
It always seems to be about language with them,
that is why they have created the divide we currently have, dual
everything and a massive amount of wasted money.
roland gallant
Reply to Don Corey
listen this isn't complicated, buying Hydro
from Quebec is way cheaper and carbon friendly and would actually allow
NB'ers to save money, but instead they are floating the idea of pumping
even more money to an Ontario Company that will just exacerbate the
losing venture which is pointe Lepreau instead of decommissioning it.
But, keep stalling, until you can find a way to justify not buying Hydro
Quebec.
David Amos
Reply to roland gallant
Hmmm Even Madame Bell went "Poof"?
David Amos
Reply to Don Corey
Quebec backed away from the deal not Graham
David Amos
Reply to roland gallant
Nay not so
Jacques Allard
Ils trouverons pas de raison. Meme avec un
deficite, il recoit quand meme ses bonis....essayer de justifer ça!!
Pourquoi arreter la, $200k, $100k de salaire , essaiyer de justifier
ça!! ILS pourrons pas!
David Amos
Reply to Jacques Allard
"They won't find a reason. Even with a deficit, he still
receives his bonuses....trying to justify that!! Why stop there, $200k,
$100k salary, try to justify that!! THEY can't!"
C'est Vrai
Pat Holland
Reply to David Amos
Where do you see the bonuses they get? There are performance bonuses for the work crews not the executives
Christine Martinez
Reply to Pat Holland
Seriously? While true that "NB Power does not offer bonuses to non-bargaining
employees, including senior executives", that's just
smoke & mirrors. The bonuses are built into their contracts, and not
included in the reported salary figures. Anyone who thinks otherwise is
likely very naive.
This is clearly highlighted in this old CBC article
defending (at the time) the CEOs bonus. Don't think for an instant that
none of the other top brass don't negotiate similar bonus terms into
their contacts. By definition, this makes them "bargaining employees".
Michael Holland, the minister responsible for
nuclear power plants in New Brunswick. I wonder why we are in such a
mess in this province.
Ben Haroldson
Reply to James Johnstone
Fit right in at nb power.
David Amos
Reply to Ben Haroldson
True
Lou Bell
Reply to James Johnstone
That mess was created long before Mike holland was an MLA , but you wouldn't understand that .
David Amos
Reply to Lou Bell
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Even a busted clock is correct twice a day EH?
Christine Martinez
It appears that in New Brunswick, , "Vice President
Nuclear" commands a salary of a whopping $910,000. Meanwhile, in
Ontario, "Vice President Nuclear" of anything (there are several types)
have an average salary of $358,591, with the highest salary being
$509,132. This is publicly available info from Ontario's sunshine list.
One has to ask...how?...why??? Seems to me we're getting fleeced on NB Power's hugely exorbitant salaries.
David Amos
Reply to Christine Martinez
Oh My My
Donald LeBlanc
Reply to Christine Martinez Perhaps he was brought here to set up this deal? Have to question US involvement in the deal it would seem?
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Donald LeBlanc
He has been on the payroll for quite some time I suspect this a PWC plan
Clive Gibbons
Why doesn't this person need to justify their salary now?
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Clive Gibbons
Ask Mikey
David Amos
Reply to Clive Gibbons
Go Figure
Chuck Michaels
NB Power has a hard time justifying a GREAT
DEAL of what goes in their organization. Let us just rip the band aid
off, NATIONALIZE it and rebuild from the weeds up....
G. Timothy Walton
Reply to Chuck Michaels
Nationalise a provincial utility?
David Amos
Reply to G. Timothy Walton
Ditto
Chuck Michaels
Reply to G. Timothy Walton
So to speak... more accurately "provincialize",
I guess... There is precedent in NB (and NS) in which government took
control and ownership of ambulance services from private operators.
Granted, in true government fashion, they immediately contracted Medavie
Blue Cross to manage the day-to-day operations of the newly-acquired
entities...
G. Timothy Walton
Reply to Chuck Michaels
And Bernard Lord was able to continue his tradition of service to the New Brunswick taxpayer.
Usually such service in the private sector involves safewords.
Margaret Flowers
Me thinks “help me understand why everybody
that's in their positions are justified and earning their keep?” should
be a question raised and acted upon daily of the entire organization.
David Amos
Reply to Margaret Flowers
Methinks you enjoy the circus as much as I N'esy Pas?
Theo Lavigne
I can kick my own behind for becoming a trades person instead of a nuclear engineer....
Samual Johnston
Reply to Theo Lavigne
There is still time…
Theo Lavigne
Reply to Samual Johnston
No: I'm over the hill, to late
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Theo Lavigne
Its not Rocket Science get yourself elected and you could be the Boss like Mikey is
David Amos
Reply to Theo Lavigne
Run for public office and become a boss
Jack Straw
Does Mike now understand that lumber prices
went up and royalties never increased to account for that? Remember he
was not aware of that. Hard to believe we have a Minister who would not
be aware of that fact. You can see why we are in the mess we are in.
Asking him to resign would be pointless as he would not understand what
that means.
Marcel Belanger
Reply to Jack Straw
Funny 👍😂
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Jack Straw
Mikey is a Straw Man he don't know nothing because his head is a bowl of stuffing Hence he just says what Higgy tells him to
Brett
Plummer, an American nuclear engineer, is being paid around $675,000
U.S. this year, N.B. Power says. That’s more than $910,000 Cdn at
current exchange rates. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
N.B.
Power confirmed this week it was discussing a partnership with the
Ontario Crown corporation and said 'some OPG ownership' of the Point
Lepreau nuclear generating station was a possibility. (Submitted by NB Power)
Opposition
Liberal energy critic Keith Chiasson obtained Plummer’s 2022 travel
expenses through a right to information request, showing he billed more
than $28,000 in living expenses and mileage during the year. (Jacques Poitras/CBC News)
N.B. Power CEO Lori Clark said in a statement that Lepreau would not be sold. (Jonathan Collicott/CBC)
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