The Uranium Development Partnership
Playing with a Stacked Deck
“… you bet we are playing with a stacked deck. And we would not have it any other way.”
- Sask Party Cabinet Minister Darryl Hickie: Saskatchewan Hansard, October 28, 2008
Corrections Minister Darryl Hickie’s disconcertingly honest response to the accusation that the Uranium Development Partnership (UDP) was stacked in favour of building a nuclear reactor is just proof positive that this is a flawed and biased process.
“The head of AREVA CANADA is expecting the Saskatchewan government to embrace nuclear power when the province releases a formal energy strategy (the UDP report) today. 'They (the Brad Wall government) are very gung ho… very supportive said,' Armand Laferrere said in an interview…"
- Calgary Herald: April 2, 2009
“…given that the (UDP) panel included several noted pro-nuclear members, how much merit does that report have?”
- Prince Albert Daily Herald Editorial: April 6, 2009
Did Brad Wall and his Sask Party government stack the deck to ensure the Uranium Development Partnership would deliver a pro-nuclear decision as the PA Herald suggests? Judge for yourself.
- 3 of the 12 member panel sit on the board of Bruce Power, a company that has already decided that nuclear power is feasible in the province
- 2 of the panel members are CEOs or uranium mining companies
- 1 member was Armand Laferrere, head of AREVA and source of the Brad Wall is “gung ho” on nukes quote. -
- The “environmentalist” on the panel is staunchly pro-nuclear and has said, “People who don’t want to live near nuclear facilities should probably move.”
- The Sask Party paid a pro-nuclear consulting company, McKinsey and Company, 2.6 million dollars to assist the UDP with their report.
The Sask Party spared no expense or effort to ensure they heard exactly what they wanted to hear… that Saskatchewan “should proceed in the full nuclear cycle.”* (Stewart 16/11/08)
Government Secrecy
On October 20, 2008, the Sask Party government announced the formation
of a 12-member Uranium Development Partnership. The purported goal of
the panel is to "advise the government of Saskatchewan on further
development of Saskatchewan's vast uranium resources." The UDP is given
$3-million from CIC to carry out its work. It is to report back to
cabinet by March 31, 2009
Private citizen Joe Kuchta then files an FOI on the Uranium Development Partnership, Kuchta requests the copies of the partnership's "work plan and the agendas and minutes for any meetings conducted between October 20th and December 30, 2008". He receives a 14-page package of information.
Contained in that information is a cover letter, signed by Ministers Cheveldayoff and Stewart, that was presented to the UDP at its inaugural meeting on Oct., 20, 2008. A portion of the letter is blacked out. The sentence leading up to the blackout reads "As you know, the UDP's final report… “ the following paragraph is blacked out as well.
The FOI shows that the Partnership met just once in 2008, on October 20th, the day it was announced.
The FOI contains the Minister’s order to the panel, which differs substantially from background material the public/media received. The backgrounder the media received says, "The partnership will make specific recommendations on value added opportunities best suited to Saskatchewan."
But tThe Minister’s order states that the panel will, "Provide a report to cabinet by March 31, 2009 that includes specific recommendations on value added opportunities best suited to the growth and expansion of the nuclear industry in western Canada from a base in Saskatchewan." The Minister’s order also calls on the panel to, "identify, evaluate and make recommendations on Saskatchewan value added opportunities for further development of our uranium industry, and to identify obstacles to the development and actions required to overcome those obstacles." Presumably these obstacles would include public opposition.
The order also says, "in consultation with the UDP, CIC shall engage the services of a major consulting firm with direct experience in the nuclear industry in order to assist the UDP in preparing its report to cabinet." In April, 2009 The Minister resposible, Lyle Stewart acknowledges in that the lions share of the $3-million went to the consulting firm.
In a February 27, 2007 e-mail to Mr. Kuchta, Doug Kosloski, legal counsel with CIC, says the UDP eventually retained the services of McKinsey and Company as the consultant.
Private citizen Joe Kuchta then files an FOI on the Uranium Development Partnership, Kuchta requests the copies of the partnership's "work plan and the agendas and minutes for any meetings conducted between October 20th and December 30, 2008". He receives a 14-page package of information.
Contained in that information is a cover letter, signed by Ministers Cheveldayoff and Stewart, that was presented to the UDP at its inaugural meeting on Oct., 20, 2008. A portion of the letter is blacked out. The sentence leading up to the blackout reads "As you know, the UDP's final report… “ the following paragraph is blacked out as well.
The FOI shows that the Partnership met just once in 2008, on October 20th, the day it was announced.
The FOI contains the Minister’s order to the panel, which differs substantially from background material the public/media received. The backgrounder the media received says, "The partnership will make specific recommendations on value added opportunities best suited to Saskatchewan."
But tThe Minister’s order states that the panel will, "Provide a report to cabinet by March 31, 2009 that includes specific recommendations on value added opportunities best suited to the growth and expansion of the nuclear industry in western Canada from a base in Saskatchewan." The Minister’s order also calls on the panel to, "identify, evaluate and make recommendations on Saskatchewan value added opportunities for further development of our uranium industry, and to identify obstacles to the development and actions required to overcome those obstacles." Presumably these obstacles would include public opposition.
The order also says, "in consultation with the UDP, CIC shall engage the services of a major consulting firm with direct experience in the nuclear industry in order to assist the UDP in preparing its report to cabinet." In April, 2009 The Minister resposible, Lyle Stewart acknowledges in that the lions share of the $3-million went to the consulting firm.
In a February 27, 2007 e-mail to Mr. Kuchta, Doug Kosloski, legal counsel with CIC, says the UDP eventually retained the services of McKinsey and Company as the consultant.
In May 2007, the Ontario government hired McKinsey and Company to asses
nuclear technology options available to Ontario. This quote is from the
executive summary of that report.
- "With the increasing cost of alternative fuel sources, the growing focus on and concern about carbon emissions, and an increasing number of countries seeking energy self sufficiency, nuclear energy is making a comeback as a preferred source of baseload power.
- Nuclear energy offers a non-carbon emitting, cost competitive, safe generation alternative.
- Many governments and stakeholder groups worldwide are reconsidering their historical anti-nuclear stance, and momentum is increasing for nuclear technology in a number of major markets."
The RFP involving the consultant is also a part of the FOI given to
Kuchta. However, sections of this are also blacked out including a
portion of the statement of intent, the proposed project structure and
the proposed deliverables.
The FOI shows that a Secretariat has been created as well to work with the partnership. The Secretariat consists of Deputy Enterprise and Innovation Minister Dale Botting and Crown Sector Initiatives Vice-president Iain Harry. The two are to, "work with the partnership and the consulting team to organize and facilitate meetings, support the drafting and publishing of a final report, and provide any other support or administrative functions that may be required."
The FOI shows the UDP's proposed work plan and timeline were not disclosed. One of the reasons stated by CIC is that, "Disclosure of the record could be reasonably expected to result in disclosure of a pending policy decision or budgetary item." Presumably then, there are policy or budgetary items the government has lined up ready to go as soon as the UDP hands in its report.
The FOI shows that the minutes of the October 20th meeting indicate that Cameco and Bruce Power offered to provide plant tours for interested members of the panel. At the same meeting it was also decided that UDP members should be provided with copies of the book, "Power To Save The World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy" by author Gwyneth Cravens. An excerpt from a review of said book: "In this timely book, Gwyneth Cravens takes an informed and clarifying look at the myths, the fears and the truth about nuclear energy. “Power to save the World” is an eloquent, convincing argument for nuclear power as a safe energy source and an essential deterrent to global warming."
The FOI shows that a Secretariat has been created as well to work with the partnership. The Secretariat consists of Deputy Enterprise and Innovation Minister Dale Botting and Crown Sector Initiatives Vice-president Iain Harry. The two are to, "work with the partnership and the consulting team to organize and facilitate meetings, support the drafting and publishing of a final report, and provide any other support or administrative functions that may be required."
The FOI shows the UDP's proposed work plan and timeline were not disclosed. One of the reasons stated by CIC is that, "Disclosure of the record could be reasonably expected to result in disclosure of a pending policy decision or budgetary item." Presumably then, there are policy or budgetary items the government has lined up ready to go as soon as the UDP hands in its report.
The FOI shows that the minutes of the October 20th meeting indicate that Cameco and Bruce Power offered to provide plant tours for interested members of the panel. At the same meeting it was also decided that UDP members should be provided with copies of the book, "Power To Save The World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy" by author Gwyneth Cravens. An excerpt from a review of said book: "In this timely book, Gwyneth Cravens takes an informed and clarifying look at the myths, the fears and the truth about nuclear energy. “Power to save the World” is an eloquent, convincing argument for nuclear power as a safe energy source and an essential deterrent to global warming."
Saskatchewan has seen more than 4700 people lose their jobs under the Wall government.
"Under our old definition, we would be in a technical deficit."
- Minister of Finance, Rod Gantefoer
Budget cuts hurt rural Saskatchewan the most...
April 1, 2010
The next ministries on the list of biggest cuts are environment with $25.7 million less and tourism, parks, culture and sport that lost $20.5 million. Both are at the heart of the quality of rural life. ...This just wasn't a good budget for rural Saskatchewan. -Murray Mandryk, Clark's Crossing Gazette
