ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- Newfoundland and Labrador's premier says updated costs for the proposed Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project won't be released for several weeks.
Kathy Dunderdale says she hopes a related debate in the legislature can still happen before the end of October.
But Dunderdale says negotiators must first finalize the details of a promised federal loan guarantee before Manitoba Hydro International completes an arm's length report.
Opposition New Democrats, who've said they'll need about three weeks to review Muskrat Falls reports, cast doubt on Dunderale's schedule.
And other critics are raising questions about the format of the debate.
The 2041 Group, a collection of lawyers and Muskrat Falls skeptics of all political stripes, called yesterday for a fully informed process that will include expert witnesses who can be questioned in the legislature.
Liberal Leader Dwight Ball has requested similar terms.
But Dunderdale says she wants the debate to follow the template for the 2002 special debate on the Voisey's Bay mining project.
She says it did not include questioning of witnesses and was the format preferred by the Liberal government of the day.
