Muskrat Falls support high, coalition's poll finds

A group advocating for development of Muskrat Falls has released a public opinion poll showing that most people in Newfoundland and Labrador support the hydroelectric project.

The coalition I Believe in the Power of N.L. commissioned Corporate Research Associateswhich is best known in the province for quarterly tracking polls of voter intentionsto carry out a poll on the controversial $7.4-billion plan to develop power on the Churchill River.

The poll, conducted last Wednesday and Thursday, found that 66 per cent of respondents supported "the development of Muskrat Falls to meet the future power needs of Newfoundland and Labrador." [Readtables of the results of CRA specific questionshere.]

The poll, however, had a sample size of 400 adults, meaning that it has a margin of errorof 4.9 per cent, 19 times out of 20 significantly higher than a conventional tracking poll, which involves a sample twice as large.

I Believe in the Power of N.L., a coalition of business and municipal leaders who back the Newfoundland and Labrador government's plan to development Muskrat Falls, said the results are still significant.

"Let's have the courage to do the right thing. It's time for Muskrat Falls," Happy Valley-Goose Bay businessman Peter Woodward, a leader of the coalition, said in a statement.

When undecided respondents and those who did not know or offer an answer were filtered out, the support for Muskrat Falls appeared to be stronger.

CRA found that 81 per cent of people with opinions on Muskrat Falls support the project. Of those, 34 per cent said they "strongly" support the project.

By contrast, 10 per cent said they mostly oppose the project, while nine per cent strongly oppose it.