Gordo must know something.

With great fanfare Premier Gordon Campbell stood at the podium of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) in Penticton and announced that the Northwest Transmission Line (NTL) is going ahead — well, he kind of did.

No sooner had Campbell’s spittle dried on the microphone at UBCM’s annual bash, the fax machine started purring and computer e-mail notification bells began to chime.

Great breaking news, the critical and long-awaited electrification of Hwy 37 to service mining operations in northwest B.C., will become a reality.

B.C. Liberal and Bulkley Valley economic cheerleaders were trumpeting the announcement as the biggest news since the Moon Walk ­— Armstrong, not Jackson.

Ol’ Bill Shakespeare said it best however, Campbell’s announcement may be much ado about nothing. Or it very well may be the harbinger of what would make the announcement truly worth the spittle on the microphone — the re-start of Galore Creek.

Although Campbell said the Province will start the environmental assessment and First Nation negotiation process, buried in the announcement, was the one critical word — partner.

The Province, which has already committed $250 million to the project which has an estimated $400 million price tag, is taking $10 million to immediately re-start the process.

The NTL project was put on hold when Teck Caminco, a co-owner with Novagold Resources, suspended operations at the Galore Creek Mine when a feasibility study suggested costs to build the mine were five times what was originally budgeted. With that suspension, Galore’s $140 million partnership into the NTL project was pulled. Shortly after Galore pulled its partnership, the NTL project was put on hold by the Province.

In the second last paragraph of the press release heralding the great news was the innocuous line: “The Province is still seeking a partnership with the private sector to fund the total project, which is estimated to cost approximately $400 million.”

Translation: Nothing has changed.

The transmission line is still not going ahead unless Galore Creek — or another mining group — ponies up the $140 million.

That leaves now the question, why did Campbell make the seemingly big announcement?

Earlier at the UBCM convention, a resolution was passed calling on the Province to re-start the project. Far be it for Campbell to do the bidding of the notoriously left-leaning UBCM, but the announcement apparently gives them what they want. Case closed.

Still, the transparency of the announcement would soon show through if no partner came on board. Interestingly, Galore Creek, however, is expected to announce their plans sometime in the next six months.

We’re not suggesting inside information, maybe the Premier just knows more about mining in the Northwest than we do.

Either way, he just bet $10 million on it. For northwest B.C., let’s hope it’s a sure bet.