More than 59 per cent of voters in Tuesday’s referendum said “yes” to a question asking whether to ban electric-transmission line construction, and require similar projects to seek legislators’ approval—with even stricter standards for projects on public land. (Bangor Daily News)

Talking point: Hydro-Québec’s reputation as a green power source failed to convince enough voters. Now the future’s uncertain for a project that, as my colleague Martin explained, would have been worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The referendum triggered a well-funded political fight on both sides, with nearly US$22 million spent by those who supported Hydro-Québec’s cause, and a network of opponents spending US$17.7 million. Despite the loss at the polls—the second for the public utility, after a New Hampshire project was canned in 2018—Premier François Legault is still “confident” the project can go forward with a Plan B. Meanwhile, Hydro-Québec is considering legal action.