If our SaskParty government really wanted affordable, reliable electricity for people living in this province, then we would see them invest seriously in geothermal, wind and solar – instead of wasting our hard-earned tax dollars on extending the life of our dirty, outdated coal plants. At a time when we are at a tipping point for holding on to life as we know it, and when leaving a liveable world for the next generations rests on ending our carbon addiction, Scott Moe seems to be saying “Burn baby, burn”. He’s keeping Saskatchewan stuck as the last province still relying primarily on coal, with his only alternative plan a decades-away fairytale of never-before-built, extremely expensive  ($5 billion for just one!) Small Modular Nuclear Reactors. 

Literally the Rest of the World is busy kicking its coal addiction, but Saskatchewan’s government insists on continuing to get power from coal, despite coal’s massive contribution to the carbon pollution that causes so many forest fires in our North and makes a mockery of our plans for ensuring a healthy life for our children and grandchildren.

Work to restore service at Boundary Dam 4 in Estevan is set to begin this year, Crown Investments Corporation Minister Jeremy Harrison wrote in a letter distributed to all SaskPower employees a few days ago. (It wasn’t announced publicly, just to employees.) This plan will no doubt set Saskatchewan up for yet another repetitive, wasteful legal battle with the federal government over environmental regulations.

Harrison said the province will continue the use of the coal plants as it moves toward adopting nuclear power generation for its baseload requirements. Saskatchewan “remains committed” to the goal of a net-zero grid by 2050 (which of course, is far too late for the deadline of what our planet actually needs – 2030 to 2035 at the latest!)

It is likely that the SaskParty gets all worked up by public statements like the one below, made by the Saskatchewan United Party on June 6, 2024:

“Scott Moe wants to switch from natural gas and coal, which make up over 80% of Saskatchewan’s power, to wind turbines and solar panels by 2050. We need to stop Moe and Trudeau’s plan that would destroy Saskatchewan’s energy sector and make our power supply unstable!”

The truth is that the SaskParty and Saskatchewan United Party influencers are compromised climate deniers, willing to gamble our future for profit over planet. We need to let them know that a vast voting base in this province is horrified by their actions and propaganda.

Please distribute this message widely, and be sure to sign this petition that is circulating, showing your opposition to the government’s decision to prolong Saskatchewan’s dependence on coal plants. 

https://win.newmode.net/saskatoonclimatehub/stopcoalpowerinsk

Yours sincerely,

Naomi Hunter,
Leader, Saskatchewan Green Party