Our province has never needed the Green Party more than now. The climate crisis has reached a point where daily heat records are being surpassed in different places all around the planet. Here in Canada, much of Alberta and Saskatchewan have been suffering deadly forest fires lately, especially in the north.

Despite all this, Scott Moe and the president of SaskPower Rupen Pandya both spent much of a recent press conference insisting that Saskatchewan cannot meet the federal goal of net zero target emissions by 2035 and that 2050 is the only thing feasible for SK. This, despite the fact that clear pathways have been shown for how to get there in this province.

The 1960s was a time period when people marched and rallied in the streets on a variety of issues from the civil rights movement to the movement against the Vietnam War. The decade also saw the beginning of wide-spread environmental awareness and concern.

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Within the last few weeks, we have seen the Saskatchewan Provincial Budget released, a new IPCC report on Climate Change issued (called the Last Chance Report) and on CTV, W5's 1/2 hour program showing that we have Asbestos in our drinking water. Our current provincial government wrote one of those and paid absolutely no attention to the other two. The SaskParty has been warned for a decade about the issue of Asbestos Cement Water Pipes, yet again it ignores in its budget this clear threat to human health. Furthermore, as far as this Budget paying any attention to the IPCC Report and the Climate Crisis, it only advertises Saskparty irresponsibility by pouring money into fossil fuels and pretending to have a climate action plan. Saskparty "efforts" depend on virtually useless carbon capture and nebulous speculation about problematic "small nuclear reactors" in the dim future, after the Climate Crisis has become truly unbearable.

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This past month has been a very busy one. Since our SGP executive's last meeting, I attended a major union gathering in Saskatoon. There I conducted a series of small group meetings with folks interested in talking about the Green Party. Predictably, most people I met with are NDP supporters, but it was a chance to build bridges and put away old assumptions. We need to flaunt our pro-labour stance and counter the propaganda to the contrary.

Today, March 22, is World Water Day.

We should, however, be mindful every day of our impact on water. This vital resource is shared among all people and wildlife, so we have a shared responsibility to protect it! There are many ways we can all help to keep our waterways clean. Limit plastic waste, dispose of garbage properly, keep a rain barrel or rain garden to prevent polluted runoff from entering our water sources, and if you own riparian land, don't clear too close to the bank! A barrier of trees and shrubs helps to filter garbage and prevent sediment from releasing into the water; this and the shade they provide also support fish health!  Please do your part whenever possible.

Saskatchewan, our home, is a province that has always given me so much hope. I meet inspiring new people here every day. So many of you, members of the SGP, are individuals who I’ve been inspired by. You’ve told me your stories and expressed how you feel a connection to our shared Green Values that link us with other Provincial Green parties, the Green Party of Canada, and the Global Greens movement.

We are starting this New Year with a new website, a new format to our newsletter The Weaver, and a growing team of aspiring MLA candidates about to seek nomination for the 2024 election. 

We are better prepared ahead of an election than ever before. Fully one-third of our constituencies are spoken for. At this point, between elections, seemed like the perfect time to improve our communications systems, and to confirm and train candidates. I’ve spoken numerous times of my “Ten Year Vision” plan I had when I became leader, and today I see much of this plan rolling out faster than the ten years I had originally accounted for.