Appearing to follow Alberta’s lead, Saskatchewan is looking to rely more on coal-fired power plants to generate future electricity, despite federal climate goals.
While many oppose a return to conventional coal power, mining cities like Estevan stand to benefit from the move.
Conventional coal refers to coal-fired power generation without any carbon capture measures.
“Affordable, reliable power. That’s music to my ears,” says Estevan Mayor Tony Sernick.
Canada introduced federal regulations in 2013 requiring coal-fired power plants to meet strict performance standards, hoping to limit greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions.
In 2016, Canada’s government declared its plans to phase out coal-fired power generation entirely by 2030.
While this moved the country towards achieving its emissions reduction goals, for cities like Estevan, built on mining, it risked everyone’s livelihood.
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“[It] takes the wind out of your sails,” says Sernick, “That’s kind of why I got into, you know, just municipal politics was obviously town’s dying, ghost town, everybody’s …