Saskatchewan to regulate large GHG emitters

All large greenhouse gas emitters in Saskatchewan will soon be regulated by the provincial government after Ottawa ruled the plan meets national standards.

REGINA – All large greenhouse gas emitters in Saskatchewan will soon be regulated by the provincial government after Ottawa ruled the plan meets national standards.

Saskatchewan and Ottawa jointly announced that the federal output-based pricing system will no longer apply in the province starting in 2023.

This comes after Saskatchewan applied to have natural gas pipelines and power plants regulated through its own carbon-pricing system.

The federal system for industry will continue to apply in Manitoba, which did not propose a carbon-pricing system, as well as Prince Edward Island, Yukon and Nunavut.

Saskatchewan says it doesn’t consider its carbon-pricing system a tax because it provides other options to reduce emissions.

Those include paying into a fund to advance green technologies, buying offset credits through a cap-and-trade system or meeting performance standards.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2022.