The Future Of Coal In Saskatchewan

Last spring, we – activists with Climate Justice Saskatoon – travelled to Estevan and Coronach, where the majority of Saskatchewan’s coal is produced.

- Rachel Malena-Chan

We interviewed 17 people at length – coal workers, service industry workers, union representatives, local administrators, and farmers, among others – and tried to make sense of what a just transition could mean for coal-producing communities.

We began this project – which culminated in a report called Bridging the Gap – because we think that engaging people in climate action requires more than just scientific and political education. It’s based on identities, values, emotions, and stories.

As of 2017, 40 per cent of Saskatchewan’s electricity still came from traditional coal-fired power plants. But the provincial government has finalized an agreement stipulating that companies would have to either add carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology to their coal plants or shut them down by 2030. The Saskatchewan government hasn’t put forward a clear strategy, though, for the future of coal and the communities it supports, like Estevan and Coronach. The uncertainty “just slowly spread,” one interviewee tells us. “You know, as if everybody became more aware of the date looming over.”

Phasing out coal is an obvious and necessary step toward slowing climate change. In 2017, coal accounted for 10 per cent of Canada’s electricity but was responsible for 77 per cent of electricity-related emissions. “Unfortunately, and essentially due to our lack of planning, a lot of livelihoods are also at stake,” says Justin Fisher, one of the Bridging the Gap project co-leads and a fact-checker for Briarpatch. “And we have an additional challenge of finding a way to support people and communities that are dependent on coal.”