Sask. government looking to get climate inaction case thrown out

The Saskatchewan government wants a lawsuit being brought against it over alleged climate inaction thrown out.

Climate Justice Saskatoon and seven Saskatchewan residents aged 15 to 80 filed a lawsuit against the Saskatchewan government, SaskPower and the Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan in March 2023. The group claims that the government's expansion of gas-fired electricity generation violates Section 7 of the Charter and Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the right to life, liberty and security.

The Saskatchewan government has filed an application to strike the lawsuit, arguing that the court doesn't have jurisdiction to rule on the province's decision to build new gas fired electricity stations.

The strike application will be argued at Court of King's Bench in Regina on Friday.

Amy Snider, one of the complainants, said the group will argue against the government's application.

"I know I'm just one drop in the bucket or in the ocean, but I still feel as though I have to fight. Even if I know that we may end up going down fighting, I still have to be a part of it for things to be better," she said.

Snider said the government's strike application is a way to stall the case.

The lawsuit also asks the court to direct SaskPower to prepare formal plans to decarbonize the provincial electrical grid.

SaskPower says it is currently aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and be net zero by 2050.

In 2022, Saskatchewan's per capita emissions were the highest in Canada at 64.4 tonnes of CO2e — 254 per cent above the national average of 18.2 tonnes per capita, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The lawsuit specifically refers to projects like the Great Plains Power Station near Moose Jaw, which became operational earlier this year, and the Aspen Power Station proposed near Lanigan, which is expected to be finished by 2027, according to SaskPower's website updates.

When the lawsuit was filed, the Government of Saskatchewan said the province's decision to build natural gas-fired power plants, "is the most effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without causing undue harm to our people and economy."

This is the first lawsuit like this against Saskatchewan's government, but not the first in Canada.

Snider said the group's lawyers will be relying on precedent from similar lawsuits that tried to use the Charter Rights as an argument for climate action, filed against the Ontario and federal governments.