REGINA – Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says he’s not on the outside looking in when it comes to talking with his counterparts about climate change.
Wall is attending a climate summit in Paris along with other premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He has been outspoken about projecting jobs and ensuring environmental standards don’t hurt the economy.
“We’re not outliers, we’re very much engaged.”
Even with fellow premiers saying they’re more open to tougher emissions targets, Wall told reporters in a conference call that he expects to be able to work with other provinces on the issue.
“But again … my number one responsibility is back to the people of Saskatchewan and not necessarily worrying about what the other kids in class think of me.”
“I believe we better be talking about the economy, and yes, the energy sector, when we discuss these things,” Wall said.
Clean coal push
During the Paris visit, Wall and SaskPower president Mike Marsh are pushing the $1.5-billion carbon capture and storage facility, which is designed to capture carbon dioxide emissions from the coal-burning power plant at Boundary Dam.
Despite the project’s early failures, Wall says the unit has been a popular topic with the international audience.
“There’s not a surprise at all, in fact there’s welcoming comments,” Wall said, noting a UN report on initiatives to fight climate change that cited the carbon capture technology being used in Saskatchewan.
“The more coal plants get built, the more large industrial projects get built … the more we’re going to need to be able to deal with the CO2 that comes from those projects.”
READ MORE: What’s the business case for Boundary Dam?
Wall says Marsh will stay longer in Paris to share expertise SaskPower has gained from Boundary Dam. International travel of SaskPower executives has been the subject of NDP criticism.
Numbers for the 18-day period between Nov. 5 and Nov. 22 show the plant captured 59 per cent of CO2 emissions, compared to the 45 per cent success rates reported prior to October.
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