“SaskPower belongs to all Saskatchewan people and has served us well, but the Sask. Party has been hurting our public power company and making all of us as rate payers – from Saskatchewan families to business owners – pay the price with repeated rate hikes,” said NDP SaskPower Critic Cathy Sproule. “Since coming to power, the Sask. Party has hiked rates by 40 per cent. That means that the average family’s power bill has gone up by about $500 a year, just to pay for the Sask. Party’s with their mismanagement, scandal, and waste.”
Mismanagement: Despite federal rules to cap coal-generated emissions that were announced in 2012 and come into effect in 2019 as well as the Sask. Party’s own stated target of achieving 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030, the Sask. Party have yet to provide any details of any realistic plan to address either target.
Scandal: When it came time for the land deal at the heart of the Sask. Party’s scandal, the GTH was only able to afford paying the Sask. Party supporter because of a separate sale of land from the GTH to SaskPower for $25 million - almost exactly the same price. Since the SaskPower has still not used the land for anything and, at the time, one Sask. Party Minister was responsible for both the GTH and SaskPower, many questions remain about who was served by this purchase.
Waste: The Sask. Party’s $1.5 billion carbon capture boondoggle has forced higher power rates on Saskatchewan families and small businesses - four power rate increases in just two years. Still, despite ongoing and costly problems, the Sask. Party is stubbornly sticking with CCS and won’t commit to not expanding it to other units at Boundary Dam.
“The Sask. Party’s lack of viable plan to reach their supposed renewable energy goals, their scheme to implicate SaskPower in their GTH scandal, and their costly, job-killing carbon capture tax are driving SaskPower into the ground and driving the costs to Saskatchewan rate payers, sky high,” Sproule said.