Feds fund Regina landfill gas project on eve of carbon tax case

As Saskatchewan takes Ottawa to court over the carbon tax, Regina is getting a cheque to support climate change action.

On Tuesday, Liberal MP Ralph Goodale, on behalf of Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, announced $1.3 million in funding to expand Regina’s landfill gas-to-energy system. The money comes from the Low Carbon Economy Fund, which invests in projects that reduce carbon pollution, generate clean growth and help meet the Paris Agreement.

The gas-to-energy system collects methane that escapes from the landfill and will be expanded to add up to 30 new gas wells.

Regina mayor Michael Fougere said it “provides us with an opportunity to prevent harmful greenhouse gases from entering our atmosphere (and it) provides a new source of revenue via an energy transfer agreement with SaskPower.”

The city sells the energy back to SaskPower, currently generating approximately $1 million per year in revenue.

Fougere said projects like these are important for following the official community plan, which makes long-term sustainability a priority.

“Achieving a sustainable future means looking not only at the services we provide but the outcomes of those services,” said Fougere.

Minister Goodale was asked about the timing of the announcement, one day before the province argues against Ottawa’s boldest action against climate change, the carbon tax, in the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal on Wednesday.

He said funding announcements like this have been held across the country for a while, but this is the first project that has been approved and ready to go in Saskatchewan.

“I see the coincidence but we’ve been working on these projects for many months now,” said Goodale.

This is the first of many projects in Saskatchewan to receive federal funding over the weeks and months ahead, according to Goodale. He explained they include a variety of innovations together with the broader applications of proven technology that will help Saskatchewan entities reduce their carbon footprint.

Going into the legal case, Goodale defended his government’s position in support of the carbon tax. He said the Liberal government believes it has a very strong case and its policies will serve the best interest of the country, including Saskatchewan.

Goodale called the case a serious one and predicts the judgment to be a very complex analysis of an important set of issues. He added, there may very well be a set of issues in the judgment that some believe should be heard in the Supreme Court.

“It’s an option that’s open, but it will depend on what the judges say.”