Ottawa to fund 164 school projects in Sask. with carbon tax money

The federal government has said where it will spend the first $12 million of carbon tax money meant for universities, schools, municipalities and hospitals in Saskatchewan.

In a news release Wednesday, Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced the money will fund 164 projects that will help make Saskatchewan schools “more sustainable and climate resilient.”

The money will go to projects that will improve energy efficiency.

Among them, Regina’s Michael A. Riffel Catholic High School will receive $333,000 for LED lighting upgrades and Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon will get $571,000 for boiler and roof replacement retrofits.

In Saskatchewan, 90 per cent of carbon tax revenue is returned to individuals through rebates. The government said a family of four in the province will receive $809 this year.

The other 10 per cent goes to programs for municipalities, Indigenous communities, universities, schools, hospitals and small- to medium-sized businesses that incur costs they cannot pass down.

According to the government, the stream of funding for municipalities, universities, schools and hospitals (MUSH) totals about $60 million.

Lawyers for the provincial and federal governments are to argue the constitutionality of the carbon tax in front of the Supreme Court of Canada starting Tuesday.