Environment Budget Balances Environmental Protection and Job Growth in Natural Resource Sector

Released on March 23, 2022

The 2022-23 Budget supports efforts to make Saskatchewan more resilient to the effects of a changing climate, creates jobs and grows Saskatchewan's natural resource sector through investment and revenue opportunities.

"The Ministry of Environment continues to take a balanced approach to environmental protection and safeguards with economic growth and development," Environment Minister Warren Kaeding said. "The investments in this budget create jobs and support a strong and resilient environment, meeting the urgent needs of today, while laying the groundwork for the future."

To enhance the efforts to make the province more resilient to climate change, this year's budget includes an additional $1 million to support the ongoing work in Prairie Resilience: A Made-in-Saskatchewan Climate Change Strategy. The ministry is also expanding the output - based performance standards program - an industrial emissions reduction program - to new sectors and adjusting to new federal requirements scheduled for implementation in 2023. 

The 2022-23 Budget is instrumental in government's plan to double the growth of the forestry sector - one of the objectives in Saskatchewan's Growth Plan. The ministry is investing $400,000 in each of the next five years to produce a complete commercial forest inventory map. The map will show available timber within the provincial forest and adjacent Crown, private and First Nations lands, and will help increase harvesting in the forest sector, providing growth opportunities for northern Saskatchewan's largest industry. It will also help the ministry's monitoring efforts to ensure responsible and sustainable forest harvesting is taking place in the sector.

Efficient and effective technology is key for the ministry to provide regulatory oversight, with clients needing a system that is quick and easy to use. To help achieve this, the ministry is investing $3.6 million to begin replacement of the current customer relationship management technology used by citizens and industry. 

The Fish and Wildlife Development Fund will see an increase in its annual grant of approximately $980,000 for continued conservation and enhancement programming in the province, as a result of modest licence fee increases for hunting and trapping, recreational angling and commercial fishing.

In 2019, the ministry began corrective action plans to remediate six mines (non-uranium). The ministry will continue that work by investing $1.4 million for three mine sites in various stages of rehabilitation: 

• Newcor Abandoned Mine - $96,000 for post-remediation maintenance and monitoring;
• Western Nuclear Abandoned Mine - $1.1 million for preparation of a complete corrective action plan design; and
• Anglo-Rouyn Mine - $230,000 for the initial corrective action plan design.

The ministry's budget also includes:

• Additional resources of $587,000 to provide effective oversight for mining and industry, hazardous materials and impacted sites.
• Increased funding of $462,000 for the annual grant payment to the SARCAN recycling program, based on environmental handling charge revenues received in 2020-21.

The 2022-23 investments and priorities support the Ministry of Environment's core mandate of environmental protection and sustainable resource development.

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