Government of Saskatchewan ministries, Crown corporations and organizations are implementing contingency plans to minimize the impacts of postal service disruption.

Les ministères, sociétés d’État et organismes du gouvernement de la Saskatchewan mettent en œuvre des plans d’urgence visant à réduire les répercussions de l’interruption du service des postes.

Google Translate Disclaimer

A number of pages on the Government of Saskatchewan's website have been professionally translated in French. These translations are identified by a yellow box in the right or left rail that resembles the link below. The home page for French-language content on this site can be found at:

Renseignements en Français

Where an official translation is not available, Google™ Translate can be used. Google™ Translate is a free online language translation service that can translate text and web pages into different languages. Translations are made available to increase access to Government of Saskatchewan content for populations whose first language is not English.

Software-based translations do not approach the fluency of a native speaker or possess the skill of a professional translator. The translation should not be considered exact, and may include incorrect or offensive language. The Government of Saskatchewan does not warrant the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any information translated by this system. Some files or items cannot be translated, including graphs, photos and other file formats such as portable document formats (PDFs).

Any person or entities that rely on information obtained from the system does so at his or her own risk. Government of Saskatchewan is not responsible for any damage or issues that may possibly result from using translated website content. If you have any questions about Google™ Translate, please visit: Google™ Translate FAQs.

Air Pollutant Volume

Air pollutant banner

Why we measure this

To evaluate air quality in Saskatchewan, it is important to know the total volume of air pollution produced. That volume is influenced by the particular characteristics of individual emissions and other factors, such as weather. In this section, we examine the total amounts of three primary air pollutants – fine particulates (PM2.5), sulphur oxides (SOX) and nitrogen oxides (NOX).

Emission source location and volume are important factors to consider in evaluating and adjusting the provincial air monitoring network. The information collected from our air monitoring network will help inform provincial actions and policies that ensure air quality is safe for people and the environment.

What is happening

What's happening

Emissions in Saskatchewan come from industrial sources, non-industrial sources, open sources and mobile sources. Industrial sources include oil and gas activity, mining and industrial facilities. Non- industrial sources mainly consist of power generation. Open sources include wildfires, agricultural operations, construction and road dust. Mobile sources include vehicle emissions.

Generally, SOX and NOX emissions have been dropping in Saskatchewan since 2010. However, in 2019 and 2020 we saw a decrease in fine particulates (PM2.5) emissions, mainly due to relatively quiet wildfire activity.

Levels of sulphur oxides (SOX) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) have been dropping is Saskatchewan since 2010.

What we are doing

Saskatchewan has a number of tools available to ensure air quality is safe for people and the environment. The Environmental Management and Protection Act, 2010 requires an environmental protection plan for major industrial emission sources. Companies must make sure their operations meet Saskatchewan's air quality standards to ensure they are safe for human health and the environment. The Ministry of Environment has a compliance assurance program in place to ensure environmental protection plans are being followed.

The ministry supports Canada's National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) Program. NPRI collects, stores and distributes annual air emissions figures from all reporting sources.

Saskatchewan has committed to an Air Quality Management System established by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. This management system will help the ministry identify and resolve potential air quality issues, including issues related to pollutant sources.

Saskatchewan PM2.5 emissions by sector 2020

 

PM2.5 emissions across Canada 2020

Saskatchewan PM2.5 emissions by sector 2020 2

Saskatchewan SOX emissions by sector 2020

SOX emissions across Canada 2020

Saskatchewan SOX emissions by sector 2020 2

Saskatchewan NOX emissions by sector 2020

NOX emissions across Canada 2020

Saskatchewan NOX emissions by sector 2020 2

All data in graphs sourced from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

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