Battlefords MLA Herb Cox is justifiably enthusiastic about his new role as minister of the environment and minister responsible for SaskWater and the Water Security Agency.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” said Cox in speaking to the Regional Optimistthis week.
“It’s a big portfolio to take on and I’m delighted and humbled that the premier asked me to do it.”
Cox said he was called in to meet with Premier Brad Wall last Wednesday, in which he learned of his new position. Cox was then sworn in the following afternoon.
It’s part of a number of changes happening in cabinet. Cox replaced Scott Moe who has been shuffled into the advanced education portfolio.
Cox now takes over a vital provincial ministry with a wide scope.
“This is a portfolio that is pretty diverse,” Cox said.
It includes responsibility for water and water security issues, as well as dealing with the wildfire situation currently affecting the province.
Among the issues Cox will be dealing with are quagga and zebra mussels and the importance of keeping them out of the province.
Cox cited the importance of “educating people, boaters and the public in general, on the danger if we ever have those things introduced into our province into our great lakes, streams and rivers.”
Cox plans to continue some of the initiatives his predecessor Moe has started. That will include agriculture water management, more invasive species changes, issues with landfill, wildlife habitat management and other issues.
Initially, the big challenge the new minister faces is simply addressing the steep learning curve in familiarizing himself with the files in his department.
But there have been other challenges for the minister right out of the gate. The NDP was sharply critical of Cox’s appointment and claimed he “doesn’t know what he thinks of climate change,” according to a news release May 21.
“That’s unfortunate,” Cox said of the NDP criticism.
“As I said last week, I’m concerned about climate change,” he said. “We’re doing as much as we possibly can and that day I referenced the work we were doing with the carbon capture and storage at Boundary Dam 3. That plant alone, what we’ve done there is the equivalent of taking 250,000 cars off our highways.
“I’m concerned about the climate change issue and I’m going to continue working on that file as well, as the minister has before me,” Cox said, adding he “wasn’t sure how it ended up coming out that way, but I definitely am concerned about climate change.”
Obviously, the new appointment will make for a busy summer for Cox. Cox anticipates being in Regina more compared to last summer, and certainly in the next few weeks.
“I’m going to be meeting with the stakeholders, our municipal partners, the conservation groups, some private-sector individuals,” said Cox. The idea, Cox indicated, was to get up to speed on the issues and familiarize himself with them, and also allow them to get to know him. “That’s how we form what we’re doing here,” he said.
A major reason Cox was promoted was to help fill one of the cabinet vacancies created by the departure from cabinet of deputy premier and finance minister Ken Krawetz.
Don McMorris is the new deputy premier and Kevin Doherty was appointed finance minister, moving over from advanced education. Krawetz is retiring from politics when the next provincial election is called.
“There’s a gentleman we’re all going to miss,” said Cox. “Ken has done yeoman’s service for this province. He’s certainly going to be missed, but the good news is we have a good person moving into the Finance portfolio as well.”
