The future and impact of coal-fired power generation in the Estevan area and in Canada was discussed extensively on Tuesday, as the Task Force on the Just Transition for Canadian Coal-Power Workers and Communities was in the Energy City.
Task force members met with municipal officials, community leaders and business representatives during the day. They also toured the Boundary Dam Power Station, giving them an up-close look at the carbon capture and storage facility.
Their visit to Estevan ended Tuesday evening during a meeting with employees from the Westmoreland Coal Company’s Estevan mines, and SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Power Station and the Shand Power Station. Employees and management from the mines and SaskPower posed questions to the task force.
Hassan Yussuff, who co-chairs the committee along with Lois Corbett, said they heard about the impact of coal mining on the Estevan area, not just in terms of direct impact, but also the spinoff associated with mining.
“There is a combination of issues that everybody is struggling with, and they want clear answers,” said Yussuff.
Yussuff said he and the other task force members were very impressed with the facility at Boundary Dam when they toured it.
The task force was in Regina on Monday to meet with provincial officials, and they will be in Coronach on Wednesday.
They have also been in Alberta already, and will visit New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in the coming weeks.
The task force is scheduled to submit their recommendations in early December.
Next week’s edition of the Mercury will have more on the story.
