Saskatoon mayoral candidates divided over environmental plan

As Saskatoon's election day draws closer, mayoral candidates are weighing in on how the city should deal with environmental issues.

The city's Low Emissions Community (LEC) plan lies at the heart of the matter. The plan, which was adopted in principle by city council last year, is a roadmap to cutting emissions in the city by 80 per cent by 2050.

The LEC contains 40 action plans — everything from updating lighting systems in municipal buildings to requiring that newly built homes in the city have rooftop solar panels.

Each measure of the plan would have to be approved individually by council. It is broken into four phases, from action either already being taken to plans that won't be implemented for at least the next 12 years.

There's considerable debate on the cost of the plan and the burden it will place on taxpayers.

The report estimates that the city will need to spend $6.1 billion to bring the actions to life over the next 30 years. The rest of the money needed, $13 billion, would come from businesses, residents and other funders like the federal government.

The report said these changes will result in savings and new revenues of $11.8 billion, for a net return of $5.7 billion.

At a campaign event earlier this week, mayoral candidate Rob Norris called the plan 'Charlie Clark's carbon tax' and said it was far too expensive for taxpayers.

"I've heard loud and clear from working families and others across the city. It is just unreasonable," Norris said in an interview. 

"It's almost unconscionable to impose something like that with so little consultation, so little notice."

Incumbent candidate Charlie Clark said Saskatoon needs to step up and do its part to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

"We have some significant opportunities to create jobs, to be part of the innovation of energy efficiency and to lower emissions," said Clark.

"It will create an opportunity for people to create more energy efficient homes and businesses, resulting in creating jobs, saving money on their utility bills, as well as reducing emissions."

The case for change

The LEC plan said Saskatoon's carbon emissions have remained fairly stable for the last several years and have the potential to spike if something isn't done soon.

The report said carbon emissions in Saskatoon have been from 3.6 to 3.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year since 2014.

To reach its targets, the city must reduce its CO2 levels to 3.3 million tonnes by 2023 and 779,000 tonnes by 2050.

We have some significant opportunities to create jobs, to be part of the innovation of energy efficiency and to lower emissions.- Candidate Charlie Clark

The report said roughly 35 per cent of the city's emissions come from transportation, followed by 32 per cent from industrial and commercial buildings, and 22 per cent from residential buildings.

To lower emissions, the report advocates for a broad spectrum of policies, from a larger, electric-run fleet of Saskatoon Transit buses to stricter building codes with greater energy efficiency requirements.

The report also advocates for greener energy, including the potential for a small hydroelectric project in the South Saskatchewan River and greater use of solar power.

Projects that have already been approved by council include $10 million for the city's curbside organics program and a $200,000 electric vehicle fleet strategy review.

Clark said he's been working with many different groups, from the Saskatoon Home Builders Association to the Saskatoon Tribal Council, to build partnerships and bring the plan to life.

"I've been very much focused on solutions that find common ground between people that push through the rhetoric and the old polarized debates and actually get people talking and finding solutions," he said.

Who should pay?

Candidate Don Atchison said the plan is too ambitious.

While the former mayor agrees with some of the LEC's projects, including building a hydroelectic power station at the weir, he said the full package is too costly.

"The $6.1 billion, you're saying that the city is going to invest?" he said.

"Let me put that into perspective for you. That would be like building 40 new libraries in Saskatoon."

It's almost unconscionable to impose something like that with so little consultation, so little notice.- Candidate Rob Norris

Atchison is also leery of putting too much financial pressure on businesses.

"When they talk about the $19 billion and they say the taxpayers themselves aren't going to pay for that, businesses will pay for it, they forget one thing," he said.

"Businesses don't just pay for themselves. Their funding comes through their customers who are the taxpayers from Saskatoon."

Atchison also raised concerns that costs for projects like the Bus Rapid Transit program would balloon out of control. 

The former mayor said he was interested in larger-scale developments, but also in smaller projects like tree-planting programs or an active transportation corridor that would connect neighbourhoods in the south to the Meewasin Trail system.

Other candidates said businesses should play a larger part in reducing city emissions.

"We should have more solar energy on existing commercial buildings," said candidate Cary Tarasoff.

"They can use that space, put up solar arrays and use that power for the tenants of that building or even sublet it to other tenants of other buildings that don't have the ability to create their own more green energy." 

Tarasoff said businesses could also play a part in redirecting items headed to the landfill, like office furniture.

Candidate Mark Zielke said the city should focus on working with local businesses to generate power through landfill waste.

Finally, Norris said the cost of the LEC was too high and that a report looking at local solutions should be commissioned.

"I think what really matters right now, given the pandemic, is that this is all the more unreasonable when we actually get down to the fact that the real household costs have not been identified," he said.

Clark defended the plan and said council could ultimately choose to adopt some of the projects or all of them.

"This is how we're going to move the city forward," he said. 

"Approaches that are just seeking to to further polarize and keep the city stagnant with tired old debates will not help us solve problems into the future."

Mayoral candidate Zubair Sheikh could not be reached.

The Saskatoon Civic Election will be held Monday, November 9.