Sask. rolls out new targets to monitor, plan for climate change

The province's Ministry of Environment has brought in a new series of targets to help manage climate change.

On Thursday, Minister Dustin Duncan introduced Saskatchewan's Climate Resilience Measurement Framework. The framework is a series of 25 targets for the province and municipalities to meet and manage.

"These will be ongoing measurements that we will be looking at," said Minister of Environment Dustin Duncan. One example he gave was looking at how many communities have up-to-date floodplain maps.

The framework will deal with everything from wildfire management for provincial forests to the amount of crop land that's being covered by native prairie.

"The public reporting helps to raise the awareness that there are ways that municipalities, the province, everybody, can take part in ensuring that we are resilient to the ongoing effects of climate change," he said.

There will be no punishment for those who don't comply with the regulations, but Duncan said increased reporting will help everyone.

"The more that we report on this, the more that, I think on an annual basis, we'll see how we're doing from the previous year," he said. "It's not really a carrot or a stick."

The framework is part of the province's larger plan to deal with emissions. That includes "flexible compliance options" for heavy emitters, including the ability to purchase carbon offsets or paying into a technology fund to find new ways to decrease carbon.

Duncan also brought up his opposition to the federal carbon tax. Saskatchewan and Ontario are taking the federal government to court, stating it does not have the right to impose a tax on provinces.

The framework is expected to roll out next year.