SaskatoonA Court of King’s Bench judge in Saskatoon reserved her decision Tuesday on an application by environmental and climate groups looking to stop the Saskatchewan government’s plan to extend coal-fired power generation.Environmental, climate groups want court to force government to justify decisionDan Zakreski · CBC News · Posted: Aug 12, 2025 4:04 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoThe Boundary Dam Power Station near Estevan, Sask., is shown partially covered in smog on Dec. 23, 2024. (Alexander Quon/CBC)A Court of King’s Bench judge in Saskatoon reserved her decision Tuesday on an application by environmental and climate groups looking to stop the Saskatchewan government’s plan to extend coal-fired power generation.Glenn Wright is representing the Saskatchewan Environmental Society and Citizens for Public Justice. They want the court to force the government to show why it’s necessary to extend three coal-fired plants at the Shand, Boundary Dam and Poplar River power stations.The application made Tuesday is also asking the court to impose an interim injunction to stop any work on restarting an idled coal plant unit, known as Boundary Dam 4, until the records are produced.The groups made the application after Crown Investments Corporation Minister Jeremy Harrison sent a letter June 18 to SaskPower employees informing them of the province’s decision to extend the life of the coal plants. They were previously scheduled to be closed by 2030 to help meet Canada’s climate goals. Environmental groups launch legal campaign to stop Sask. coal plant extension Premier Scott Moe spoke Tuesday about the legal action and the federal clean electricity regulations.”We’re asking for the federal rules to change,” he said in Saskatoon.”We’re going to be operating those plants into the future to provide affordable, reliable power.”Justice Heather MacMillan-Brown chose not to immediately grant the interim injunction, saying she must first decide whether it is even an issue the court should properly consider. She said she’d give a written decision outlining a schedule for arguments on that point, whether the court should instruct the government to produce its records and, if so, when.Senior lawyer Elaine Thompson spoke by phone for the government. She said the groups’ application is flawed because it’s based on “a letter from a minister reassuring workers they will have jobs.” This reflects a core government policy decision on energy and “there’s no administrative decision to review.”Wright disagreed.”Policy infuses almost every decision that governments make, and when the policy choice is made by a government, those aren’t above the review of the court,” he said.Lawyer Glenn Wright is representing the Saskatchewan Environmental Society and Citizens for Public Justice. (Trevor Bothorel/CBC)The federal government wants to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions to 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and reach net zero emissions by 2050.Peter Prebble, a former cabinet minister in the Lorne Calvert NDP government, is with the environmental society. He came to the hearing Tuesday.”I heard tactically that the government is trying to delay the court considering this for as long as possible. And of course, as long as there are delays, the Government of Saskatchewan can spend taxpayers money refurbishing coal-fired power plants and is obviously hoping to do that before the matter is ever heard,” Prebble said.”That’s the government strategy and it’s just the wrong thing to be doing.”ABOUT THE AUTHORDan Zakreski is a reporter for CBC Saskatoon.
Judge reserves decision on application to stop Sask. coal plant life extension
