Energetic Endorsements

On Wednesday, March 5, we held a press conference in Saskatoon where I gratefully accepted the endorsement of two former cabinet members, Peter Prebble and Lon Borgerson. At the same event I outlined our plan to provide sustainable and affordable heat and power to Saskatchewan homes and businesses. These endorsements add energy to our campaign and allow us to put forth the most informed, credible, just and sustainable energy policy for Saskatchewan.

I am honoured to have the support of Peter Prebble and Lon Borgerson. I am particularly pleased to have their support because they are both well known for their principles, integrity and vision. They are also political veterans who understand that without electoral success, our dream of a healthier society will not become a reality.

Recently we’ve heard a lot in the news about power and about heat. There has been a great deal of concern about rates charged for electricity and heating and whether or not the SK party has been sufficiently responsible in their management of our utility rates and our natural resources.

This is a valid concern and one not to be ignored. Saskatchewan, with the purchasing power of our crown corporations, should be able to provide the lowest cost utility bundle to its citizens.

However, this market response is only one small piece in a much larger puzzle. The question we face now is how we, in the face of a growing climate crisis and decreasing supplies of fossil fuels, will ensure that the people of Saskatchewan have affordable, sustainable energy and heat for their homes and businesses.

There are two key steps in addressing this problem: conservation and renewable sources of energy.

The source of electricity with the lowest environmental impact is energy efficiency . We can achieve at least another 500MW of electrical capacity in Saskatchewan by investing in conservation.

Incentives and regulations can be put in place to ensure that all new homes are more energy efficient, through insulation standards for new building construction, proper layout of new subdivisions to maximize the use of the sun's energy and expanded financial incentives for those who choose to install solar power and hot water systems.

Seniors and low-income families are hardest hit by rising energy costs. Older homes are much less energy efficient, resulting in higher heating and power bills.

We should fund efficiency retro-fit services for qualifying families, replacing inefficient furnaces and draft-proofing homes with updated windows, door seals, and energy efficient lighting.

We can expand such services to the general public at discount rates or through expansion of existing retro-fit programs.

This sort of investment would allow Saskatchewan people to save energy and money.

Secondly, we must invest boldly in obtaining our energy needs from renewable sources such as wind, solar and small-scale hydro rather than non-renewable technologies such as coal, fossil fuels and nuclear power. This will decrease our carbon and waste footprint as well as conserving scarce resources for future generations.

This is a way to not only build an energy source for Saskatchewan’s future. It’s also a great opportunity to build local economies.

Saskatchewan, with our abundant wind and sun, can be a national leader in developing a renewable energy economy.

By allowing individual producers to sell power back to the grid, we can work with small towns and First Nations communities to encourage the formation of wind farm co-ops.

We can go from the 171 megawatts of wind power we currently produce in Saskatchewan to 1,000 megawatts of wind power by 2016.

To accomplish all of this will require bold investment. We must re-establish the Office of Energy Conservation and the Green Futures Fund, both dismantled by the Wall government.

With foresight, and proper investment, conservation is feasible. Renewable is doable. Saskatchewan can be a leader in establishing an economically and environmentally sustainable energy industry. But without the political will to do so, this will remain only a dream.

We can seize the opportunity presented to us, in this leadership campaign, in the appetite for environmentally sustainable solutions, in our abundant renewable resources. To do so we need real leadership, real commitment to a long-term vision.

That’s why I’m running for leader of the New Democratic Party. I believe I have the vision, the experience, and the ideas we need to move forward. More importantly I have the team and the organization that represent a movement, a process of renewal for our party and our province that can win not only this leadership contest but have the broad appeal to win a general election. I hope you will join me, join us, in investing in Our Future, Together.