The money that the federal government supplied to Estevan through the Canada Coal Transition Incentive (CCTI) is a nice start, but a lot more money will be needed for this community.
Approximately $698,000 has been earmarked for projects in Estevan, with the City of Estevan receiving about $260,000, the Sunrise Community Futures Development Corporation getting $250,000 and the Southeast Regional College receiving $188,000.
The city will use the bulk of their money to hire a second person in its economic development department on a two-year basis.
While we’ve long argued in favour of having somebody in economic development, especially at this uncertain time in our city’s history, do we really need a second person? We’re reserving judgement.
Ultimately, it will be imperative for this person to create tangible results. If two years pass and all we have are reports and studies, and we haven’t made progress as we move towards life after conventional coal, then people are going to be upset.
As for the other projects, the money for the Southeast College’s Estevan campus could be a hard sell for the public, because many of them don’t want anything to do with any form of power production other than coal-fired power. Will a solar installation training program and a mobile solar training laboratory create the new jobs we need and keep people in Estevan, or is this a pet environmental project for the Liberals.
The money for Community Futures is for a regional economic development person. There will be a broader scope than the person the city will hire, but again, people might be hoping for something that will bring more tangible results.
People will want more than someone who completes plans and studies that wind up sitting on office shelves.
This funding merely represents a start for Estevan. You can expect to see more funding through the CCTI program, since it is a five-year initiative. Estevan had better be included in the funding each year; we’re one of the largest communities affected.
Federal funding won’t be enough. We need the provincial government to step forward as well. The city has asked the province for $5 million in funding, but that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to what we will need, because the loss of Units 4 and 5 at Boundary Dam will have a resounding impact on all aspects of the community, not just power generation and the coal mines.
This is a provincial issue in addition to the federal one. The federal government’s decision to fast-track the phase out of conventional coal power from 2042 to 2030 put this community in a difficult position.
It was the provincial government who made the decision to retire Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station. Those two units have reached the end of their lifespan according to regulations put in place long before the Liberals took office.
Units 4 and 5 should have been retrofitted with clean coal technology. The province decided not to do so, and so they should be coming forward with support for Estevan.
The days of conventional coal-fired electricity are coming to an end. Even if the Conservative Party wins October’s federal election, the best case scenario would be for them to return the coal phase-out date to around 2042 instead of 2030. If that’s the case, Shand Power Station would be the only local power plant to receive an extension on its life.
SaskPower will tell you that no jobs will be lost when Units 4 and 5 come offline. They’re probably right. But you will have Boundary Dam employees who will be transferred out of the community.
And there will be jobs lost at the mines once Units 4 and 5 are shuttered.
That’s going to affect every aspect of life in the community, from education to healthcare to property values to real estate to sports and culture. This is why we need money from both the province and the feds.
The money we have received from the feds is just the beginning.
