After more than nine months of waiting, the final report from the Task Force on Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities has been released.
Those who were hoping for a vision of the future for communities once conventional coal is phased out were disappointed. The committee came forward with a swath of recommendations on what to do for people who will lose their jobs because of the coal phase-out. They offered insights into how to look after employees who will take early retirement.
The task force did what they were supposed to do. They went to communities throughout the country that were affected by the eventual end of coal power, met with lots of people, listened to their concerns and discussed the information that was presented.
And in the end, they supplied recommendations. It’s up to the federal government as to whether they want to enact them.
You can debate whether you like their recommendations or if their decisions will be beneficial for Estevan, but in the end, they fulfilled their mandate.
Was it a waste of money? No. They provided a bridge between the federal government and thousands of people who are going to lose their jobs because of the government’s decision to accelerate the phase-out of conventional coal-fired generation from 2042 to 2030.
It’s hard to believe that the federal government would get a warm welcome in this part of the country from anybody, including mining employees.
The biggest issue was the composition of the committee. It would have been nice to see at least one person from Saskatchewan who hails from a community where coal is produced.
There were also concerns over the promotion of the meetings. It might have been nice to see them come back to Estevan, Bienfait and Coronach for a second round of meetings.
And it would have been nice to have a projected price tag associated with these recommendations. It would help the federal government make decisions moving forward, although maybe the government didn’t want that price tag. Perhaps they don’t want to know just how expensive it will be to compensate people and communities for their decision.
Chairperson Hassan Yussuff said the most important recommendation that he saw was to treat each community differently. The phase-out can’t have a one-sized fits all solution. It’s going to be very different in Estevan than it is in Coronach.
As dependent as we are on coal mining and power generation, it’s an even bigger issue in Coronach.
But perhaps the most important recommendation is for the federal government to step forward with support for communities so they can attract new industries and economic opportunities.
We can stick our heads in the sand and pretend that conventional coal power isn’t going to be phased out eventually. We can pretend that Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station won’t be coming offline within the next six years.
Or we can do something about it, do our best to be prepared, and create incentives so that new industries will be willing to set up shop here one day.
The people who work at the mines are proud of their jobs and are proud to live here. And they should be. They make a significant contribution to the local economy and the province as a whole, even though there are some who treat them like they’re part of the problem.
Unfortunately, the day is coming when many of those mining jobs that we have here now won’t be around any longer.
