Saskatchewan needs to become more aggressive in its pursuit of renewable energy sources, said lawyer and environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“Saskatchewan has the highest per capita carbon output of any province of Canada. It’s somewhere around 70 tonnes [per person] a year whereas the Canadian average is 20 tonnes,” Kennedy told reporters Monday at Prairieland Park where he was this year’s keynote speaker at this year’s Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations’ Trading Place conference.

The Harvard University graduate and professor of environmental law said there are “tremendous” opportunities for Saskatchewan to develop renewable energy sources.

“Saskatchewan has the greatest solar potential in all of Canada and it has some of the greatest wind potential,” said Kennedy.

The issue, however, is that the coal industry and other polluters are able to maintain a foothold on the market because of the massive subsidies they receive, said Kennedy.

“This gives people the illusion that you can have cheap coal.”

Kennedy said in addition to the delusion of cheap energy, there are also hidden costs associated with coal energy, such as pollution and health factors, that also must be weighed.

The alternative, he said, was to develop wind and solar energy – something many Saskatchewan First Nations could profit from.

Many reserves are situated in areas that would make them ideal for wind farms, said Kennedy.

fsuen@rawlco.com

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