Carbon tax study never shown to public; says tax would not have noticeable economic impact in Sask.

A third party report of the economic impact of the carbon tax has been brought forward, after the province decided not to make it public.

Commissioned by the Government of Saskatchewan, the $109,000 report was never shared with the public, some say because it didn’t reflect the government’s hard stance against the levy.

Climate Change Policy Modelling and Economic Impact Analysis, conducted by a firm called Navius, said the provinces plan to combat climate change was sufficient but that Ottawa’s levy likely wouldn’t make a noticeable economic impact.

“Ultimately we did have some problems with the methodology,” Minister of Environment Dustin Duncan said. “We thought it wasn’t specific enough to Saskatchewan’s economy.”

The report in question was conducted before a subsequent second study, which portrayed the price on carbon in a less favourable light. The province made that report public.

The provincial NDP obtained a copy of the study through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. NDP Leader Ryan Meili feels the government was looking for a study that better fit its stance.

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  The steel mills in the Hamilton waterfront harbour are shown in Hamilton, Ont., on Tuesday, October 23, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette