REGINA -- For the second Friday in a row, hundreds of people marched along Albert St. to the Saskatchewan Legislature asking the provincial government to take action against climate change.
Rallies were held across North America, and coast to coast in Canada.
In Regina, the protest was organized by Friday for Futures, who said this protest was the biggest they’ve seen.
“There’s so many people out here who want a more sustainable country, and specifically province,” said Paige Sellinger, an organizer with Friday for Futures. “Saskatchewan is the highest carbon emitter per capita, so we want [the government] to realize there’s so many people here wanting us to move forwards.”
Among the crowd were representatives from about 12 local solar energy companies, who were supporting the strike’s message following an announcement from SaskPower halting its net metering program.
“If there’s ever been a time for renewable energy policy to start moving forward it’s now, not moving 10 steps back,” Miguel Catellier, president of Tru Green Energy said.
Catellier said the stoppage of the SaskPower program is causing serious worry in the industry. The halt could see more than 600 jobs affected.
Catellier added that their main concern is the amount of misinformation floating around about solar energy, and that there’s no reason why the Saskatchewan government should be wavering.
“Ten out of 13 provinces have net metering. 41 out of 50 states have net metering. Right now we have a government that’s deliberating about cancelling net metering all together, and going to a seriously discounted rate, or a program called net billing,” Catellier said.
In an emailed statement to CTV News, the Government of Saskatchewan said it recognizes that climate change is a serious issue.
“We continue to disagree with the federal carbon tax, which would have negative consequences for the economy and families. We will continue to focus on reducing emissions through our made in Saskatchewan Climate Change Plan which will reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 12 million tonnes by 2030,” said the statement.
Friday marked the final day of international protests, but local organizers say they’ll continue to rally until they see more action taken from the government.
