The Estevan Chamber of Commerce held their annual general meeting Tuesday and the guest speaker at the luncheon was Steve McLellan, the CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.

He addressed some of the economic issues plaguing the province and what the Saskatchewan Chamber is doing to help out local chambers. Of course, he touched on the challenges being faced in Estevan and in southeast Saskatchewan. 

One of those issues is a hot-button one, and that's the federal carbon tax which is set to come into effect on April 1st. 

"While we don't support a carbon tax, if they're going to take the money out of your pockets, then it has to go back in to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions," McLellan said. "We've had lots of conversations with the feds, every time we start the conversation with, 'we don't agree with the carbon tax, but if you're going to impose it, we have to tell our members to follow the law.' We want all the money that is collected to go back to our members and businesses."

"The conversation we're trying to make — while we don't support a carbon tax and let's be 100 percent clear on that — we do fully support reduced greenhouse gas emissions. We need to reduce emissions and let's figure out how to do it. How do we want to do it? Through energy efficiency," McLellan added. "If businesses reduce their energy cost, that's good for the environment and good for their bottom line."

Finding ways to make cleaner energy while reducing emissions is something the province is focusing on. 

It is tough with the oil and gas sector being a huge part of the economy in the province, but McLellan believes it has to be done. 

"We will transition as an economy, as a people, as a country from somewhat of our traditional oil and gas, the legacy industry, into renewables," he said. "Is it going to be complete? Absolutely not. In your lifetime you will always need petroleum products. But that transition will happen and I guarantee it. If you don't, think back three or five years before we had any wind or solar in Saskatchewan. We are going to move this way."

The development of technology is allowing this to become more of a reality and helping make the transition smoother for companies. 

Read more HERE.