With opposition leader Ryan Meili visiting Weyburn yesterday, Discover Weyburn News got the NDP viewpoint on SaskPower’s decision not to proceed with plans to retrofit units four and five with CCS technology at Boundary Dam.

“We think that’s the right decision,” said Meili. “The current experience with Boundary Dam 3, that’s cost nearly two billion dollars and has a very minimal impact in terms of what it really does to reduce the emissions.”

“It hasn’t been operating well,” he added. “It’s resulted in millions of dollars being paid out to Cenovus, one of the companies that donates considerably to the Sask Party."

“It’s been a bit of, for lack of a better word, a boondoggle, they messed this one up, seriously. And we have much better options," he noted.

"If we’re actually wanting to do what we should be doing, which is to reducing emissions to stop contributing, as we are, to climate change, we need to be looking at other ways of providing the energy that we need.”

“We have so much opportunity,” he said, noting the winds blowing outside. “We have constant opportunity being missed by not moving down the direction of renewable energy, so many possibilities for us.”

“Making the decision to not go further into boundary dam 4 and 5 frees up some funds and redirects us in the right direction, focusing on renewables,” he said.