SaskPower Cancels Solar Power in Saskatchewan

SaskPower has yet to build a mere Megawatt of solarpower, but has now canceled the ability of solar installers to accept new work in the province. They went way farther than the cancellation of the rebate I warned readers about back in June. The Net Metering program has allowed hundreds of people to add more renewable solar power to our grid than the inept, anti-solar Crown Corporation ever has.

Not to brag, but I produce more solar power than SaskPower. I also out-produce the City of Regina after they’ve been studying the idea of producing solar power for over 2 years. I make more electricity from the sun than the climate-denying Government of Saskatchewan does on its  buildings in the capital city of Regina. Regina, by the way, ranks in the top 10 cities in the world for solar power potential. And I make more than Ralph Goodale and Catherine McKenna’s green-friendly Liberal Government of Canada does on its buildings in Regina too. In short, they all suck, and I don’t suck as much.

People who shouldn’t be making the big decisions, are. The people need to stop electing boneheads who couldn’t pass a Grade 10 science class to save their lives. It would help if we’d make it illegal for elected parties to take money from oil companies too.

Speak up and let your neighbour, or friend, or co-worker know that you’re aware they don’t want to hear your political opinion, but you’re scared if things devolve any further you’ll have beef force fed to you by roving gangs of insane cattle ranchers dressed all in Green and White soon.

We spent $1.6B at Bounday Dam to make 120MW of energy, but Power won’t pay $54M to make 16MW of energy per year? We’ll pay $160M (and climbing) per year for the next decade for BD3, but $54M for solar and for good, construction jobs is unsustainable? https://t.co/KABhXOViFE

— Aleana Young (@AleanaYoung) September 20, 2019

“I cannot wrap my head around this.” – Young

When a political decision makes no sense, like shutting down solar in Saskatchewan, you can assume it’s either due to incompetence, or due to corruption. And we’ve already confirmed that political parties take money from oil companies in Saskatchewan, and  oppose sensible actions to combat the climate crisis.

SaskPower Cutting Solar Funding Instead of Cheques

Despite a ticking clock to cut emissions drastically, SaskPower is opting to continue to burn low grade coal instead of support faster adoption of solar power. They’re cutting a successful Net Metering rebate system 2 years early.

There’s a promise by the wildly anti-environment SaskParty, even during Brad Wall’s years, to cut power generation back to only 50% fossil fueled, by 2030. It makes zero sense for SaskPower to remove an incentive for its customers to help it reach that objective earlier.
UPDATE: It’s even worse than the incentive going away, all new applications for solar and wind isn’t being accepted now!

Podcast on Sunday

Jeff Cliff interviewed me for his Facebook Live stream on Sunday. We discussed Saskatchewan politics, media, blogging, censorship, and the Amazon Fires.

For instance, I can link to Facebook, but people trying to link here from Facebook are told my blog doesn’t meet Facebook’s “Community Standards”. If you can figure out why, that would be quite the feat.

Also noticed that http://www.abandonedstuff.com isn’t redirecting to this WordPress address right now, so I don’t know if that’s a permanent problem introduced by WordPress, or something else.

SaskParty Opposes Low Cost, Healthy Transportation

@tbeaudrymellor maybe you've no say in your party's communications, but are you embarased enough to ask them to stop mocking a zero-emission and healthy way to commute in cities? Failing to promote health is bad enough.https://t.co/mqhsbeZfcn#skpoli

— Saskboy (@saskboy) July 13, 2019

I had no respect for the SaskPotty before this, and it sure as hell isn’t getting any now. They’re toxic and are actively opposing zero emission vehicles now.

#SaveSTC: Does Saskatchewan Have a Developed Economy Still?

In the days around the time @SKGov shut down STC, I was on the phone with Greyhound Canada (PR people in Texas), trying to get an answer for why they weren't stepping into the role. It was apparent the SK Gov't hadn't spoken with Greyhound to get us coach bus service.

— Saskboy (@saskboy) February 7, 2019

The gov’t was totally negligent, not even doing as much to ensure people could get to their medical appointments as some guy in Regina could do with less than an hour of effort. If they had, they might have realized Greyhound was considering closure, & STC would corner market. And Hargrave and Carr have remained recklessly partisan and heartless as Saskatchewan people and cross-Canada travelers alike are left without mainstream inter-city/province/country bus service. It leaves people questioning if we’re even a developed economy anymore.

If you’re driving across Canada, and your car breaks down in Regina, you can’t leave it by train, bus, or by hitchhiking (not legally). The government only just barely authorized ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft.

The train station is a casino only, the bus depot is a cop shop & vacant building, and the airport can’t be reached by bus/bike/walking. There are plenty of friendly and sympathetic people who’ll give you a ride if you ask, but for some demographics that’s too dangerous to contemplate.

Skunk In The Stinky FP

The FP published a ridiculous op-ed by Brad Wall.
business.financialpost .com/opinion/ brad-wall-canada-could-impact-emissions-were-ottawa-not-so-obsessed-with-carbon-taxes

“So, in Paris we were — without intention — a few prairie skunks at this low-carbon garden party.”

His intention was to stink. Wall has remained a skunk throughout his public life.

Remember a decade ago when he promised a Green Tech Fund to develop technologies to reduce emissions, instead of a price on carbon pollution? No? Perhaps because he never delivered it. His sole mission, that he shares with the odious (climate change Denial org) Heritage Foundation when he delivers his speeches in the USA, is to delay climate action.

I know most people reading the Financial Flop Post won’t agree with me, but his ideas are terrible, and are causing global damage.

The reason CCS is even close to making economic sense from his perspective is because it’s for Enhanced Oil Recovery. So the net pollution CCS reduces is offset by some unknown amount of oil burned for every unit of carbon dioxide re-sequestered underground.

Will Mandryk Eat His Privatization Crow?

Has anyone watched Mandryk eat crow about this doozy of a column defending Wall’s last campaign yet?

“NDP must get off privatization merry-go-round“

“On Tuesday, Wall emphatically said “no” to selling SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskTel, SGI and even STC. He reminded voters he signed the old NDP Crown Corporation Protection Act and noted his only proposed change to that law is on the sale of liquor stores.

Yet there was Broten, becoming the fourth straight NDP leader telling us of their opponent’s hidden agenda to sell off all Crown corporations, including SaskTel, SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SGI, STC, etc.”

“Broten has a smoking gun. Don’t let it get around, but … pssst …. Saskatchewan is running a deficit.

 

“He’s not talking about his plans for privatization, but we know, in his desire to go after quick, one-time money … anything is on the table for him.” Broten said.

 

Well, there you have it. What more proof could anyone possibly need? Wall and the Sask. Party intend to commit political suicide by first being forthright about selling liquor stores, then lying to the voters about selling off everything else.

 

So why does the NDP keep doing this?

There is the sentimentality.”

Ugh. He even mocked the smoking gun(s). Maybe he’s just sentimental about beating up on the NDP when they don’t even deserve it, instead of when they do.

This May, Wall closed STC, and changed the law in order to sell off half of SaskTel, SGI, SaskEnergy, etc. for a quick buck and to destroy public services in the hope that the private sector offers them instead. STC has been shut for weeks now, and Greyhound has expressed an interest in NOT operating buses on profitable bus routes in Saskatchewan. We went from having the best inter-city bus line in Canada, to NO bus service between the province’s largest cities of over a half million people collectively.

Mandryk’s column defending the Premier’s campaign deception, when he should have known better, helped make this possible.

—

Mar 18, 2016 11:24am

 

Media: ‘Why won’t both parties stop talking privatization?’

3rd party: ‘Change Crowns to public-owned co-operatives.’

Media: *silence* then ‘Why won’t the NDP stop talking about Crowns?’