The Premier told delegates at the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention that Saskatchewan is the place and now is the time. Scott Moe believes there is an unprecedented opportunity in the province with the food, fuel and fertilizer the world needs, and in a more sustainable way. He cited that Saskatchewan exports its products to around 150 countries, supplying commodities, manufactured goods, and increasingly, becoming an Information Technology hub.
To reach out for more business opportunities, the government is opening a 9th international trade investment office. This one will be in Germany with access to the European Union and to Eastern Europe, where some countries are moving away on relying on Russia for things like uranium and potash.
One of the selling points, Moe says, is the sustainability of Saskatchewan’s products. He notes that the province’s potash industry produces half the greenhouse gas emissions per tonne of other jurisdictions.
The carbon footprint of agricultural products is also lower. Canola producers emit 64 per cent less emissions, wheat is 65 per cent less and for field peas, it’s 95 per cent less per tonne, compared to the rest of the world. He explains that the massive decrease in summer fallow, an expansion in no-till farming, the increase in growing pulse crops, the advancement of precision farming and the adoption of rotational grazing all add to reducing the carbon footprint. Moe says when you add that to the millions of tonnes of carbon stored in natural grasslands and forage lands, agriculture in Saskatchewan is most certainly carbon neutral and likely carbon negative.
He also talked about the increase in property crime, fuelled by drug addiction. The Premier says their plan has two prongs. The first is more accessibility for getting help, and part of that is adding 150 addictions treatment and detox beds, which will be intensive rehabilitation spaces. He expects this won’t be enough and there may be more spaces added later.
The second prong is expanding enforcement. Moe reminded delegates that the province has previously provided more funding to both municipal police and the RCMP, adding over 270 RCMP officers and over 85 municipal officers over the past ten years or so. As well, last year, the government announced a Saskatchewan Marshals Service with 70 officers to complement and support, not replace the RCMP or municipal police.
