The province introduced a new environment code Monday.
More than 200 researchers and industry leaders as well as 1,300 members of the public were involved in the code’s drafting.
It has been five years in the making and is a first in Canada.
Environment Minister Scott Moe says the code cuts red tape and simplifies rules for industry while still maintaining strict environmental guidelines to protect land, air and water.
“They take into account the risk of a project and at the same time clarify what the end result of that project should be with regards to environmental projects and what Saskatchewan people feel environmental protection should look like,” he says.
Moe also says the streamlined process allows municipalities and industry to keep pace with growth while ensuring Saskatchewan’s environment remains healthy.
NDP Environment Critic Cathy Sproule says an update is long overdue but she is not giving this one a passing grade.
“If I was still a school teacher I would have to give this particular report a fail,” she says. “I think one of the things that is most disappointing about this is that it is five years late. We have been waiting a long time for this but the other thing; not only is it late, it is incomplete.”
Sproule also says the new code fails to make any mention of green house gas emissions. It will be phased in next year, with the forestry sector being the first area to be affected in January 2015.