STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS HEALTHY AND RESILIENT ENVIRONMENT

The Government of Saskatchewan is pleased to release its online State of the Environment report today, in honour of Earth Day – celebrated each year on April 22.

“Saskatchewan’s environment is healthy and resilient,” Environment Minister Warren Kaeding said.  “Our State of the Environment report measures 19 areas from air quality to forest health to protected land, which all contribute to a healthy environment and growing economy.”

The report uses key indicators to measure provincial greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, waste reduction and recycling, protected and conserved areas, impacted sites, water consumption and several characteristics on the health of Saskatchewan forests.

The 2021 report outlines why each indicator is measured, provides data on what is happening, and articulates the various actions government is taking to monitor or address the indicator.

Highlights from the report include:

  • Air quality in Saskatchewan is typically low risk and pollution levels are improving for most pollutants.
  • As of December 31, 2020, 59 historical discoveries of environmentally impacted sites were entered into the ministry’s registry.  With each new discovery, the ministry obtains valuable information and acquires a better understanding of impacts to the province.
  • In 2019, nearly 19 million litres of waste liquid and 88,727 tonnes of solid waste were diverted from landfills through provincially regulated waste stewardship programs.
  • Currently, no mountain pine beetles have been detected in the boreal monitoring area.
  • Forest product sales exceed $1 billion annually, and the forestry sector supports nearly 8,000 direct and indirect jobs.
  • Protected areas are added to the provincial Representative Areas Network each year.  To date, 6,354,385 hectares or 9.76 per cent of Saskatchewan is contained within the network.

“Environmental measures should be transparent and accessible to all Saskatchewan residents,” Kaeding said.  “With that in mind, the ministry moved this year’s report to www.saskatchewan.ca so it can be updated regularly, when new data becomes available.”

The State of the Environment report is required every two years in The Environmental Management and Protection Act, 2010.  The last report, produced in 2019, focused on forests.  The reports are available at www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/environment-public-health-and-safety/state-of-the-environment.

Residents can also learn more about Earth Day and other environmental topics on the Ministry of Environment’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SKEnviro.