The APAS Land and Environment Policy Committee consists of APAS Representatives, Directors, and Associate Member organizations with interest in agri-environmental policies. Scroll through this webpage to read more about our environmental policy discussions with links to recent policy documents and presentations.
Priority Issues:
- Federal and provincial climate change policy
- Land access and biosecurity
- Water management, conservation and development
- Surface Rights and Orphan Wells
- Ecological Goods and Services (ALUS)
Climate Change and Carbon Pricing
Saskatchewan agriculture is a strategic asset in the effort to address global climate change. Each year, Saskatchewan cropland is estimated to sequester 8.5 megatonnes of carbon through improved practices. Prairie grasslands are estimated to sequester another 2 billion tonnes annually. Agricultural producers are the managers of these important environmental assets, but are also price takers who are uniquely impacted by carbon pricing initiatives, such as carbon taxes. APAS works to raise awareness of agriculture’s positive contributions to carbon management, while spreading the message that carbon taxes don’t work for agriculture. Read more about APAS Climate Change Policy
Reports & Presentations:
- Submission: APAS provides commons on the proposed regulations for the Federal Greenhouse Gas Credit System
- Submission: APAS' stance on the "Saskatchewan Greenhouse Gas Offset Program" proposal paper
- Submission: Saskatchewan Offset Framework Discussion Paper, July 2019
- Backgrounder: Preliminary Costs of the Federal Carbon Backstop on Saskatchewan Agriculture, April 2019
- Factum: Factum of the Intervenor (APAS), prepared by Miller and Thomson for APAS' presentation to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal in the reference case on the federal carbon tax, February 2019
- News Release: Regulation of commerce in Saskatchewan is the sole jurisdiction of the provincial government, February 2019
- News Release: APAS granted intervenor status, December 2018
- News Release: APAS applies for intervenor status in Carbon Tax court case. November 2018
- Watch: APAS President, Todd Lewis, presentation to Senate Ag Committee on Carbon Taxes (Budget Bill C-74), May 2018
- Read: APAS Carbon Summit Final Report: "Growing Sustainability", July 2017
- News Release: APAS supports reference to Saskatchewan Court of Appeal on carbon tax, April 2018
- APAS Submission: Provincial Climate Strategy Consultation, March 2018
- APAS Submission: Federal Carbon Pricing Backstop Consultation (2nd round), February 2018
- APAS Submission: Federal Carbon Pricing Backstop Consultation (1st round), June 2017
- Presentation: Climate Change and Carbon Policy in Agriculture, Spring District Meetings 2017
Water Management
APAS supports agricultural water management policies that allow producers to improve land use productivity, while limiting the adverse impacts of flooding and drought. These policies include increased watershed level planning, mapping, and modelling of basins, a workable approach to water management regulation, and greater access to technical and design support for water projects. APAS also promotes the need to rehabilitate and maintain water development infrastructure, such as small dams and reservoirs, to enhance the sector’s resilience to climate change risks. Read more about APAS Water Management Policy
Reports and Presentations:
Biosecurity and Land Access
There are growing concerns in rural Saskatchewan over access to farmland. Unauthorized entry onto private land poses an increased biosecurity risk as soil diseases, such as Clubroot, can spread through the movement of contaminated soil. Saskatchewan has numerous Acts governing land access for third parties, concerning hunters, recreational vehicles, and utility providers. APAS believes there are opportunities to update the Trespass Act and other legislation to mitigate biosecurity risks and bring clarity to land access rules and regulations.
Reports and Presentations:
- APAS Submission: Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice Review of Trespass Related Legislation, September 2018
- APAS Letter: Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice, February 2018
- APAS Presentation: Biosecurity and Land Access - Fall District Meetings, October 2017
Landowner Surface Rights
Most agricultural producers in Saskatchewan only hold the surface title of their land. As a result, they depend on surface rights legislation for basic protections of their property rights when dealing with industrial development on their land. Saskatchewan’s surface rights legislation came into force in 1978. Agricultural producers managing development on their lands feel that the legislation is out of step with modern farming practices, higher land values, and the increased level of development occurring in the province. Read more about APAS Surface Rights Policy
Reports and Presentations:
- Saskatchewan Farmers' Voice: Surface Rights Resurface, July 2018
- APAS Submission: Ministry of Economy Surface Rights Review, November 2013
