The provincial government has introduced legislation to extend the carbon tax exemption on home heating, fulfilling a campaign promise made during the recent Saskatchewan election.
Jeremy Harrison, the minister responsible for SaskEnergy, tabled The SaskEnergy (Carbon Tax Fairness for Families) Amendment Act, 2024 on Monday.
“Our government is protecting Saskatchewan families’ ability to affordably heat their homes this winter and ensuring fairness for those left out in the cold by the Prime Minister’s decision to exempt the carbon tax from home heating oil,” Harrison said in a news release. “We will continue to fight until the carbon tax is removed everywhere, on everything, for everyone.”
The province removed the federal carbon tax from SaskEnergy residential bills effective Jan. 1, 2024, in response to Ottawa’s decision to exempt home heating oil—a move that primarily affected Atlantic Canada.
The government says the exemption is saving the average family in Saskatchewan about $400 in 2024 and estimates savings will rise to $480 in 2025 when the federal carbon tax increases from $80 to $95 per tonne.
The proposed legislation also amends existing laws to repeal a provision set to expire Dec. 20, 2024, ensuring SaskEnergy remains the sole registered natural gas distributor under the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act.