Saskatchewan plans to extend coal power to 2050. Now a judge will decide whether it ends up in court

A Saskatoon judge is deciding whether a legal challenge to Saskatchewan’s plan to keep burning coal until 2050 can move forward.

At a hearing on Monday, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society, Citizens for Public Justice and three residents from Saskatchewan and Manitoba requested a judicial review of the provincial government’s directive that allows SaskPower to refurbish and operate coal-fired power plants past the federal phase-out deadline of 2029.

They also want the court to grant an interim stay, which would pause the government’s decision to extend coal operations until the court can rule on whether that decision was lawful.

The province, represented by government lawyer Elaine Thomson, argued in court Monday that the case should be struck before it’s heard, saying it’s not the