ON JUNE 18, 2025, CROWN INVESTMENTS CORPORATION MINISTER JEREMY HARRISON ANNOUNCED THAT SASKPOWER WOULD BE REBUILDING ITS ENTIRE COAL-FIRED POWER GENERATION FLEET, INCLUDING THE BOUNDARY DAM PLANT, WHICH HAD BEEN SCHEDULED FOR CLOSURE IN THE COMING YEARS.
For eight years, members of Local Union 7606 in Estevan, Saskatchewan have been fighting to maintain their jobs at the Westmoreland Mine. The mine feeds the Boundary Dam plant, operated by SaskPower, which is currently the only commerciallyoperating coal-fired power plant with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in North America.
On June 18, 2025, Crown Investments Corporation Minister Jeremy Harrison announced that SaskPower would be rebuilding its entire coal-fired power generation fleet, including the Boundary Dam plant, which had been scheduled for closure in the coming years.
Federal regulations regarding coal-fired power in Canada require that all conventional coal-fired power generation shut down by 2030. However, the Minister asserted the Saskatchewan government’s position that, constitutionally, electrical power generation is in the jurisdiction of the provinces and the federal government has no standing on the matter.
The workers at Westmoreland can now breathe a sigh of relief that their jobs will be intact instead of wondering how they will put food on the table and provide for their families. Financial Secretary Ashley Johnson, International Auditor/Teller Jody Dukart and the entire local union welcomed the news.
“I’ve heard about transitioning from coal for years,” said Dukart. “But it’s never happened.
“I’ve been telling anyone who would listen that there’s nothing here to transition to,” Dukart said. “The weather here can be minus 50 degrees sometimes. How is anyone going to survive if there’s no coal and nothing to transition to? This is a huge victory for our membership and for everyone in the community.”
“We’ve been working towards this since 2017. It seemed like no one would listen to what we were trying to tell them,” said Johnson. “Because the guys at the mine knew they were working on borrowed time, they would ask,
what should we do.
“I was honest with them,” Johnson said. “I said, you could quit, find another job and maybe get laid off so why not stick around here, make a good wage and see what happens. I guess they trusted us, and I’m sure glad they did.”
“I commend the work of Brother Dukart, Brother Johnson and every member working at the Westmoreland Mine for their determination to fight for their jobs over the last several years,” said President Roberts.
“No one wants to face uncertainty when it comes to providing for your family,” Roberts said. “The news that the Westmoreland Mine will remain open for years to come will finally provide some security for our members. Their dedication and will to fight for their livelihoods have paid off.”
Whether there will be repercussions to the announcement remains to be seen but for UMWA members of Local Union 7606, it has been nothing short of relief. “There was definitely excitement and relief not having to worry about retirement and what retirement would look like for someone who still is 10 or 15 years from it,” said Johnson.
For Dukart, he hopes for future expansion of CCS technology on power plants. If that were to come to fruition, there would be no reason to stop coal-fired power generation.
