It’s about the reaction to a photograph taken of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) inspectors taking water samples near Pense — the workers said they thought they were working on public land next to the highway, while a landowner claimed the work was being done on private land. It should have stopped right there — as a misunderstanding about whether the land was public or private, with efforts to do better in the future. Instead, it became the latest federal/provincial football. Some people have got in touch with me after I wrote about this issue last week to point out that I haven’t lived here long enough to understand the way Saskatchewan residents feel about private land.
Sask. government amended its trespassing act ahead of dispute with Ottawa
The Government of Saskatchewan amended its provincial trespassing act ahead of its ongoing dispute with the federal government. The amendment changes the definition of a “person” within the Trespass to Property Act to include “the Crown, in the right of Canada.” “There’s references to various persons, and all that this order in council does is it says that person can include an agent, essentially the Crown in the right of Canada,” Martin Olszynski, a law professor at the University of Calgary, said.
Saskatchewan alleges federal employees illegally taking water samples from farmers
The Saskatchewan Party government says it wants an explanation from Ottawa after federal employees allegedly took water samples from farmers’ lands without permission. Jeremy Cockrill, the minister responsible for the province’s Water Security Agency, said three landowners in southern Saskatchewan had recent unannounced visits from federal employees. He said during each separate instance, the employees, who arrived in black Government of Canada vehicles, took samples from dugouts without the landowners’ permission.
Water fight: Sask. government accuses federal employees of trespassing for water tests
The Saskatchewan government is accusing federal government employees of trespassing when taking water samples in Saskatchewan. The allegation prompted a public letter from Saskatchewan's minister responsible for water security to his counterpart in Ottawa. On Saturday, Saskatchewan's cabinet approved an order in council tweaking the province's trespassing laws, the Trespass to Property Act 2022, "to add a new section regarding the Act and state that 'person' includes the Crown in right of Canada."
Sipekne'katik First Nation under boil-water advisory
Sipekne'katik First Nation is a under a boil-water advisory. According to a Facebook post made by Chief Mike Sack Thursday, two water samples taken from the community on Dec. 8 came back with unacceptable levels of E. coli. Sack's post said the boil-water advisory is expected to stay in place until at least Sunday or when all samples come back with safe levels.