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.
In a letter to federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault on Sunday, Cockrill wanted to know which regulation the federal government was acting on, while also referencing the province’s trespassing act.Article content He also stated in his letter that general water quality management falls under provincial jurisdiction.
She said federal employees routinely conduct water monitoring across the country, and that ECCC staff have been collecting samples in water bodies at targeted sites across the country for Health Canada this year. The federal and provincial governments both share jurisdiction over water quality, said Brenda Heelan Powell, staff counsel with the Environmental Law Centre based in Edmonton.Article contentThe federal government has jurisdiction over fisheries and authority over migratory birds, while the provincial government has jurisdiction over local matters, Heelan Powell said.