A new poll checked in with Saskatchewan residents to see how they feel the provincial government responded to a large oil spill into the North Saskatchewan River last month.
Mainstreet Analytics surveyed a random sample of 1,690 people living in the province between Aug. 22-23.
The poll found only 47 per cent of people who responded approved of the way the government handled the spill. Those who disapproved entirely represented 31 per cent of the people polled, while 22 per cent said they weren’t sure how they felt.
Regina was the only place in the province where more people disapproved than approved of how the government handled the situation.
On July 21, around 225,000 litres of oil spilled from a Husky Energy pipeline into the North Saskatchewan River. Clean-up for the spill is ongoing, and both North Battleford and Prince Albert put in place emergency drinking water measures for urban and surrounding rural areas.
Poll results also showed a split in perception between younger people and older generations. About 20 per cent of respondents between the ages of 18-49 said they did not approve of how the province dealt with the situation, while only 17-18 per cent of people over 50 said they disapproved.
Mainstreet also asked people about support for the proposed Energy East pipeline. On that question, 67 per cent of the people who responded said they approve of the plan, while 19 per cent disapprove and 14 per cent said they were unsure.
The poll has a margin of error of 2.38 per cent 19 times out of 20.