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OTTAWA — Doug Brownridge has spent long hours fretting about what the federal carbon tax will mean for his 2,430-hectare farm near Estevan, Sask., where he grows various lentils and grains like peas, canola, flaxseed and wheat.

In the spring seeding season, he may burn through thousands of litres of diesel in a single day to fuel his tractors, sprayers and other equipment. Although emissions from farm equipment are exempt from the federal carbon tax, he worries that the cost of shipping his product, among other things like chemicals and fertilizers, could substantially drive up operating expenses.

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“It’s not like I’m running a small family car for 6,000 clicks a year,” he says.

For business owners in emissions-intensive industries, Brownridge said, the recently announced federal rebate is of little comfort. The government estimates that an average family in Saskatchewan will receive $598 in carbon-tax rebates in 2019, and pay just $403 in carbon taxes — well below what Brownridge expects to fork out this year.