New federal help to support rapid growth near BHP’s Jansen potash site in Saskatchewan
This money from the Canadian government will build on recent investments from BHP of $500,000 and the Government of Saskatchewan of $250,000.
A half-million dollars in new federal funding via Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) will help develop and support the rapid growth in east central Saskatchewan from the BHP Jansen Potash mine’s $14 billion expansion projects.
The new funds will go towards the Sylvite Four-Six Regional Development Partnership (S4-6), which includes all communities within a 90-kilometre distance from the Jansen mine, plus the First Nations of George Gordon, Kawacatoose, Day Star, Fishing Lake, Muskowekwan, and Beardy’s and Okemasis’ Cree Nation.
S4-6 brings together municipal and Indigenous communities in East Central Saskatchewan to prepare for the rapid growth the region expects as a result of BHP’s potash mine near Jansen,
According to a news release from PrairiesCan, this initiative is a prime example of achieving economic reconciliation, with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities coming together to ensure rural, remote and Indigenous communities share in the planning for and prosperity from new economic growth.
The federal funds build on recent investments from BHP of $500,000 and the Government of Saskatchewan of $250,000.
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S4-6 will hire staff and contract services to better plan for and address needs in eight priority areas: housing, childcare, labour, training and education, inclusive relationships, infrastructure, emergency services and economic development.
“BHP’s Jansen project represents the largest single investment in Saskatchewan’s economy and the largest investment by BHP in a project worldwide,” said Robert Makichuk, the director general of communications at PrairiesCan. “ Investments of this scale generate significant economic opportunities and benefits but also require significant coordinated approaches to support the demands that come with such growth.”
BHP’s Jansen mine is set to begin operations in 2026. It will bring hundreds of jobs to the region.
This story was originally published in the Humboldt Journal. It is republished under a Creative Commons license as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.
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