Legislative Report
April 29, 2021

Exciting New Economic Opportunities

Good economic news for our province keeps rolling in.

Viterra Canola Crush Facility in Regina
Viterra has announced that a new world-class canola crush plant will be built in Regina. This global grain company – with Saskatchewan roots – is in the feasibility stage to finalize the plant’s capabilities and design, with an initial targeted annual crush capacity of 2.5 million metric tonnes. This would make it the world’s largest integrated canola crush facility.

Viterra’s new canola crush plant will support a number of goals in the Saskatchewan Growth Plan:

• to grow our agri-food exports to $20 billion;
• to increase agriculture value-added revenue to $10 billion;
• to increase the value of exports by 50 per cent; and
• to grow private capital investment to $16 billion annually.

Furthermore, it not only supports the Growth Plan’s goal to crush 75 per cent of the canola produced in this province, it means we have, in fact, now achieved that goal, well ahead of 2030.

This project will create jobs during the construction phase, as well as permanent employment opportunities once in operation, and it will create additional career opportunities through the supply chain.

Cargill Canola Processing Facility in Regina
This builds on another exciting announcement that Cargill will be moving forward with a new canola processing facility in Regina. This $350 million dollar investment will support farmers access to increasing market demand, create 1 million hours of employment throughout construction, and add 50 full-time positions upon completion. These are real jobs for families and a real investment in our economy as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

These investments are a clear sign of confidence in the growth and competitiveness of our world class Saskatchewan agriculture industry – and we know they are among the many good things on the horizon for Saskatchewan.

Helium Purification Facility in the Southwest
Our province is now home to the largest helium purification facility in Canada. The new $32 million facility, located in southwest Saskatchewan, is owned and operated by North American Helium Inc. and is expected to produce more than 50 million cubic feet per year of purified helium for commercial sale. That’s enough to fill approximately 400,000 party balloons a day.

Helium is a highly desirable commodity used in medical research, semiconductor manufacturing, space exploration, fibre optics, and advancements in nuclear power generation.

This project, which will create and support local jobs, enable the province to scale up helium production, and grow export capacity, is being supported by our government’s Oil and Gas Processing Investment Incentive program. This will further diversify our natural resource sector and position Saskatchewan as a leading supplier of a critical element that the world needs.

It is important we continue providing a competitive investment environment to attract projects that will create jobs in our communities, grow our economy and build a strong Saskatchewan.

Easing Visitation Restrictions at Care Homes

COVID-19 continues to be our government’s #1 priority.

Our goal is to vaccinate a significant portion of the population as quickly as possible and, while we still have a long way to go, there is one segment of the population where we have achieved this goal and that’s seniors who are living in our long-term care and personal care homes.

If at least 90 per cent of the residents in a facility have been fully vaccinated and three weeks have elapsed since the last second dose vaccinations, residents can now welcome up to two visitors at a time indoors, and up to four visitors at a time outdoors. Seniors who are fully vaccinated will also be able to leave the facility and return without having to quarantine.

More appointments and opportunities to receive your COVID-19 vaccine will become available as more vaccines become available. In the meantime, let’s all keep protecting ourselves and those around us. Thank you to all staff working at clinics across the province. Every shot, in every arm, makes Saskatchewan a little safer. The vaccines are safe, the vaccines work, and when it’s your turn, I strongly encourage you to roll up your sleeve and stick it to COVID.