BHP announced that it was considering delaying Stage 2 last month and news of the 2031 delay broke in AllSaskatchewan this morning. The company said that the rising cost of construction in Saskatchewan has placed “upwards pressure on the cost of Jansen.”
“While consumer inflation has fallen to close to 2% in Canada, price growth for industrial construction works has been significantly stronger, increasing by over 10% in the past two years in Saskatoon,” said the company.
“This project is key to Saskatchewan's economic future. We all want it online as soon as possible. When fully completed, this project is expected to create 600-900 full-time jobs.”
Saskatchewan NDP Finance Shadow Minister Trent Wotherspoon agreed the mine is critical to the province’s economic future.
“It will be a major boost to our province, and we all want to see it succeed and want to see these good, mortgage-paying jobs for generations,” Wotherspoon said, adding “unfortunately, this isn’t the first major project to take a hit under the Sask. Party’s watch.
“Our province and our city were hit with the news that Federated Co-operatives' renewable diesel facility and their canola crushing project in partnership with AGT has been put on hold, indefinitely.
“These projects were meant to produce 15,000 barrels of renewable diesel per day at a facility near the Co-op Refinery Complex.
“Then there’s Viterra's new canola crush plant -- which is now classified as "in limbo as of 2024.”
Wotherspoon called on Premier Scott Moe, due to go before the media on Wednesday, to answer for the four project delays.
“I hope he is straight with the people of Saskatchewan and answers for this string of bad economic news,” Wotherspoon said. “Whatever the explanation, these projects are key to our province’s economic future and we need answers.”
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