Sask. mine recruiting hundreds of workers
BHP is moving forward with its plans to build the world's largest potash mine.
The company is in the midst of a recruitment blitz to build its Jansen potash mine, a $7.5 billion project 140 kilometres east of Saskatoon, as the company looks to hit a peak of 3,500 workers on the site in the coming years.
"This year is sort of commencement of that ramp up," Simon Thomas, BHP's president of potash said.
"The operation workforce will be in the order of 600 people long term. Around 400 to 450 of those will actually live in and around the communities that we operate."
Thomas said while those workers will settle in places like Humboldt, Leroy, Jansen and Lanigan, he expects employees at the mine to reflect the local community. BHP has committed to having a 20 per cent Indigenous workforce, which it is currently exceeding.
"We have programs and will continue to develop programs that create entry pathways to be traineeships, apprenticeships and early engagement to ensure that workforce is ready," he said.
Plenty of work is underway to make the potash mine not only the biggest in the world but the most sustainable when it starts production in 2026.
BHP will ditch its diesel-powered fleet in favour of an electric fleet as the company looks to challenge the province's reliance on fossil fuels.
Roughly 80 per cent of the underground vehicles at the mine will be electric, with plans to increase that to 100 per cent in the coming years.
"Our mine will be in the order of 50 per cent less in terms of CO2 emissions for production," Thomas said.
BHP is also changing the way it pulls potash out of the ground as it aims to use 60 per cent less fresh water than it currently uses per tonne of potash.
Jansen is expected to produce 4.35 million tonnes of potash per year when it comes online in 2026, with the potential for additional expansions.
The initial amount would represent about 20 per cent of the 22 million tonnes of potash produced in 2021.
"We're really pleased with the progress, really pleased with the performance of our teams and our contractors and it gives us a lot of confidence going into this year and into the several years ahead," Thomas said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.