Job generator
Two other huge potash companies, Agrium Inc. and Australia-based BHP Billiton, are assessing the development of potash mines just southwest of Yorkton.
"In the next five years, permanent jobs from canola crushing plants and potash mining may exceed 3,500 jobs in the region," said Faisal Anwar, economic development officer for the City of Yorkton.
BHP said it would spend about $50 million on the seismic phases and then drill up to 60 holes costing $1 million to $1.5 million each during the core drilling operations, which have now started.
To meet the need for skilled workers, Parkland College, Yorkton campus, is planning a 78,000-square-foot expansion, which itself could create up to a dozen full-time jobs.
Yet, Yorkton is more than mining. The city has two canola crushing plants, Louis Dreyfus Mitsui Foods (LDM) and Richardson International. LDM Foods started its operation in November 2009, and Richardson International was operational in July 2010. An estimated cost of the two plants is approximately $400 million and they have created more than 150 direct jobs.
All the new workers have put pressure on Yorkton's housing market, which was once ranked as the most affordable small city for homes in Canada. The demand is so intense that, to combat rising prices, Yorkton has applied to the provincial government under its HeadStart on a Home Program to build 35 entry-level homes.
In the past three years, more than 160 single-family homes were built and the city is accelerating development of additional homes. Two private land developers have purchased land to the north and east (newly annexed land) of the city, and are developing both residential and commercial property, Anwar said. The city is aiming to have new commercial lots this year or early in 2013.
Yorkton Mayor James Wilson warned a recent chamber of commerce meeting, "We are running out of commercial land."
Apart from the development of new facilities by Peavey Mart and Yorkton Co-operatives, the city has also seen expansions by Harvest Meats, Wal-Mart, Best Western Hotel, Ram Industries and Real Canadian Superstore, Anwar added.
Meanwhile, the Painted Hand Casino has relocated to a $30 million newly constructed facility on the former West Broadway Mall site in Yorkton. Painted Hand is operated by the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority and has more than 200 slot machines, table games and a theatre with a total seating capacity of 500.
from Western Investor January 2012
