The year 2021 brought renewed optimism to the province's forestry industry. (File photo/paNOW)

By Teena Monteleone

Year in Review: Economic and Infrastructure Developments

Dec 28, 2021 | 12:00 PM

As 2021 draws to a close, paNOW is taking a look back on the most important and impactful stories of the year, as selected by our reporters and editorial staff.

There is renewed optimism for the province of Saskatchewan. The past year saw a lot of economic recovery with investments in multiple industries and resources including potash, uranium, helium and canola crush facilities. The Prince Albert area in particular welcomed several announcements in 2021 that will help kickstart the forestry industry in the province.

In September, One Sky Forest Products Ltd, a privately held Saskatchewan corporation, announced the construction and operation of an Oriented Strand Board (OSB) plant following news of timber allocation from the province.

The $250 million facility will have a capacity of 600 million square feet of OSB annually and is expected to create over 700 jobs for northern Saskatchewan.

At the time of the announcement, Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne said, “I call them careers. They’re not low entry jobs. These will be well paying jobs in the forestry industry, that when someone gets it, that’ll be their career. They’ll be able to buy a house and cars. And so that’s what is exciting for our city. It will really help our city economically.”

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The OSB plant will operate at the existing mill site owned by Paper Excellence. (Photo 215676548 © Mnogomesta | Dreamstime.com)

Meanwhile, Paper Excellence, the company that purchased the defunct Prince Albert pulp mill in 2011 announced plans to restart the facility as early as 2023. The estimated cost to restart the facility is $550 million. It is expected to create over $300 million per year in economic benefits for Prince Albert and all of Saskatchewan. In September, Paper Excellence secured the forest fibre needed for the restart.

“One of the key goals of Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan is to increase forestry product sales and exports and create more forestry-related jobs in the province,” Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre said last September. “The restart of the Paper Excellence pulp mill is expected to create over 1,650 direct and indirect jobs, while enhancing northern and Indigenous economic and labour development opportunities within our world-class forestry sector.”

The 18-acre parcel, marked in red, would be the initial phase of the new aquatic and recreation complex. (Council agenda package/City of P.A.)

In 2021, residents of Prince Albert also got their first sneak peak at the planned multi-million dollar aquatic and arena recreation centre. It will include two 800-seat arenas and a 47,000 square foot aquatic centre.

In July, city manager Jim Toye told paNOW, “It’s going to be a big deal. It’s going to be something this city’s never seen.”

Among the features to be included in the aquatic centre design are a wave pool, a lazy river, at least two water slides and a wave rider machine that can be used to practice skiing or surfing. A regulation size short course pool, weight room, spectator seating for 400 people will also be included. The twin arena side of the complex will have 12 dressing rooms, a fitness room and board rooms along with NHL regulation size ice surfaces.

The city is expected to break ground on phase one of the recreation centre in the fall of 2021 and have it open to the public by fall of 2023.

The second phase of the project includes a larger arena.

A local company announced their plans to enhance the new recreation centre site with the addition of a mixed-use entertainment complex.

Signature Developments Corporation was inspired by Edmonton’s ICE District, to create ‘The Yard” which will offer entertainment, business, commercial, dining and other opportunities.

Surface construction on The Yard is expected to begin in spring 2022 and anticipated to continue over the next couple of years.

In October, Highways Minister Fred Bradshaw was accompanied at a ribbon cutting ceremony by local MLAs Alana Ross, Delbert Kirsch and Joe Hargrave; along with Shellbrook Mayor Amund Otterson and RM of Shellbrook Reeve Doug Oleksyn. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

This past year also saw the completion of much anticipated upgrades to area highways. In October, a ribbon cutting ceremony marked the end of work on three sets of passing lanes on Highway 3 west – a $9.1 million project.

At the time Highways Minister Fred Bradshaw said, “we are going to have a lot more logging trucks going on there so this is going to make it a lot safer for the people who are commuting back and forth between Shellbrook and also for all the trucking companies that are going to be operating.”

This passing lane project was one of many highway construction projects in the Prince Albert area. In July, five sets of passing lanes on Highway 2 north were opened and in the late fall, pre-construction began on about seven kilometres of twinning west of Prince Albert. Bradshaw anticipated the ground-breaking to begin in 2022.

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