AERIAL VIEW OF THE BHP JANSEN DISCOVERY LODGE (CNW Group/ATCO Ltd.)

By Susan McNeil

New Janssen potash mine

Beardy’s & Fishing Lake sign deals for services at new Jansen mine

Mar 10, 2023 | 5:00 PM

Some major contracts have been signed marking the start of a new era of hard work and effort, said Beardy’s & Okemasis and Fishing Lake First Nations via live social media feed yesterday.

BOCN, Fishing Lake and 2Nations Bird Contracting made the announcement from a job fair in Saskatoon where they were recruiting workers.

“Now that we’ve won these two contracts, the work has just begun,” said Dennis Esperance, chair of the Willow Cree Development Corporation, the economic development arm of BOCN.

“It’s been quite the roller coaster ride for the last five years,” he said.

BHP, which is developing the Jansen potash mine, said that it has signed three deals with six area First Nations that are worth $260 million and will mean 400 local jobs. Half of those are expected to be held by Indigenous workers.

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Willow Cree has been looking for strategic partners with a shared vision for a long term deal and did not want to work in a ‘one night stand’ type of situation, said Esperance.

“Now that we’re on site, we’re going to show what we can do. We’re going to do what we said we’re going to do,” Esperance stated.

BOCN and Fishing Lake have created 2Nations Bird Construction, with Bird Construction as the third partner, that holds two contracts at the mine.

2Nation Bird will provide concrete for new portions of the mine and is looking to source both workers and services from Indigenous companies for the project.

The second contract is to provide site management services at the location for the next three years, the length of time for Stage 1 of the mine development.

In a Friday news release, BHP said it has signed contracts that include George Gordon Developments and KDM Constructors (Kawakatoose, Day Star and Muskowekan Nations).

George Gordon has partnered with ATCO to provide camp services for the mine that will accommodate up to 2,500 workers in the future. At the moment, the deal means 130 local jobs with 70 per cent to be filled by Indigenous workers.

That contract is worth $86 million, according to ATCO.

Willow Cree will have its own website listing its partners and the projects it is working on in the next month or so, Esperance said.

Both Willow Cree and the Fishing Lake economic development office are looking far into the future, and said the mine is expected to be operational for the next 80 to 100 years and they “hope to build on the relationship for a lifetime of opportunity.”

The next job fair will be held in Fishing Lake on March 30.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com