Saskatchewan Unveils the Saskatchewan Labour Market Strategy

On March 4, the Government of Saskatchewan launched Building the Workforce for a Growing Economy:

the Saskatchewan Labour Market Strategy. The strategy outlines how the province will ensure residents of Saskatchewan benefit from the jobs its economy is creating, and that Saskatchewan employers have the steady supply of the skilled labour employees they need while also providing job seekers the opportunity to train for in-demand and available jobs.

“A strong labour force drives healthy economies and successful communities,” said Premier Scott Moe. “The Labour Market Strategy is our roadmap to secure a labour force that keeps pace with growing demands and opportunities of our economy. Through strategic investments that align Saskatchewan’s work force with the needs of industry, we are ensuring that investment into our province is supported and that growth translates into a better quality of life for Saskatchewan people.”

The Labour Market Strategy focuses on three main pillars: Preparing Saskatchewan people for jobs, recognizing skills in Saskatchewan, and international recruitment. Through these pillars, the strategy outlines how the Government of Saskatchewan is preparing people for both present day and future mining opportunities by coordinating the industry’s needs with post-secondary institutions. 

The strategy also includes programming meant to increase indigenous engagement in the workforce, presents employment opportunities in the industry for people with disabilities, and ensures newcomers can access industry training. Simultaneously, the Province is working to lessen the red tape to more efficiently recognize credentials obtained outside of the province, providing one-on-one support to individuals who need help navigating the credential recognition process for their occupation. 

Overall, the Labour Market Strategy highlights how the Government of Saskatchewan is addressing emerging labour needs in growing sectors such as energy, mining and minerals, manufacturing, agriculture, and technology to build Saskatchewan’s future. Read the strategy at www.saskatchewan.ca/business/hire-train-and-manage-employees/labour-market-strategy. 

 SK Government Partners with Saskatchewan Mining Association to Invest in the Future of Mining

The Government of Saskatchewan recently partnered with the Saskatchewan Mining Association to educate students about careers in mining and exploration by investing $100,000, to support the development of classroom and online resources that promote careers in mining.

“Saskatchewan is one of the most attractive jurisdictions in the world for mining,” said Jeremy Harrison, Immigration and Career Training Minister. “As our footprint in the global mining industry continues to grow, it’s important we build the workforce needed to support this growth. This funding will provide educational opportunities for students to learn about careers in the mining sector and allow them to benefit from the jobs our rapidly growing economy is creating.”

Currently, several major mining projects are injecting billions into the economy and creating thousands of jobs in the province. By introducing school-age students to the mining industry, this partnership will build public understanding of how mining products enhance everyday lives, expand the understanding of the technological innovation and sustainable practices in the industry, and profile and promote the wide variety of careers available and emerging in the mining industry.

The Saskatchewan Mining Association provides events for students, educators, and communities; core programming, and free curriculum-based resource materials. Last year, their education outreach program connected with more than 7,800 students, 880 community members, 460 teachers, and 90 Saskatchewan communities.

 Saskatchewan Invests in Drive Trade, Innovation, and Job Growth

On March 20, the Government of Saskatchewan announced that the Ministry of Trade and Export Development budget will support Saskatchewan’s economy by continuing to grow the province’s presence in international markets and with potential investors. This involves a government focus on international markets, business incentives, and the investment attraction strategy to solidify Saskatchewan’s standing as the best place to do business in Canada. 

To connect the world to Saskatchewan, the province is launching a new trade and invest website, www.investsk.ca, which will be the province’s gateway to sharing its story. It will provide international businesses and investors with insights into major economic sectors and highlights the vast economic opportunities available in Saskatchewan. It also facilitates direct connection to the Ministry of Trade and Export Development’s Investment Attraction team and will ensure a client-focused approach, offering a one-stop-shop for exploring the endless opportunities available in Saskatchewan. 

Saskatchewan was ranked second among the provinces for private capital investment in 2023, with an increase of nearly 25%. With an expected additional increase of 14.4% in 2024, the province is poised to lead the nation in growth. Saskatchewan’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by a nation-leading 6% from 2021 to 2022. The total dollar value of the province’s 2022 GDP is $81.8 billion.

 PrairesCan Invests $6 Million in REE Processing in Saskatoon

With 23 of the 31 critical minerals identified by the Government of Canada found in Saskatchewan, leaders like the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) are excited to move into the processing and commercializing value-added products using Rare Earth Elements (RREs) at the Rare Earth Processing Facility in Saskatoon, the first of its kind in Canada.

On March 14, Dan Vandal, Minister Responsible for PrairiesCan, announced $6 million in funding to support the SRC at their Rare Earth Processing Facility. This investment will help establish and commercialize a process to separate unrecovered rare earth oxides (REO) from radioactive monazite tailings that would have otherwise been disposed of, resulting in additional rare earths sufficient to manufacture up to 65,000 EVs per year. The funding also helps to develop an automated metal-smelting process to produce commercial grade REE metals. The investment is being made through PrairiesCan to support economic development and diversification to help build a stronger prairie-wide economy. 

These investments are examples of the new Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy, launched in December 2023 as a long-term commitment to better coordination between federal departments, to drive strategic investments across the prairies, and greater collaboration with other levels of government and partners. It aims to support economic growth across the prairies that leaves no one behind and creates good-paying jobs.

“With this investment from PrairiesCan, along with the initial $71 million investment from the Government of Saskatchewan, SRC continues to break new ground in the rare earth space, helping establish a rare earth hub in Saskatchewan,” Jeremy Harrison, the Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Research Council said. “These latest innovations will ensure Saskatchewan is producing the highest quality REE metals to power global technology.”

 Snow Lake Acquires Black Lake Uranium Project in the Athabasca Basin

Snow Lake Resources Ltd. has signed a binding letter of intent with the shareholders of a private Australian company to acquire a 100% interest in the Black Lake Uranium project, which sits within the northeastern Athabasca Basin, 55 km to the northeast of Stoney Rapids, SK. The area has a history of uranium mineralization, which was first discovered in 1950 and intermittently explored during the 1950s and 1970s. 

The Black Lake Uranium Project now consists of 20 mining claims covering 18,908 hectares and is divided into the following four projects: Higginson Lake, Charlebois Lake, Fisher Hayes, and Spreckley Lake.

“As we continue to expand our portfolio of clean energy and critical mineral projects, we feel that the acquisition of the Black Lake Uranium Project fits nicely with our strategy of acquiring low entry cost projects with historical resources,” said Frank Wheatley, CEO of Snow Lake. “With Saskatchewan being a global leader in uranium production, together with having the highest-grade global uranium deposits, we feel the Black Lake Uranium Project gives us an excellent, prospective exploration project in a premier uranium mining district.”

Snow Lake Resources Ltd. (Snow Lake Energy), is a Canadian clean energy development company with a global portfolio of clean energy mineral projects comprised of the Snow Lake Lithium™ project is a development, located in the Snow Lake region of Northern MB; the Shatford Lake Lithium project, an exploration-stage project adjacent to the Tanco lithium mine in Southern MB; and the Black Lake Uranium Project, an exploration-stage project on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia. Learn more at www.snowlakelithium.com.

 Arizona Lithium Begins Drilling on Prairie Lithium Project

Arizona Lithium Limited (AZL) has begun drilling on Pad #1 at its Prairie Lithium Project, located in the Williston Basin of Saskatchewan. The drilling began in June, and will continue across Pad #1, Pad #2, and Pad #3 over the next months. 

According to AZL, the first two wells on Pad #1 are being drilled as vertical wells. Well #1 will test the Souris River and Duperow Formations, whereas Well #2 will test the Dawson Bay Formation and specific disposal targets in the Madison Group. Having production wells and disposal wells in place is a key component of the Prairie Project Development, and brings the project one step closer towards commercial production of Lithium.   

“I am pleased to announce that we have kicked off our drilling program on schedule,” said Paul Lloyd, Arizona Lithium Managing Director. “The rig has been delivered to site, the first well has been spudded and the rig is now drilling our lithium wells. Operating in a mature and well-developed oil and gas province, this enables us to efficiently access the skills and services required to develop and fast track our project. These are very deep holes being drilled by a heavy-duty oil drilling rig.”

He added: “It will take over 40 service providers and hundreds of people to execute a drilling and completion program like this. I’d like to thank all of the vendors, their employee’s and the local community for stepping up to support our project and we look forward to updating shareholders as the large drill program progresses.”

Arizona Lithium Ltd. is a lithium exploration and development company with its head office in Perth, Western Australia. AZL is currently exploring and developing its two main projects, The Big Sandy project in Arizona, USA and the Prairie Lithium project in Saskatchewan. Arizona Lithium’s main office and Lithium Research Center (LRC) in North America are located in Tempe, AZ, with a field office in Saskatchewan.

 

BHP and Carlton Trail College Building Mining Training Pathways in SK

In April, BHP and Carlton Trail College signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance educational and training opportunities for the mining industry in Saskatchewan. BHP and Carlton Trail College have worked together for several years, partnering to deliver pre-apprenticeship and related industry training, but the MOU signing advances the partnership and provides more mining training opportunities in the province.

According to a press release, the MOU outlines initial steps in the development of an industry-leading, immersive training program. The program will be aligned to existing provincial curriculum and pathways available through Carlton Trail College, such as the Mining Essentials, which was created in 2010 by the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).

“This is a very exciting time for the province of Saskatchewan with several projects, like BHP’s Jansen potash mine, driving economic growth,” said Graham Reynolds, General Manager of Operational Readiness at BHP. “At Jansen alone, we have 800 site-based roles. The opportunity for people of all backgrounds to build a meaningful and rewarding career in the trades is immense – and access to training in local communities helps open the door.” 

“The demand for skilled tradespeople, especially in the mining industry, will only increase in the coming years,” said Amy Yeager, Carlton Trail College President and CEO. “By focusing on training for trades that are needed now and into the future, this partnership offers an exciting opportunity to enhance our impact, work more cooperatively with industry and contribute to a stronger Saskatchewan.”

 NSERC Alliance Missions Awards Funding to the University of Saskatchewan

A University of Saskatchewan-led research team has been awarded nearly $1.39 million through the NSERC Alliance Missions grant for critical minerals research to help detect deposits of lithium that are key to renewable energy initiatives.

Spearheaded by Dr. Chris Holmden, PhD, a professor in Geological Sciences in the College of Arts and Science and the co-director of the Saskatchewan Isotope Laboratory, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada-supported research project will trace lithium-brine origins using lithium isotopes to advance an innovative project to better predict and track economic concentrations of lithium located deep below Saskatchewan’s surface.

“We want to know why the lithium is more concentrated in some formations and less concentrated in others,” Holmden said. “And then we want to tell the industry – once we have a better understanding of what controls those levels of high lithium concentration in those deep aquifers – maybe you should be looking over here.”

Holmden’s project will analyze lithium sources from across Saskatchewan to determine their different isotopes, variations of the same element determined by the number of neutrons in each atom. These different isotopic sources of lithium can then be used to understand how different sources of lithium contribute to brine-lithium concentrations, and to develop better distribution models for mapping this critical mineral.

According to the university, Saskatchewan has substantial amounts of brine-lithium. As oil is drilled from the earth, saltwater from underground reservoirs more commonly known as oilfield brine is extracted along with it. Many of these brines are full of lithium in various concentrations, and several companies are working towards establishing commercial lithium production facilities in Saskatchewan’s Williston Basin.

Dr. Lambert Baraut-Guinet, PhD, one of the project’s leading geochemists from the Saskatchewan Isotope Lab, said lithium is more important than ever as the world explores new sources of energy – and this project is crucial to the development of a brine-lithium industry in Saskatchewan.

“It’s amazing – it’s a mining project, and this is at the forefront of the work we need to do to transition to a greener economy,” he said. “Eventually helping extract lithium in a cleaner way in Saskatchewan than what is done elsewhere is a very important objective. And using isotopes to do that is very exciting.”

The research team is working with industry and government partners to make this research project a reality, including: Cam Taylor, CEO of ROK Resources; Dr. Ben Rostron, PhD, with Isobrine Solutions; and Gavin Jensenm, geologist with the Saskatchewan Geological Survey.

The most current understanding of where lithium can be found in the basin comes from decades of historical geological surveys in oil producing areas, so establishing a brine-lithium deposit model is necessary to guide expensive drilling operations in frontier areas of the basin.

Due to lithium’s importance in the manufacturing of batteries and other energy-related infrastructure, Holmden and Baraut-Guinet said it’s important for Canada to have access to the mineral. This project could position Saskatchewan at the forefront of providing that resource.

“With the criticality of minerals, different countries are going to want their own local supply, and Canada ought to have its own as well,” Holmden said. “The Williston Basin has the potential to become really important to Canada’s critical mineral security.”

Three other projects also received NSERC Alliance Missions grant for critical minerals research, totalling more than $4.13 million for all four USask-led critical minerals research projects. Those projects include:

• Life Cycle Assessment of Critical Minerals in a Copper-Zinc System, by Kevin Ansdell, PhD, Department of Geological Sciences ($1,162,800).

• Synchrotron characterization on the Surface Chemistry of Spodumene and Other Lithium Silicates: Toward Efficient and Sustainable Development of Canadian Lithium Pegmatites by Yuanming Pan, PhD, Department of Geological Sciences ($770,498)

• Unlocking Canada’s Rare Earth Element (REE) Potential: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Understand High-Grade Critical REE Mineralization in Northern Saskatchewan 
by Camille Partin, PhD, Department of Geological Sciences ($807,218).