Message from the editor, Shayna Wiwierski –
Message from the Minister of Energy and Resources, Jim Reiter – 8 From where I sit… What’s the story behind “small scale” potash mining? – 12
Looking ahead: Western Potash Corp.’s Milestone Potash Project aims to revolutionize potash in Saskatchewan – 16
Potash mine rescue teams lead with safety – 20 Government of Canada support BHP’s work to build the world’s most sustainable potash mine – 22 A new player: Australian Potash Ltd. hoping to enter the potash market – 24
Expanding container shipping along the Great Lakes and seaway – 26 K+S Potash Canada announces long-term growth plan for Bethune mine – 28 More than 17,000 attendees welcomed to Toronto for 90th PDAC Convention – 30
Capturing the Saskatchewan opportunity post-COVID–
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we are so excited to present Issue 2, 2022 of The Potash Producer e-newsletter as we have some ex citing potash content to share with you.
On page 8, Saskatchewan Minister of Energy & Resources Jim Reiter shares an update on potash production within the Prairie province, which is also one of the largest producers of potash in the world. He shares that the potash sector saw a strong year in 2021, hitting record levels in production and value of sales.
On page 16 we feature an interview with Western Potash Corp. as they give us an update on their Milestone Potash Proj ect, located southeast of Regina, and is designed to produce 146,000 tonnes of granular potash per annum using innova tive selective solution mining techniques and crystallization ponds. Once Phase 1 of the project is complete, this new min ing method will revolutionize the way that potash is extracted both in Canada and globally.
Outside of Canada, Australian Potash Ltd. is hoping to create a Sulphate of Potash (SOP) project with its Lake Wells project in the northeastern goldfields, a major mining region in West ern Australia. As you will read on page 24, new SOP projects worldwide are rare, but in the last seven years, seven of these have emerged in Western Australia.
These stories are just a small preview of what we have in store for you in Issue 2, 2022 of The Potash Producer and we hope you enjoy this issue and help spread the message about our publication. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to share this with your colleagues and friends and sign up at www.potashworks.com/potash-producer/.
Finally, we wish to thank all the companies who have contrib uted a story for this issue of The Potash Producer. Special thanks go out to the following contributors:
• The Minister of Energy and Resources for Saskatchewan, Jim Reiter
• Australian Potash Ltd.
• BHP
• Canpotex
• K+S Potash Canada
• Western Potash Corp.
• Nutrien
• The PDAC
• The Port of Duluth
• RESPEC
• The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
• The SATCC
• SIMSA
• Steve Halabura Potash Consulting Ltd.
• Sutton Benefits & Pension
• Western Heritage
• Workplace Safety North
We invite all interested companies to share their news and ed itorial ideas with us. If you would like to contribute a story for future issues of The Potash Producer e-newsletter, please contact myself at shayna@delcommunications.com.
Enjoy this issue! l
on behalf of Premier Scott Moe and the Government of Sas katchewan, it's my pleasure to provide an update on Sas katchewan’s potash sector.
Saskatchewan is the sole potash pro ducer in Canada and continues to lead the world in potash production, while emitting 50 per cent fewer emissions than competing jurisdictions. Over the past 15 years, the potash sector has committed more than $30 billion of in
vestment in mine expansions and new projects in the province. It directly employs roughly 6,000 people and contributes to the livelihoods of thou sands more.
Saskatchewan’s potash sector saw another strong year in 2021, hitting record levels in production and value of sales.
Global interest in the province is at an all-time high as countries look to
us as an ethical and reliable producer for their resource needs. In response to the growing demand and escalating concern around global food security, our potash sector is working to ramp up production to fill the market gaps left by sanctions on Russia and Bela rus.
Nutrien announced they will be ramp ing-up annual potash production ca pability to 18 million tonnes by 2025 in response to supply uncertainty. This
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represents an increase of more than five million tonnes, or 40 per cent, com pared to 2020. This will lead to approx imately 350 new jobs in the province.
K+S Potash recently announced plans to increase production to four million tonnes per year over the next few de cades at their Bethune facility. K+S is looking to hire more than 70 new em
ployees to carry out these operations.
Mosaic is also taking action to increase their annual potash operating capabil ity by a further 1.5 million tonnes by the second half of 2023. They will do so by adding additional mining machines at the new Esterhazy K3 operation and restarting the second mill at their Co lonsay mine. Since resuming produc
tion at Colonsay in 2021, Mosaic has added 150 jobs at the site.
As demand for potash is projected to continue growing over the next decade, Saskatchewan producers are evaluat ing and planning further investments to supply future market needs. Several companies have new potash projects in varying stages of development, includ ing BHP’s $12 billion Jansen project.
BHP’s Jansen potash mine is the single largest economic investment in Sas katchewan's history. The Jansen project is expected to create 3,500 jobs annu ally during peak construction and over 600 jobs once in operation. BHP is now looking at accelerating Phase 1 of the project, and evaluating Phase 2, which would add an additional four-million tonnes of production before 2030.
Our government continues to work to wards meeting the objectives outlined in Saskatchewan's Growth Plan. With the strong performance of the pot ash sector, Saskatchewan is poised to surpass our 2030 Growth Plan goal of $9 billion in potash sales this year.
Notably, Saskatchewan has retained its number-one spot as the best place in Canada, and the second-best juris diction globally for mining investment attractiveness, according to the highly anticipated 2021 Fraser Institute An nual Survey of Mining Companies. The survey calculates an Investment Attractiveness Index based on factors such as jurisdictional stability, regula tions, competitive tax regimes, infra structure, and geological attractive ness.
The Government of Saskatchewan is proud of our thriving potash sector. We are focused on maintaining Sas katchewan as a top jurisdiction for industry to invest, grow, and innovate as we provide the world with the eth ically and sustainably produced prod ucts it needs. l
The world could use another 23 mil lion tonnes of potash, given the current global fertilizer crunch. The question is where to get it from? The logical place is Saskatchewan, given its almost in finite resource of the pink stuff.
Here is the problem – how do we, as a province, get to this production rate as quickly as possible?
There are two obvious and commonly discussed ways to achieve this. The first is to advance the construction of large mines, as is being done by BHP. The second is expanding existing pro duction, which has been recently pro posed by Nutrien. These two potash players have dominated the news in the potash sector by proposing just these two types of strategies.
But there is a third way to rapidly ex pand Saskatchewan’s potash produc tion, and while there isn’t much about this in the news, it is worth close ex amination. As much a business philos ophy as a technical process, this way is what is variously named “modular” or “selective” solution mining. I will sim ply call it “small scale mining”. This third way is based upon designs and business models that utilize min ing and processing techniques and technologies that lead to cheaper, cleaner, and more versatile production capability. Instead of one large mine, think of several smaller mines that col lectively add up to the same production capacity.
This is not such a new idea. In the 1960s, all the mines that were constructed be
gan at output capacities less than one million tonnes per year. Also, there were at least six other solution mining tests besides what is now Belle Plaine that used varieties of techniques to mine potash on scales smaller than the underground “tunnel” mines.
The grandfather of using horizontal wells to mine potash was Intrepid’s Moab Utah mine, where such wells were used to tackle the challenges posed by the complex structural con dition of the deposit. Therefore, use of horizontal wells is often called the “Moab Method”, however this is where the similarity ends in terms of technol ogy. Technologies proposed for Sas katchewan are either variations of this method, or in the case of Buffalo and Beechy Potash, unique and patented mining processes.
During the last potash boom from 2005 to 2013, Potash One, the predecessor to the present K+S Bethune solution mine, had a plan to develop smaller “satel lite” mines; however, its acquisition by K+S in 2010 set this plan aside and the mine developed according to a more conventional large mine using existing solution mining technology.
Nevertheless, the idea of “small mod ular mines” did not die. In 2013, Gen source Potash began designing a way to deploy selective solution mining as a speedier and more efficient way to get to potash production, and after much work, is poised to begin production at its Tugaske location. Western Pot ash is operating a pilot selective solu tion mining operation at its Milestone
property. Buffalo Potash is moving forward with launching its “Hub and Spoke” business model by deploying its patented HLD mining system at its Disley and Odessa sites. In Manitoba, PADCOM recently received its license to begin potash development at its Har rowby site near Russell.
The common theme to all of these is the application of selective solution min ing, which means using salt brine to selectively dissolve the potash and de crease or eliminate the dissolution and removal of halite. Selective solution mining occurs today when after the primary phase of mining during which the cavern is constructed using fresh water, salt water is used to selectively leach potash from the cavern walls.
Another common theme is that all in corporate, in some form, combinations of horizontal injection and produc tion wells. Horizontal wellbore offer a crucial advantage to solution miners – they provide contact between the wellbore and the potash bed along the horizontal length of the bed, rather than just along the vertical intersection of the bed. Horizontal mining is a very common technology applied many thousands of times in the oilpatch, es pecially in the heavy oil and bitumen sectors, so why can’t it be applied to potash?
Horizontal drilling offers other advan tages to potash mining. Mining potash is about maximizing the contact be tween solvent and the potash, so inter secting a potash bed along its horizon tal length allows for maximum contact
to occur. Think about it
more surface area contact between a flat sheet of paper in contact with an underlying table than for the contact area between a vertical cylinder pen etrating the same table. By analogy, a network of interlinked horizontal wells should provide for more contact with a horizontal potash bed than can be obtained using vertical wellbores that penetrate through the bed.
Existing solution mining technology, known as the “Belle Plaine” method because it was first deployed at the Belle Plaine mine, uses vertical wells that lead to the creation of large vertical caverns that span the entire thickness of potash beds, thus creating a large surface area by virtue of the cavern walls. To create the initial cavern, fresh water must be used since not only pot ash beds, but also the intervening bar ren salt beds must be dissolved. Once the large cavern is created, then salt water can be used to selectively leach out potash from the cavern walls and any rubble created during cavern con struction.
“Small modular mining” cuts right to the heart of the process. The wells snake through the high-grade potash beds, introducing a heated salt water solvent directly to the potash ore, and thus immediately initiate the potash leaching process. This has great sus tainable and green mining potential. First, since none of the barren halite must be removed, nor big vertical cav erns created, there is a highly reduced need for fresh water possibility. De
creased use of fresh water, since no need to dissolve intervening salt beds, would be required for conventional vertical cavern mining.
Second, less energy should be required as there is much less fresh water to be evaporated during the primary mining phase.
Third, by selectively leaching pot ash in-situ, much of the salt and clay waste should be left behind in the min ing plane or gallery. This reduces the amount of salt and clay waste brought to surface, which then must be dis posed of or stored.
Fourth, horizontal solution mining, in creating horizontal galleries versus vertical caverns, should lead to less surface subsidence. This means more extraction of the potash in place, as
there is no need to keep supported (or inflated) a landscape of interspersed caverns with intervening pillars.
Higher extraction ratio means less re source volume is required, which for a given thickness, means less surface area. This allows for a lower require ment for lease area and the possibility of mining irregularly shaped deposits.
“Modular” mining means several things from a business viewpoint.
For instance, larger distributors can have their own “bespoke” mine, and the ability to take their product at the source. It means less capital risk be cause mining capacity can be increased as demand increases.
A great advantage is being able to use standard oilfield technology, services, and supplies. Processing technology is
“off-the-shelf” in most cases. This offers great advantages in terms of safety, the need to deploy people underground, and all the hazards this entails.
This type of mining offers an opportu nity for Saskatchewan First Nations to access a mining technology that allows them to physically mine their reserve lands, thus being actual producers rather than simply employees.
In closing, I would like to comment upon a fundamental premise: Why do potash mines have to be big?
In many circles, potash is perceived to be a dry bulk tonnage commodity, akin to iron ore, or metallurgical coal.
In this worldview, a small number of very large mines sell big amounts of the material to a small number of equally large consumers, both linked by a logistics system that allows for the movement of lots and lots of stuff.
In this way, unit costs are minimized,
thus allowing for significant margins to the plethora of value-added proces sors that exist between the big buyer and the individual consumer.
The “big business” of potash is great, but there is one crucial difference be tween potash and iron ore or coal that allows for smaller opportunity: in principle, you and I could drive up to a producing mine and buy the MOP we need for our planting right from the load-out. However, you and I can’t drive to an iron ore mine, buy a couple of B-trains of ore, then drive it home, forge the steel, and use it to build our tractor and air-seeder.
Thus, there is a market niche for the smaller, niche potash producers. There will always be smaller distributors, us ers, buyers, and such for whom a 5,000 to 50,000 tonne delivery direct from a mine provides some security of supply.
This aspect of potash markets allows
us to imagine potash production fol lowing a model similar to oil and gas production. In this scenario, numerous small-to-medium-sized mines pro duce potash in a competitive manner, offering buyers selectivity in terms of competitive pricing. There are more opportunities for smaller investors to participate in the potash space. Mine owners and operators could be a First Nation, thereby allowing their peoples to exercise their sovereign right to eco nomic development.
Obviously small modular mining won’t replace the large mines we see today, however, I believe the sector will develop to the point where pot ash produced by small green modular mines will, to the smaller distributor and end-user, be an alternative to buy ing from the larger established potash businesses.
lots has been going on for one of Saskatchewan’s most innovative potash projects.
Western Potash Corp. is cur rently building the Milestone Potash Project, which is located south east of Regina and designed to produce 146,000 tonnes of granular potash per annum using innovative selective solu tion mining techniques and crystalliza tion ponds.
The project started construction in June 2019 and Phase 1 is expected to be com plete by Q2 2023, followed by a threemonth general commissioning, with production to start in Q3 2023. Once Phase 1 is complete and operating, the new mining method will revolutionize the way that potash is extracted both in Canada and globally.
In early June, we sat down with Bran don Bartosh, director of operations, as well as Mark Fracchia, director on the board of parent company Western Resources and chair of the executive committee, to chat about the project and how it will change the potash land scape in Saskatchewan.
tell us About the newest developments At the milestone potAsh project. how fAr Along is the project?
Brandon Bartosh (BB): The project is about 70 per cent complete. There was an interruption to the construction process, but as of this week the con struction process has resumed and ev erything is back on track. At this point, infrastructure is complete, all the major infrastructure pieces are in place, and
all the major electrical installations are in place. The crystallization pond has been completed and most of the foundation for the facility is complete. Nearly all the critical equipment has been purchased or is currently on site. whAt mAkes this project so unique?
BB: The design for this project has elim inated the need for a tailings pond. That’s a significant piece of infrastruc ture and cost for larger mines. Through this and other factors we can generate greater efficiency and a lower operating cost. This means we will bring down the capital cost barrier to entry into pot ash mining with a lower total installa tion cost.
Another piece is the replicable design. Once installation comes online, the next and subsequent installations can
be quickly replicated using a lower cost on engineering design and using the efficiencies on existing infrastructure which has already been installed. mark fracchia (mf): I can add a couple more things. What makes this proj ect unique is, I think at this stage, the underground technology that is be ing used with respect to the horizon tal solution mining caverns. There are other upstart companies that are working on some similar technologies but the configuration of the cavern is certainly different and basically we believe that the system that will em ployed at Western Potash will be more efficient and more economical. Also, it will be contained within a smaller footprint, which is advantageous for a number of reasons. First of all, from an environmental standpoint, as Brandon said, there will be no surface tailings since it will be selective solution min ing. The intent is to use mostly brack ish water. For the cavern development and operation, there will be some fresh water used, but in production it will be brackish water, which means it won’t be putting a burden on the freshwater resources. In its current size, it won’t be intrusive on the surface environment and will occupy a very small portion of land, so that’s certainly a plus.
As Brandon said, the nature of the tech nology we use with ponds for crystal lizing potash will be a lower CAPEX. The OPEX should be competitive, so the opportunity here is to replicate this very easily without having to do much additional engineering. Once produc tion is demonstrated through this Stage 1, the opportunity will be there to repli cate and/or to scale up. These are some of the unique aspects of the project.
BB: I have one more major advancement that this project offers and it’s the ability to access deeper ore that the province
contains with the cost-effective means of doing so. That’s something else that can affect the overall potash scene in Saskatchewan.
whAt is so ide Al About the locAtion in southe Ast sAsk AtchewAn?
mf: First of all, with any potash mining you need the resource, so you need to locate a mine where there is an available resource. In southeast Saskatchewan, there is an ideal resource for this type of solution mining. The potash resource is deeper than in Central Saskatchewan,
but it gives us the opportunity to access a resource that can’t be easily accessed by conventional means alone.
I think what is very important with re spect to this location is its proximity to a larger centre like Regina, as well as its smaller communities nearby. There is a ready infrastructure supported by roads, railways, and utilities which re quired minimal upgrading to extend them to the site, compared to what you may have to do in more remote areas. Being located close to population cen tres, there is availability of skilled la bour and supplies locally, not just for operations in the long term, but also in the near-term for construction activi ties. There is the ability to source lo cally as much as possible, etc. So I think being located where it is, being close to Regina and area, gives it a nice ready advantage that otherwise wouldn’t be there in a more remote area.
is the project still currently on schedule? whAt sort of chAllenges hAve you run into?
BB: The project is currently on schedule. There were significant challenges over
the last two years with the financing to move the project forward.
The other challenge that has faced the project as construction progresses here is going to be obtaining materials and instrumentation. That’s something ev eryone is facing, I don’t think that is specific to this project. But we have the team to overcome that obstacle. Right now, all the major parts and pieces are in place and we have the major critical items, either off site or in the process of being delivered.
mf: Like Brandon said, the challenges now moving forward are dealing with the same challenges that exist in the in dustrial and consumer sectors regarding potential supply chain issues. I think we are in pretty good shape since the team has had the advantage of working on this for quite a period of time now and have sourced most longer delivery items by and large, but there is always the risk of supply chain delays. We don’t believe it will impact our schedule and cost at this time, but we will see how the world unfolds in the coming months. Certainly we are in very good shape to deliver the project on time and on schedule.
BB: With this technology, as Mark had mentioned, there are several companies pursuing something similar to this and I think what that highlights is a great need to come up with other means to extract potash to ensure that Saskatch ewan and Canada remain the world’s top producers with these newer tech nologies. Right now, Western Potash is the leader in developing that technol ogy.
mf: To add to that, the current geopo litical situation is certainly impacting potash markets and potash pricing. There is a lot of interest and enthusi asm in potash in Canada, because of our unique situation of having such great potash reserves and a stable sup ply of products. I think this certainly highlights the potential for others, like Western Potash, to be a part of that sup ply of potash to the world, which will be increasingly important not only in the current geopolitical situation, but in the future.
One other important aspect we want to mention is the responsibility that West ern Potash has demonstrated towards its creditors during the past two diffi cult years. As of today, with the success ful closing of two financing deals, one with the UK-based Appian Capital and the other with the Hong Kong-based Vantage Chance, we have successfully settled with and are close to paying off all of the creditors on the outstanding dues. Western is committed to working closely with various stakeholders, in cluding local community and govern ment of all levels to effectively advance the project construction and mining development. Our aim is to bring the project into production by Q3 of 2023. l
teams across Nutrien’s Potash mine network recently put their skills to the test at the Saskatch ewan Mining Association’s Emergency Response/Mine Rescue Skills Competition.
The teams from Nutrien’s Allan, Cory, Lanigan, Patience Lake, Rocanville, and Vanscoy mines participated with nine other teams in a variety of events,
and for the first time in 15 years, the Nutrien Allan team was named the Overall Underground Winner. Several of our teams achieved first and run ner-up placements in the individual events too.
“There have been lots of ups and downs at the competition these last 15 years, so when the Nutrien Allan team was announced as the overall winner,
For the first time in 15 years, the Nutrien allan team was named the overall underground Winner at the saskatchewan mining association’s Emergency response/ mine rescue skills Competition.
it was followed by cheers, a lot of hug ging, high fiving and a few screams of joy,” says Ryan Shaw, electrical general foreman and captain of the Allan Mine Rescue team. “It was such a relief to know that the hard work of everyone on the team and everyone at the site who assisted and supported us leading up to the competition was rewarded.”
Prior to the event, the Allan team spent
teams at nutrien’s Potash sites took top honours in a mine rescue competition and applied those skills during a real-life incident
weeks training, focusing on each of the individual events, with the help of their coaches and site personnel. They performed several practice firefights to achieve proper application and tech niques. Site employees trained in firstaid provided the team with realistic scenarios to perfect their skills. They worked through several scenarios in a mock mine with the help of site em ployees and the training paid off on competition day.
“We started the day off strong and after each event, the team quickly de briefed and moved forward with a pos itive attitude,” says team member Zoe Belanger, who works as a senior geol ogist at Nutrien’s Allan mine. “With all our training, I knew the team was strong enough to achieve first place, but you never know how the events of the day will shake out. I felt honoured to be part of such a great group with the support of so many people at Allan to build the team up and bring home first!”
When it comes to mine rescue, Nutrien clearly doesn’t just talk the talk.
“While preparing for the Mine Rescue Competition, all the teams go through an intense period of training that far exceeds the regulatory minimum of 40 hours per year,” explains John Sund quist, general manager at Nutrien’s
Vanscoy mine. “This training allows teams to hone their skills and gain con fidence in their ability to respond to real-life emergencies.”
The team at Vanscoy was faced with a real-life incident in March and was able to respond safely and effectively, thanks to their preparedness.
Contractors in the mine reported an equipment fire and the emergency re sponse system was immediately acti vated. Members of the Vanscoy Mine Rescue team reported to the site where they were met by a coordinator who determined everyone’s roles and the team’s course of action.
“The responders developed and exe cuted a safe plan to address the fire,” says Sundquist. “I’m proud of the re sponse teams for their professionalism and methodical approach. Following safe procedures, they did an excellent job resolving the issue.”
This was truly a team effort, but not only among the folks at Vanscoy.
“Members of Nutrien’s Cory Mine Rescue team reported to Vanscoy and joined the team on their missions into the mine,” says Sundquist. “A huge thank you to the responders from Nu trien’s Cory site for their support, and to all our employees for upholding Nu trien’s core value of safety.” l
“While preparing for the mine rescue Competition, all the teams go through an intense period of training that far exceeds the regulatory minimum of 40 hours per year. this training allows teams to hone their skills and gain confidence in their ability to respond to real-life emergencies.”
on June 13, 2022, Canadian Federal Minister FrançoisPhilippe Champagne an nounced the Government of Canada’s intent to support and advance the development of BHP’s Jansen potash mine with up to a C$100 million investment. The minister was joined by his colleague, Minister Ma rie-Claude Bibeau; and from BHP, CEO Mike Henry; Rag Udd, president, Min erals Americas; Caroline Cox, chief legal, governance and external affairs officer; and Simon Thomas, president, potash, along with various partners, stakeholders, and suppliers at the event.
The investment is through the govern ment’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), which supports large-scale, transfor mative, and collaborative projects that will help position Canada to prosper in the global knowledge-based economy. BHP applied to the SIF because they are building a mine that is fundamentally different – the first of its kind in the un derground mining sector in Canada. This support from the Canadian gov
ernment is a belief by a key stakeholder that the Jansen potash mine will be one of the most technically advanced in the world and the most sustainable.
After more than a year of work and en gagement, BHP’s successful application supports the implementation of stateof-the-art integrated mining systems at Jansen, in partnership with Sandvik, which have never been used in Canada or in potash mining. These new inno vative systems allow them to:
• Produce at rates greater than 2.5 times conventional potash mining systems,
• Use 60 per cent less equipment,
• Lead to improved safety of their workforce, and
• Reduce environmental impact. Additionally, BHP is pursuing the pur chase of underground battery electric vehicles, wherever commercially avail able, which lowers workforce exposure to diesel exhaust and supports their
objective of eliminating diesel use en tirely within the Jansen Stage 1 under ground operation.
The Jansen project brings economic growth to the region through jobs, partnerships with Canadian enter prises, and research and development. Jansen will also support the local com munity with 3,500 jobs at peak con struction, and around 600 ongoing jobs through mine operations. Their goal is for the operational workforce is have a gender balanced and 20 per cent Indig enous employment starting on day one of operations in 2026/27.
“BHP is honoured and excited to part ner with the government, Indigenous peoples, and the people of Saskatche wan to create a mine that will use the latest technology to deliver a produc tive, efficient, and sustainable opera tion that will have benefits for our em ployees and communities, and value for BHP and Canada for decades to come,” said Rag Udd, BHP president of Minerals Americas. l
Despite its thriving mining in dustry, Australia currently does not produce any Sulphate of Potash. But a number of players in the mining state of Western Australia are trying to change that.
Western Australia was built on the back of iron ore and gold mining, but it also has some of the best primary resources of SOP in the world.
Add to that plenty of sunshine to enable solar-salt production, a positive regu latory environment, and low sovereign risk, and you have all the ingredients necessary for a successful and sustain able new industry.
New Sulphate of Potash projects world wide are rare, but in the last seven years, seven of these have emerged in Western Australia.
One of the advanced SOP hopefuls is Australian Potash Ltd. (APC) with its Lake Wells project in the northeastern
australian Potash Ltd.’s (aPC) Lake Wells project is located in northeastern goldfields, a major mining region of Western australia (Wa).
goldfields, a major mining region of Western Australia (WA).
APC is playing the long game with Lake Wells; it’s been eight years in the discov ery and development phases, and it will be 27 months from first brine flow until plant commissioning and production commences.
CEO and managing director Matt Shack leton said the company is taking a me thodical approach to developing the project.
“The mineral resource estimate at Lake Wells comprises more than 60,000 me tres of drill data and over 700 kilometres of seismic surveys, thousands of hours of hydro modelling, test-pumping and sample analysis, and a thorough under standing of the geotechnical setting,” said Shackleton. “Lake Wells is the larg est measured JORC compliant SOP re source in Australia at about 18.1 million tonnes, and we expect to produce 170,000 rising to 205,000 tonnes a year once in production over a 30-year mine life.”
Shackleton admits establishing a potash industry in WA has not been all smooth sailing, with some of the early pro ducers such as Salt Lake Potash (SO4) stumbling, affecting confidence in the nascent industry as a whole.
“Early on, there was a rush to be the first into production,” he said. “We decided not to join that race and take a method ical ‘gated’ approach to get things right instead. Just like in any emerging in dustry, there have been some mistakes made. The benefit in that for us is that it’s given us an opportunity to look closely at where others went wrong and learn from it. We are confident our me thodical, process driven design work will ensure we won’t repeat those mis takes and we just need to run our own race, keep testing, de-risking, and get ting our debt portfolio right.”
One of the ways APC decided to differ entiate their project is that they don’t have any trenching at all. They are a 100 per cent borefield operation, which they believe will give their project lon gevity and make it sustainable. They are also modelling their process flow sheet on successful operations in the U.S. and South America, from which SOP has been profitably produced for many years.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, as it were, but adopting the latest proven technologies to make SOP in an en vironmentally sustainable way,” said Shackleton.
Their complete development and op erational strategies are based around identifying, understanding, and mini mizing risk, since they understand that new industries and SOP production is new to Australia, which only gets a small window of opportunity to prove themselves.
Shackleton adds that APC is aiming to be the greenest SOP project in Australia.
“Solar salt projects obviously rely on the sun, so they are, by definition, environ mentally friendly,” he said. “Our pre mium SOP product, K-Brite, has been approved for organic farming by ACO [Australian Certified Organic], OMRI in the U.S., and ECOCERT covering Euro pean markets.”
They are also planning to build a hybrid renewable power station at Lake Wells with 9MW of renewable wind capacity, 4.5MW of renewable solar capacity, and a battery storage system of 9MW/3MWh to provide a very high renewable energy fraction of 69 per cent.
Shackleton said APC was doing many other things to ensure the company meets its ESG responsibilities. As an example, APC has poured $300,000 into establishing the Laverton Training Cen tre, a training hub for local Aboriginal people to gain meaningful qualifica tions that they can use to get employ ment in the country.
“APC has worked with Aboriginal peo ple in the region to ask what they need;
we have talked with families to under stand culture and family obligations and how we can support Aboriginal people to succeed at the LTC to work to ward qualifications that will help them get a job, whether that’s with APC or somewhere else,” said Shackleton. “We believe if we are establishing a mining project in their country, we have a social obligation to work with the traditional owners of the land in a way that benefits them.”
Shackleton adds that despite how far APC had come, there is still a way to go. Despite what is currently going on in the world at the moment, including geo-political instability, the sanctions on Belarus, and the war in Ukraine, there is a real need to develop a stable, sustainable potash industry in WA that will help provide fertilizer to farmers both in Australia and around the world for decades to come.
“We’re at the vanguard of a new min ing sector in Western Australia and this carries the added weight of bringing the investment community along with us,” he said. “To that end, the focus on our success is perhaps more than would normally be brought to bear on a new project. But our firm belief in the funda mentals of mining development – iden tifying, understanding, and minimiz ing risk – directs us in operating under that spotlight.”
For more information, visit www.australianpotash.com.au. l
main highways and railway lines link the Port of Duluth with important american and main Canadian agricultural regions that would benefit from containerized export of their produce. image is courtesy of Port of Duluth.
the rise in fuel prices has prompted renewed interest in expanding container shipping at America’s Great Lakes ports, like Duluth and Cleveland. There is potential for the Port of Du luth to develop containerized dry bulk agricultural exports to Europe, where growing numbers of customers are willing to take delivery of containers of agricultural produce.
The Port of Cleveland played an instru mental role in developing viable con tainer shipping between Europe and the Great Lakes when it introduced a direct service to Antwerp. A compar atively small container ship of under 1,000 TEU has feasibly carried contain ers between Antwerp and Cleveland,
with rates that compete with the alter native option – a mega-size container ship sailing to Port of Newark followed by a high-cost railway connection to Cleveland. The Port of Duluth involves an even greater railway distance (1,250 miles), making direct Duluth-Europe container shipping potentially more attractive.
The Port of Hamilton on Lake Ontario took the initiative to develop a mari time container connection to the Port of Montreal, with future potential to expand to include a future interline connection to the Port of Halifax. There is potential for a viable Europe-Hali fax-Hamilton connection courtesy of terms negotiated in the Canada-Europe Trade Agreement (CETA) that makes provision for container transshipment at the Port of Halifax.
The precedent of the Antwerp-Cleve land container shipping service pro vides an economic basis and business case to extend the service to the Port of Duluth, located in the western region of Lake Superior. Duluth’s metro popu lation of 290,000 is located within close proximity to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, with a population of almost 3.7 million. Nearby Winnipeg, Canada is home to another 825,000. The Port of Duluth can serve a popu lation of over 10 million that would include the states of North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
While ports around the Great Lakes represent destinations for containers that originate from overseas, there is a need to develop an export market in volving empty containers that arrived with import items near Great Lakes and Seaway ports. An initiative involv ing the transportation of dry bulk in containers has been tested along sec tions of the American inland waterway system, involving tugs and barge tows. Agricultural dry bulk includes wheat, barley, oats, soy, peas, beans, and corn with non-agricultural dry bulk, includ ing salt and also potash fertilizer that may be transported inside containers.
Agricultural dry bulk cultivated in regions that could be exported in con tainers via the Port of Duluth include durum wheat, spring wheat, corn, soy, peas, beans, lentils, barley, and oats. Main production areas would include North and South Dakota along with Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Can ada. Saskatchewan is the world’s big gest exporter of peas, lentils, durum wheat, and oats, as well as being the world’s leading producer of potash that is used for fertilizer. Main high ways and railway lines link the Port of Duluth with important American and main Canadian agricultural regions that would benefit from containerized export of their produce.
European markets have indicated a willingness to accept delivery of con tainers of dry bulk agricultural pro duce. There is potential to connect the Port of Duluth with European ports that would accept delivery of con tainerized dry bulk agricultural pro duction. Railway trains would carry most of the containers of agricultural dry bulk from producing areas to the Port of Duluth for transfer to Seawaymax size container ships of up to 1,400 TEU capacity. The vessels on this route could take aboard additional contain ers of agricultural dry bulk at one of the ports along the St. Lawrence Sea way prior to sailing to Europe.
At the present time, the Port of Cleve land is the main destination on the Great Lakes for container ships that connect to Europe. The potential to transfer containerized agricultural dry bulk for export to overseas markets at the Port of Duluth would significantly increase container shipping along the seaway and across the Great Lakes.
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Potash Canada (KSPC) is pleased to announce a long-term growth plan, part of the K+S Group’s global strat egy, focused on planning for a sus tained increase of potash production at its Bethune mine. The final production capacity is intended to grow continu ously over the next couple of decades, and is currently targeted toward four million tonnes per year, effectively doubling the current production out put of the operation.
“Saskatchewan has the food, fuel, and fertilizer the world needs, and we are thankful for partners like K+S who will continue to play an important role in sustainable food security conversa tions worldwide,” says Premier Scott Moe.
“[The] announcement represents an other vote of confidence in Saskatche wan as a global leader in sustainable, responsible potash production,” says former Energy and Resources Minis ter Bronwyn Eyre. “We look forward to continuing to work with K+S as we
grow our potash sector and our econ omy.”
KSPC is currently undertaking a fea sibility stage, mapping out the future milestones of growth and timelines for supporting projects. The company will work closely with provincial and fed eral governments during this phase to ensure it remains in a successful posi tion to sustain future growth.
The intended growth will also provide KSPC with opportunities for innova tion that will support the business in its journey toward being a world-class potash producer and future leader in climate change responsibility while sustainably feeding the growing global population.
“Optimizing our business at Bethune mine enhances the strong position of K+S as an internationally-oriented pro ducer of minerals critical to agricul ture and other industries,” says Holger Riemensperger, chief operating offi cer, K+S Aktiengesellschaft. “Bethune mine is looking at safely and sustain ably growing profitability while simul taneously reducing environmental im
pact, and building a more diverse and inclusive workforce while continuing to engage with local and Indigenous communities throughout all stages of the plan.”
To support these plans, the company is currently seeking employees in various engineering, IT, operations, trade, and supporting roles, with a longer-term outlook to hire more than a hundred additional employees, primarily in operations, as new systems are estab lished.
“The main focus right now is to estab lish the team that will drive the growth plan and associated projects,” says Sam Farris, president, KSPC. “Planning for growth is an opportunity to develop infrastructure and programs that will continue our progress toward becom ing world-class and I’m confident we’ll continue to attract the talent we need across the business to realize these op portunities.”
KSPC currently employs over 400 peo ple at the Bethune mine and Saskatoon and Port Moody offices. l
the world’s mineral exploration and mining industry returned to Toronto for its first in-per son Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Convention since March 2020, confirm ing the sector’s thirst for returning to business, in the flesh.
The PDAC 2022 Convention—the world’s premier annual exploration and mining event—welcomed 17,445 investors, analysts, Indigenous leaders, mining executives, geologists, govern ment officials, and students after more than two years of uncertainty for major events.
“Like most of the world, the mineral exploration and mining industry faced a variety of challenges during the pan demic, and yet its significance and re silience has remained admirable, and that pride was on full display at the PDAC 2022 Convention,” says Alex Christopher, PDAC president, reflect ing on the COVID-19 pandemic that forced PDAC 2021 to be a completely online event.
He adds that energy was widespread across the sold-out Trade Show and Investors Exchange, as well as high ly-attended short courses and pro gramming that reflected conversations happening within the sector, including the dominant themes of equity, diver
sity and inclusion, Indigenous engage ment, critical minerals, sustainability, and the industry’s role in helping the world realize a low-emissions future.
Supporting this focus, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minis ter of Natural Resources, who partici pated in the convention’s opening cere monies, released a discussion paper on Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy.
“Critical minerals offer an enormous economic opportunity for Canada as the world transitions to a green and digital economy. Our government is committed to making Canada a world leader in critical minerals, from explo ration to recycling,” says Wilkinson.
Highlights from the PDAC 2022 Con vention include:
• Captivating discussions and stand ing-room-only crowds across a num ber of programs.
• Six of the industry’s top performers were honoured with a PDAC 2022 Award.
• Record attendance at the opening ceremonies.
• High attendance and engaged con versations at the Indigenous Pro gram, including a session on navigat ing UNDRIP the right way.
• Expanded keynote program featur ing presentations from industry ex perts on commodities, the mineral outlook, technology, and new discov eries.
• WiM’s annual Mining for Diversity Reception on June 14 and the inaugu ral launch of the International Day of Women in Mining on June 15.
• PDAC, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, hosted the seventh annual International Mines Ministers Summit (IMMS), bringing together 20 ministers responsible for mining from around the world to discuss the industry’s role in reducing global emissions.
Following the in-person event, the on line PDAC 2022 Convention took place from June 28 to 29, where several ses sions from the in-person portion were available, as well as many new and relevant topics. All Access Pass holders automatically received complementary online registration.
Some 2022 participants shared their af fection for June’s warmer weather and sunshine; however, we will return to our traditional March dates for PDAC 2023 to realign with industry and mar ket forces. See you back in Toronto from March 5 to 8, 2023. l
the sCC believes that creating a pathway for economic growth and business recovery post-COVID-19 will be a multifaceted effort –with the business community playing a crucial leadership role.
the world looks different today than it did pre-pandemic – so cietal practices, employee ex pectations, government regu lations, and supply chains have all changed. Adding to this, the postCOVID-19 world has not stabilized. Continuing waves of COVID-19 around the globe and conflicts abroad have in troduced new structural challenges. In early 2022, the Saskatchewan Cham ber of Commerce (SCC) held consul tations with Saskatchewan businesses
across a variety of sectors to compile their advice on a Saskatchewan plan for business. These consultations resulted in the SCC’s forthcoming report Cap turing the Saskatchewan Opportunity Post-COVID, featuring five key themes. cApitAlizing on ‘shop locAl’ support And reigniting customer engAgement
Where other businesses and the provin cial government procure their services or who builds their construction proj ects can all be part of the supporting
local plan. Alongside residents, busi nesses and the provincial government have a role to play in helping build and strengthen local companies in Saskatch ewan.
SCC surveys have shown that, in gen eral, the value of shopping locally is known, and consumers want to shop and dine at locally owned and operated businesses. However, execution is fre quently a challenge – it can be hard to resist the ease and convenience of big ger chain options. As such, being local
is an advantage, but not enough by itself and Saskatchewan businesses need to be competitive and aggressive in reach ing their customers.
The pandemic has exposed unpredict able flaws in supply chains. Escalat ing costs and the freshly felt impact of shortages, coupled with the instability of other countries globally, has created an expanded view of what supporting local business means for Saskatchewan.
Embracing a value-added supply chain model can strengthen, diversify, and expand the economy. Saskatchewan has occurrences of 23 of the 31 critical minerals necessary for sustainable eco nomic success. Extracting and adding value to these raw resources is a logical next step for economic expansion. Paral leling this, Saskatchewan has an oppor tunity to further increase the produc tion of other supply chain necessities to support these endeavours.
The labour shortage is impacting all sectors, with small companies feeling the crunch on entry-level positions and larger companies seeing their senior managers retire with a dwindling pool of trained individuals to replace them. This material exodus of workplace ex pertise is not going to ease, as 21.8 per cent of working-age people are cur rently between the ages of 55 and 64. As this older generation leaves the work force, shortages will be exacerbated, and different workplace expectations will become entrenched.
Changing technologies and industrial practices over the long term, as well as impacts from COVID-19 in the short term, will necessitate substantial in
vestments in human resource develop ment for Saskatchewan. For employers in a rapidly changing environment, formal credentials and discipline-spe cific knowledge are no longer enough. Saskatchewan needs to better utilize, train, and upgrade its trades workers to prepare them for workforce demands. Employers also need to get involved in the education system through initia tives that apply practical knowledge to design programs that promote worker reskilling and upskilling to remedy on going skills mismatches.
According to Saskatchewan’s Provincial Budget 2022-2023, business investment is expected to grow by 15.2 per cent in 2022 and by 8.2 per cent in 2023. How ever, there is broad agreement that the current rate of inflation is making op erations more difficult. While strong fi nancial practices are always important, it is critical to understand the direct im pact of inflation on business operations and quantify and plan for this impact. Properly calculating new production costs and inputs on a regular basis can not be overlooked. Specifically, busi nesses should look at creating monthly cash flow projections while maintaining a maximum debt-to-equity ratio and a minimum debt-to-cash flow ratio.
The pandemic has also had an unex pected impact on business succession planning. Shifted financial positions for businesses has created concerns around the value of a small business and the accessibility of financing available to successors in the current market. These new concerns are paralleled by altered business owner retirement plans and a broad labour shortage, resulting in the potential closure of small businesses throughout the province. Now is the time for businesses to strengthen the
breadth and depth of their management teams. Beyond this, detailed tailored advice and services should be acquired from financial planners, accountants, and lawyers to adopt customized plans.
The impact governments have on busi nesses and the business environment is significant. From regulation to taxation, businesses are continuously working on government compliance. The competi tiveness of Saskatchewan – and Canada as a whole – is impacted by the amount of business resources that must be ded icated to government compliance. As such, it is in everyone’s best interest to implement efficient regulatory and tax ation policies.
Since its Beyond 2020 report, the SCC has been calling for both levels of gov ernment to work congruently to create a regulatory environment that is nimbler and more responsive to changes in the market. These harmonized regulations should be less top-down, prescriptive, and rigid. Instead, they should be more outcomes-based, efficient, consistent, transparent, and technologically agnos tic, while being a catalyst for new and innovative business models. This type of regulatory framework requires part nerships.
The SCC believes that creating a path way for economic growth and busi ness recovery post-COVID-19 will be a multifaceted effort – with the business community playing a crucial leadership role. By capitalizing on ‘shop local’ sup port, stabilizing supply chains, building the workforce and enhancing educa tion, strengthening financial practices, and improving government coordina tion, Saskatchewan can become the best place to live, work, and invest.
Find out more at www.saskchamber.com. l
the satCC acquired vr sets that use computer technology to create a simulated environment which can be explored in 360 degrees.
sporting a slick pair of space-age goggles while grip ping controllers, Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC) youth apprenticeship manager Samantha Kitzul demon strates how to use the newest addition to her high school presentation toolkit: virtual reality (VR) equipment.
The SATCC acquired VR sets that use computer technology to create a simulated environment which can be explored in 360 degrees. In January, Kitzul and her team began using the VR equipment in their visits to classrooms to help promote career opportunities in the skilled trades.
The reception of the VR equipment has been positive. Stu dents and teachers are embracing the opportunity to try the new technology. Kitzul says it helps spark students’ interest in apprenticeship and skilled trade careers.
“The VR equipment enhances our presence in the classroom. It builds off of our Saskatchewan Youth Apprenticeship pre
sentation and leaves a lasting impression with the students,” Kitzul says. “It’s something they will remember and gives them a better understanding of what working in the skilled trades could be like.”
VR places the user inside the virtual environment to give an immersive experience. The simulation software includes skilled trade careers such as electrician, machinist, sheet metal worker, and welder. Each simulation runs about 20 minutes.
The VR equipment is part of a larger initiative to raise aware ness of careers in the skilled trades to youth in the province. In 2021, the Government of Saskatchewan provided the SATCC with $180,000 in funding to deliver education and skills training initiatives targeted at youth to help grow a skilled workforce in Saskatchewan.
Some of the funding was allocated for VR equipment for career exploration of apprenticeship trades programs with
youth throughout the province. The rest was allocated for teaching kits targeted at educators to broaden students’ awareness of apprenticeship and careers in the trades.
The SATCC and the Saskatoon Industry Education Council (SIEC) partnered to create and implement the teaching kits. A team of teachers and representatives from the SATCC and the SIEC worked collaboratively to develop four Skill Sets kits: The Eco-Home Project, CO2 Cars Project, Bicycle Repair & Head light Construction Project, and Kitchen Basics Project.
Based on the Grades 7 to 9 curriculum, the kits are avail able to schools in Saskatoon and area by request to the SIEC. Teachers began using the kits in January and they are prov ing to be popular. Michelle Hardy, program coordinator at the SIEC, was part of the development team. She’s happy that engagement has been high, and they are looking at ways to expand the kits’ accessibility for future school years.
The kits provide teachers with the resources, tools, equip ment, and materials needed to deliver hands-on learning opportunities and career exploration activities related to ap prenticeship and the skilled trades.
The kits also aim to eliminate barriers by containing every thing needed to complete the project and are designed for a teacher to use in any setting. For example, the Eco-Home Project kits contain utility knives; wire strippers; glue guns; aluminum rulers; stud spacers; switches and LED lights, which are used to design and build an environmentally friendly model home as part of a new neighbourhood.
The kits aid in delivering skilled trades-related curriculum and provide teachers with the resources to deliver experien tial learning opportunities and career exploration activities for students. Each project identifies the curricular outcomes covered and is broken down into lessons with step-by-step instructions, links to online resources, student learning ac tivities, and assessment techniques.
Hardy says the feedback from teachers have been over whelmingly positive.
“It was great to start with these four kits,” she says. “We’ve had some suggestions for other kits that we are hopefully go ing to look to incorporate [and] expand moving forward.” l
Pumps are at the heart of fertilizer production, and correct equipment selection that takes into consideration hydraulic design, materials, application knowledge, duty point and maintenance regime are critical to achieving reliable long-term pumping operation and maximum plant production. As an expert in solutions for corrosive and abrasive liquids, or those with high gas content, Sulzer offers a complete range of pumps, agitators, mixers and compressors for the fertilizer industry. Our innovative products are suitable for the production of potash, phosphate and NPK compound fertilizers as well as acids and industrial chemicals.
Sulzer’s global presence provides local support and expertise through a network of manufacturing facilities and service centers. Our solutions combine energy efficiency, low lifecycle costs, reduced environmental footprints and excellent reliability.
Contact us today to learn more.
Sulzer Pumps (Canada) Inc. Phone (514) 836-3796, salah.attie@sulzer.com www.sulzer.com
canada’s annual inflation rate is at its highest point in over 30 years1 which puts pressure on wages as employees’ purchas ing power decreases. Not sur prisingly, the Canadian Workplace Cul ture Index recently conducted a survey that revealed 77 per cent of employees in the Prairies would leave their job for the same position at another company for a 10 per cent raise. Employers are not only responding to inflation by increasing wages, but according to a survey by Ento Canada, more than half (57 per cent)2 of Canadian employers have considered adjusting employee rewards and bene fits.
The number of options available to add to benefits and total rewards has exploded. But as an employer, it’s not realistic to add every new option that’s trending in the market. So, you’re not alone if you feel like trying to stay competitive can be overwhelming and confusing.
Let’s talk about one solution that could be leveraged as a unique perk, provide a personalized benefits option to employ ees and, over a period of time, could have a positive impact on your benefit premi ums.
Take a moment to reflect on these ques tions: What affects your employees’ pro ductivity? What is the highest benefits cost in your benefits plan? What percent age of your benefits plan’s drug spending is on ineffective medications?
Now consider these statistics:
• Over 30 per cent of disability claims are due to mental illness.2
• 70 per cent of people don’t get relief from the first depression or anxiety medication they try.3
• 60 per cent try three drugs before finding the right one.3
That’s where pharmacogenetics comes in.
We all respond to medications differ ently. Because the effectiveness of most drugs depends on genetic factors, people often have issues with prescribed med ications. The most common challenge is unwelcome side effects but, sometimes, medications simply don’t work for an in dividual.
Half the time, this lack of efficacy is due to a mismatch between genetics and the medication. Unfortunately, with each additional medication a person takes, the risk of side effects or medication not working increases and conditions can become chronic.
Pharmacogenetics analyzes how an indi vidual’s genetic makeup affects their re sponse to drugs. By its very nature, per sonalized medicine reflects the unique health needs of individuals with many different genetic backgrounds, making group benefits plans more inclusive and equitable.
Let’s look at an example (case study pro vided with permission from Pillcheck, 2022)4. Meet Frank. Frank had a minor accident at work. He is prescribed Tyle nol 3, a common painkiller containing codeine, along with oxycodone, but the pain is still there. He figures he’ll just have to deal with it.
He also uses cannabis to get better sleep. His short-term disability case manager is concerned about the potential for substance abuse. Addiction treatment is available in the benefits plan too, but Frank is so worried about the social stigma that he doesn’t access those ben efits.
Frank has an option for personalized medicine, and he decides to try it to see if it will help him and his regular doctor to find a pharmaceutical treatment that controls pain without the risk of addic tion.
Frank orders Pillcheck through his com pany health benefit plan. Pillcheck pro vides an online medication review by ex pert pharmacists to optimize treatment strategies for a wide range of conditions to Frank’s DNA.
Frank learns that a genetic variant can not be eliminated. Only a change in treat ment can potentially prevent adverse ef fects, poor pain management, and a great deal of discomfort.
Frank was prescribed an alternative medication. Now he can better engage in physiotherapy and a return-to-work plan is put in place. Frank regains confidence and resumes full productivity.
Pillcheck is one pharmacogenetic testing service employers can offer as an em ployee benefit. The service is an eligible expense for health spending accounts that few employees would likely know about unless made aware by their em ployer.
It’s a win-win opportunity. Employees and their families get the right medica tion, so they feel better, sooner. The pro cess reduces time away from work due to illness and doctor visits, and employers avoid the costs of covering ineffective medication and lost productivity while the right treatment is identified. Ulti mately, employers that strategically in vest in employees will win at times like this when employee loyalty is fleeting.
1 Brooklyn Neustaeter. “Is the new normal too expensive? Inflation creating affordability concerns,” CTV News Canada, April 20, 2022. https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/is-the-newnormal-too-expensive-inflation-creatingaffordability-concerns-1.5869008
2 Benefits Canada. Employers adjusting benefits, compensation amid inflation, labour shortage: survey. Contex Group, 2022. https://www.benefitscanada.com/ news/bencan/employers-adjusting-benefitscompensation-amid-inflation-labourshortage-survey
3 Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. Group Benefits/Focus Updates. Designed for Health - Disability claims in focus: mental health, COVID-19 and beyond. Sun Life, June 23, 2021.
4 Pill Check. “Raise the Value of Benefits: Keep employees healthy and productive” (slide deck). Pillcheck, 2020. l
suttonplanning.ca
Because the effectiveness of most drugs depends on genetic factors, people often have issues with prescribed medications. the most common challenge is unwelcome side effects but, sometimes, medications simply don’t work for an individual.
aligning the choice of processing methods with your Esg goals at the project’s inception is critical in successfully obtaining the Esg goals.
the hard news in mining projects often re volves around the “soft” aspects of our projects, which are environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) topics. ESG issues are quickly surpassing commodity prices as the major risk to mining projects. Inves tors, impacted communities, regulatory agencies, and stakeholders are looking carefully at resiliency, climate change, Indigenous communities, water re sources, worker safety, and carbon emissions, to list a few of the soft topics. All forms of mining have impacts; how you plan to mitigate those impacts and how successful you are in implementing the plan determines the realized ESG achievements.
Potash solution mining, one of the oldest min ing techniques, produces brines composed of wa ter-soluble salts and minerals and is considered a safe, low-cost method compared to underground conventional mining. Conventional mining of syl vite removes the rock from the ground, breaks it up, and treats it to remove the valuable minerals be fore disposing of the tails. Potash solution mining injects sodium chloride (NaCl)-saturated brine into
the sylvite formation at the wellfield to preferentially dissolve the potassium chloride (KCl) from the rock. The formation’s soluble portion is ready for processing without the energy-in tensive mechanical mining, crushing, and grinding used in conventional mines.
Two options are used for processing KCl-rich brine in a small-volume operation in hot arid climates (150 to 200 kilo -tons per year). One is solar evaporation and flotation. The other is mechanical vapor recompression (MVR). Aligning the choice of processing methods with your ESG goals at the project’s inception is critical in successfully obtaining the ESG goals. Historically, climate and economics have dictated the processing selection; however, that trend is rapidly shift ing as operators continually evolve to seek a competitive ad vantage.
The solar evaporation processing pipes the extracted brine into a series of evaporation ponds where the brine crystal lizes by solar evaporation. The ponds evaporate water while producing crystals of halite and sylvite. The crystals from the solar ponds are mechanically harvested, repulped (ground and slurried) in double-saturated brine, and pumped to a flo tation plant. The crystals are screened and crushed in multi ple stages to produce a flotation feed. The crystal is combined with frother, flotation oil, and an amine collector in an agi tated conditioning tank. The conditioned slurry is floated to produce a high-grade froth (approximately 50 per cent potas sium oxide [K 2O]), then upgraded to 62 per cent K 2O by leach ing in high-KCl brine. The leach slurry is preconcentrated by cyclones and delivered at 60 per cent solids to a screen bowl
Solar and wind evaporation offsets energy demands
injection brine heating
Solar and wind evaporation produce a low carbon footprint.
t he carbon footprint increases slightly by the natural gas required for injection brine heating, but it may enhance recovery from the deposit.
s easonal solar evaporation cycle eight months per year s easonal employment could impact local communities.
s olar evaporation is a quiet neighbour
water consumption
Flotation consumes chemical reagents
l ow industrial noise and activity are more in alignment with an agricultural area.
Evaporation of water is lost to the system. s olar evaporation occurs in arid climates with limited access to water for agriculture. although briny, the visual loss of water is challenging to public perception.
Flotation and leaching require chemicals in the form of frother, flotation oil, and an amine collector.
Shallow ponds require an expansive surface area to evaporate effectively. fuel use harvesting requires large, usually diesel-powered equipment.
Land use
Energy consumption
t he electric energy consumption in the mVr process produces a large carbon footprint. operational hours operation on a 24/7 continual basis (except for planned shutdowns) provides year round employment opportunities.
water consumption
most of the water is recycled within the system. Very little chemical consumption recovery of the kcl through balancing the solubility curve with energy inputs to crystallize the salts at the appropriate stage minimizes the required chemicals.
investment capital intensive capital, both initial and sustaining costs of specialized mechanical equipment, is not sourced locally, unlike the typical earthwork needed during the construction of solar ponds.
maintenance more complex equipment leads to higher maintenance costs and the skill level of employees. s kill requirements may result in limited local hiring depending on the location of the solution mine. temporary land use l and use is temporary, not requiring construction and subsequent closure of evaporation ponds. mVr units can be modular, which eases the reclamation and closure requirements. injection brine heating injection brine heating occurs through heat exchange in the mVr process. supplemental heating may be required depending on the injection temperature profile.
centrifuge. The centrifuge cake is dried in natural gas-fired rotary dryers to create the product. After compaction, the dryer product is sampled and conveyed to product bins be fore distribution to standard grade or granulated product.
The flotation tails, primarily halite crystals, are centrifuged and dissolved for a return feed to the wellfield for injection into the solution caverns. The mill can operate with essen tially zero net halite production. A small stockpile of salt is necessary to provide operating flexibility.
Crystallization occurs in two stages when using MVR to process the extracted KCl-rich brine. The first step is multi ple effect or MVR, followed by multiple-effect cooling with forced circulation recrystallization to recover KCl as the sec ond step. As evaporation proceeds, the KCl concentration in creases while NaCl crystallizes. The evaporation continues until the KCl reaches solubility and any further evaporation would crystallize the KCl. The salt crystals are dissolved in the evaporator condensate and returned to the wellfield. The KCl-rich liquor from the evaporator is forwarded to a staged cooling crystallizer train. The crystallizer cools the liquor by pulling a vacuum. The vapor from each stage is condensed by counter-current recirculating the fourth-stage mother liquor through the first three crystallizer condensers. The fourthstage vapor is condensed by a combination of steam ejectors and barometric condensers with cooling water provided by a conventional cooling tower. The cooling tower exhaust cre ates the most significant water loss from the system.
The crystallizer slurry containing KCl is centrifuged and washed before delivery to a direct gas-fired dryer. The crys tal product will be near 62 per cent K 2O.
To make innovative, sustainable changes in your operation, we encourage companies to look at the options through the ESG lens. Table 1 outlines some of the benefits and detri ments of each processing method.
All mining impacts the planet. Balancing the impact mitiga tions while recovering the highest percentage of KCl in align ment with your ESG goals should please project stakeholders and shareholders alike. However, a simple, straightforward selection does not exist. For instance, if you consider solar evaporation with flotation as an option in an arid region, nearby communities may be sensitive to granting access to water (even brackish water). Your project may be located on Indigenous peoples’ traditional lands where there is a prefer ence to be more in touch with the natural approach and ebb and flow of weather patterns and who view solar evaporation as less impactful.
The company’s ESG goals and capital investments must align with the project at its inception and in the long term. Each decision point that moves a project closer to fruition must be evaluated against the ESG goals. When performance does not match expectations, a company leadership’s rapid response and transparency can help keep the project on track. l
Being the first to know and un derstand business changes are critical – it keeps your business ahead of others; you will also be better prepared, researched, and potentially in a smaller competition pool.
Similarly, you might have a great salespitch script for the new lead – but you also need to be able to deliver it in a manner that the buyer will actually re spond to. So, being able to convey your message is also critical.
And then you are into negotiations, what do you do as a small company when facing trained professional nego tiators?
But then, what if there is an opportunity out there, that is searching for solutions – can they find you?
Then, what do you do if you didn’t get the work? Do you have an opportunity to discuss this? Or, can you pitch an idea before you commercialize it – to get de sign feedback – so that when you do go to sell it, you can?
Do you have a network that enables
you to “find the right person to talk to” within the large clients?
Or maybe you have something you are developing – do you have a way to find partners or persons to help you com plete the item? And then, what about the opportunity to pitch the new item to potential buyers?
What about politics? Is there a govern ment policy holding you back, or does one need to be developed to enable you to move forward? Maybe it’s an item im pacting your client – not you directly –that stops them from buying from you? Can you be heard or change the item?
All of this is sounding like a job descrip tion for a business development person, or perhaps even a team.
Can you find this person, and if you do, can you afford them? Can you afford not to hire them?
As Saskatchewan’s potash sector grows, the priorities may shift from hunting for work to completing the work, but you still need to compete for it and plan for the future. Rumour has it that “booms” do not last forever. What will you do next?
As an example, you probably have skills that can be applied towards a develop ing sector such as small modular reac tors or SMRs. This will be a series of multi-billion dollar projects in Saskatch ewan. Do you want a part of it?
The accompanying picture is a perfect example of the situation you need to be in. On the bottom left are a VP and CEO of the SRC, who are developing an SMR with Westinghouse. To their right is a VP of Westinghouse, who is talking to the world’s leading podcaster on nego tiations (Mark Raffan, the Negotiations Ninja). On the top there are executives from GE Hitachi and X-Energy – SMR vendors. In the middle is Jeremey Har rison, Minister of Trade and Export for Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan Industrial and Min ing Suppliers Association (SIMSA) does all of these things for its members. This is why our membership base has grown by nearly 50 per cent through COVID. We help our members “sell more stuff” by doing all of the above for them.
By the way, if you were a SIMSA mem ber this June, you could have been standing in this photo for free. l
when Google Earth was in troduced in 2001, it was a blessing and a curse. Ev eryone could suddenly zoom to a place they un derstood and marvel at the lovely pic tures produced by satellites. The curse was that the pictures were so lovely that it was assumed that they were the actual information.
There is a lot of jargon around satellites: active and passive sensors, ground res olution, spatial resolution, and spectral resolution. Passive sensors rely on re flected energy, i.e. optical sensors, which rely on sunlight reflected from the sur face of the earth. Pixel size is not as rele vant as you might think (pixels sizes are somewhat arbitrary), and the question is “what is the size of object you need to see?”. Painted lines on the road will be visible in a one-metre pixel image and you will be able to tell if they are broken or solid with 50-centimetre pixels and count the broken segments at a 20-centi metre pixel image. Spectral resolution is how we quantify what part of the light energy spectrum is being sampled and how small each samples are. So for op tical satellites, everyone is familiar with visible light and the satellites take that and minimally sample it into red, green, blue, but include near infrared regions just beyond the red.
While we continue to admire Google Earth, satellite companies have ex
panded and the world is awash in pixels.
On the sub-metre front, Airbus, Planet Labs, and others have one or more sub metre satellites. Maxar is an industry leader both in terms of the number of satellites and ground accuracy. There are satellites that measure greenhouse gasses, X-band, C-band, and L-band ra dar satellites, and even hyperspectral satellites. All of them produce pictures, some prettier than others, but that’s not their true value. Satellite data is infor mation dense, but it does take a little ingenuity and technical expertise to ex tract.
If you are a potash producer, what satel lites do you need? The actual question is what data do you want? If it is elevation data, 30-centimetre optical satellite data will deliver a quality digital elevation model. If it is a more subtle elevation change, subsidence, generally SAR (ra dar) satellites is the best choice.
If you want to look at your assets, includ ing storage at the mine and at the port, sub-metre optical is the best choice. It is important to realize that if competitors anywhere in the world want to know about your production levels, they are already imaging you.
The most significant and overlooked ad vantage of satellite imagery is that you can derive the same information on a consistent basis over a broad area, even beyond the mine property. Change de
The most significant and overlooked advantage of satellite imagery is that you can derive the same information on a consistent basis over a broad area, even beyond the mine property.
tection is powerful whether it is related to elevation, infrastructure, land use, or environmental integrity and health.
When you can take consistent measures over time, you can begin to automate this process. When you take consist measurements over time, you can use those measurements in increasing com plex modeling applications. You can start to go beyond what you can see.
Having demonstrated that this is more satellite data than a mine could ever consume, and that this data contains more information than most mines need, the final question is how do you convert this volume of data into insight ful and actionable information? The an swer is modeling and machine learning. Western Heritage’s EFMP platform has the ability to run complex models in the Cloud (or locally) and it can access and run information on specific models developed by the wider research com munity. These models can utilize ex isting data or they can pull and utilize imagery from remote services. Since all forms of imagery data are information dense, complex models can take a while unless you have access to a number of virtual cores: hence the Cloud.
We talked primarily about satellite im agery, but information can be extracted from photos obtained from drones and fixed sensors. The EFMP platform has the ability for extra information from drone imagery, or to incorporate data from ground-based sensors.
The information desert is in full bloom with new data arriving from the sky ev ery day. Western Heritage can help you harvest the information you need. l
on March 1, 2022, Canpotex was recognized as one of Saskatchewan’s Top Employ ers. This special designation recognizes Canpotex as an employer of choice and highlights the programs and culture that make Can potex one of Saskatchewan’s premier places to work.
“We are honoured to be recognized as one of Saskatchewan’s top employers,” said Gordon McKenzie, Canpotex pres ident and CEO. “Canpotex is a global organization based in Saskatchewan, with diverse and unique career oppor tunities. We are proud of the strong, ef fective, and high-performing team we have at Canpotex, and this designation demonstrates our commitment to our people and workplace culture.”
This year, Canpotex is celebrating its 50th anniversary as one of the world’s largest suppliers of potash and is look ing forward to building and growing
from a solid foundation for another 50 years. As part of its support for in novation and its workplace culture, in January 2022, Canpotex relocated its global headquarters to River Landing in downtown Saskatoon, designed spe cifically to support a new hybrid work model for its employees.
“We are thrilled to be recognized as a top employer in our 50th year,” said Kendra Kuse, Canpotex’s vice-presi dent of human resources and adminis tration. “There is so much to celebrate, including, first and foremost, our em ployees who are at the heart of our or ganization and make Canpotex one of Saskatchewan’s top employers.”
The Saskatchewan’s Top Employers competition evaluates employers using eight criteria:
(1) Physical Workplace;
(2) Work Atmosphere & Social;
(3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits;
(4) Vacation & Time Off;
(5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement.
Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offers the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. For more information, visit www.canadastop100.com/sk/.
Canpotex is one of the world’s largest suppliers of potash overseas. On behalf of its shareholders, Mosaic and Nu trien, Canpotex markets and delivers Saskatchewan potash, a valuable fertil izer nutrient, to global customers. Can potex’s potash helps the world’s farm ers grow more food. l
Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, DEL Communications Inc. is a publishing and web design company first incorporated in 2002. Over the past 20 years, DEL Communications has accumulated and is responsible for publishing hundreds of titles. DEL publishes print magazines, print directories, electronic magazines, e-newsletters, searchable online directories, websites, and more.
Specializing in association-based and proprietary publications, we have a highly trained experienced team who can make any publication for any industry possible. DEL Communications Inc. creates national and international print magazines, as well as online magazines, and regional print and online publications for every industry imaginable. Examples include construction, potash mining, solar, dental, land reclamation, oil and gas, local chambers of commerce, airports management, winery and vineyard management,
association membership directories, and so many more.
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please call Dayna Oulion at 1-866-424-6398 or email dayna@delcommunications.com.
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For more information about DEL Communications Inc., please visit us online at delcommunications.com. You can also visit our online library at issuu.com/DELCommInc.
anew guideline document for controlling diesel emissions in underground mines was introduced by the Ontario mining industry technical advisory committee.
“Diesel engine exhaust, including the diesel partic ulate matter, has been classified as carcinogenic to humans by the World Health Organization,” says Keith Birnie, in dustrial hygienist and ventilation specialist at Workplace Safety North (WSN) and committee chair and coordinator.
“For many years, diesel engines have been the workhorse in a large number of industries including mining, and diesel exhaust exposure presents an inhalation health hazard to workers.”
In 2021, mining industry volunteers who make up the WSN Workplace Environment Technical Advisory Committee developed a practical reference document, Reducing diesel particulate matter in underground mines: Two successful examples, for Ontario mining operations. The guide has in formation about the hazards of diesel engine exhaust along with examples on controlling diesel emissions, with a focus on diesel particulate matter.
Occupations with potential exposure to diesel emissions in clude miners, construction workers, heavy equipment oper ators, bridge and tunnel workers, railroad workers, oil and gas workers, loading dock workers, truck drivers, material handling operators, farmworkers, long-shoring workers, and auto, truck and bus maintenance garage workers.
The diesel exposure guideline includes:
• Health effects
• Standards in place to protect miners
• Examples of successful control strategies implemented by
Most heavy- and medium-duty trucks are equipped with die sel engines, as well as mining equipment, buses, locomotives and ships, bulldozers, tractors, and other types of equipment such as bucket lifts and diesel-fueled generators.
Approximately 9,100 workers in the Ontario mining industry are estimated to be exposed to diesel exhaust emissions. CA REX Canada estimates that about 56 per cent of mine work ers exposed to diesel exhaust in Ontario are exposed at high levels due to the accumulation of emissions in underground operations.
chAnges to diesel occupAtionAl exposure limits for ontArio
“Although larger operations are moving toward battery electric vehicles, they still have and will likely have diesel equipment for quite some time into the future,” notes Birnie. “The Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development is planning to lower diesel particulate matter exposure limits and has consulted with industry on a regulatory proposal. This is one of the largest proposals I have ever seen from the Ministry, especially in the context of ventilation and indus trial hygiene.”
“The intent of this guideline is to provide practical solutions on successfully implementing control strategies for reducing diesel particulate matter,” says Birnie. “Most people know ‘what’ they need to do, but they’re interested in ‘how’ to do it and overcome the challenges. Filters are excellent at lowering particulate emissions, and this guide shows how two mining operations successfully faced these challenges.”
The information in the reference material is provided as a guide to assist underground min ing operations in developing those policies, programs, and how to overcome some of the control implementation challenges. Workplace Safety North, the Ontario health and safety association for mining and forest products industries, is host to industry advisory commit tees that tackle top health and safety concerns.
Advisory committees provide sector-specific exper tise. The Technical Advisory Committees within the Mining Advisory Committee include (1) Ontario Mine Rescue, (2) Mining Equipment, (3) Safety and Loss Control, and (4) Workplace Environment (a) industrial hygiene and ventilation, and (b) ground control. Prevention of occupational disease is a top priority for the Ontario health and safety system.
For more information, contact Keith Birnie at keithbirnie@workplacesafetynorth.ca.
Auxiliary Ventilation: Good Installation and Maintenance Practices for Miners
Free training resources on diesel emission hazards for all industries: Participant training manual and Leader presentation
Hazard alert: Diesel fuel tank vent systems and risk of flash fires
Infographic: Health effects of diesel exhaust in mines
Infographic: Proper use of respirators in mines and mining plants
Occupational Diseases in the Ontario Mining Industry: An update from the Occupational Cancer Research Centre
Ontario Ministry of Labour Diesel Survey of Mines and Mine Contractors
Ventilation Assessment for Underground Mines l
keith Birnie, industrial hygiene and ventilation specialist at Workplace safety north, helps oversee publication of the industry technical advisory committee’s auxiliary ventilation: good installations and maintenance Practices for miners guideline.
