$4B ‘generational project’ rolled out
Moe moving ahead on plan to irrigate vast section of province
REGINA Saskatchewan is plowing ahead on a $4-billion project to double the irrigable land in the province, completing a vision to harness the waters of Lake Diefenbaker that was abandoned almost 50 years ago.
On Thursday, Premier Scott Moe revealed the 10-year plan to irrigate up to 500,000 acres of land in west-central and southern Saskatchewan. He called it a
“generational project” that will yield massive economic returns. His government plans to spend $22.5 million right away to begin engineering work, soil testing and initial construction.
Moe said it “will be one of the largest infrastructure projects so far in the history of the province.” It appears to be the largest ever. Former Liberal MP Ralph Goodale, a strong cheerleader for the project, can’t remember anything that would approach it in scale or cost.
He called it “transformational” for Saskatchewan and “a nation-building project” for Canada.
Goodale said the work has “a very good chance” of securing funding from Ottawa. Though the province committed to seeing through an initial $500-million stage of the three-stage project, come what may, the legislative secretary responsible for negotiating funding said Saskatchewan “is going to need some help” on the full $4-billion price tag.
The first stage will focus on the Westside irrigation canal system heading northwest of the lake. The second phase will expand it further, pushing as far north as
Delisle and Asquith.
Finally, the Qu’appelle South Irrigation project will reach southeast from Lake Diefenbaker, providing “a secure source of water for the next century” in the Moose Jaw-regina corridor as more water flows into Buffalo Pound, the water source for both cities. That realizes plans for Lake Diefenbaker at its creation, when the Gardiner Dam went up in the late ’60s. Work started on the Westside irrigation project in the ’70s, was abandoned after a change of government.
“This was the vision,” said Moe, “to provide water security to the province of Saskatchewan.
“That vision was stalled in the early ’70s. We’re bringing that vision back to life here today.”
Farmers who rely on irrigation were ecstatic about the news. Larry Lee, director of the Macrorie Irrigation District, farms three miles (five kilometres) from Lake Diefenbaker. He said the canal will transform his area by allowing far more people to access irrigation — and by attracting food processing to the region.
“It’s a way of keeping our kids and our grandchildren at home. This is a big, big project and lots of jobs, and good jobs. I look at this as, water is the new oil in Saskatchewan,” said Lee.
“I’m so happy today that it’s finally happened.”
The provincial government estimates the irrigation expansion will add $40 billion to $80 billion to the province’s economic output over 50 years. Construction work is expected to create 2,500 jobs over 10 years.
Lyle Stewart, MLA for Lumsden-morse and Moe’s “quarterback” on the project, said expanded irrigation will help farmers grow higher-value vegetable crops. That could include potatoes, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, beets and cucumbers. Those new crops will open up opportunities to attract value-added processing plants, according to Stewart.
“They are high-value crops for producers, but also they will attract processors that we don’t have,” he said.
“We don’t have processors that handle table crops like vegetables, to any extent, and that is where the real potential lies.”
Stewart also highlighted what the project will do to build resilience to climate change as Saskatchewan faces the risk of more frequent drought.
In Goodale’s view, that’s precisely what makes federal funding so attainable. He pointed to numerous federal infrastructure programs that Saskatchewan could dip into, either for green projects or disaster mitigation.
He said the project will be vital for Ottawa’s Protein Industries Supercluster, which is expected to add $4.5 billion to the national economy.
“It opens the door to a degree of value-added processing in agriculture that we have never contemplated before,” said Goodale.
Todd Lewis, president of the Agricultural
Producers Association of Saskatchewan, also celebrated the announcement as “very important” for farmers, saying Saskatchewan has been at a competitive disadvantage in attracting processing plants due to water constraints.
“That’s a huge part of the package,” he said.
All told, the expanded irrigation will use just under 700,000 acre feet of water, according to Stewart. Lake Diefenbaker has capacity for about 900,000 acre feet. Currently, far more water is lost through evaporation than consumed for irrigation, according to stats from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Moe framed the project as part of the push to achieve growth plan targets laid out last year. That includes increasing agri-food exports to $20 billion and increasing crop production to 45 million tonnes. In 2018, the province produced about 35 million tonnes of crops.
“Agriculture continues to be the backbone of our economy, and in no time is that more evident than this year as we address the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Moe.
Goodale said irrigation is a chance to unite the province. In his view, it’s a big-ticket project that “truly transforms the economic future of Saskatchewan.”