Saskatchewan Party MLA - Report from the Legislature

Earlier this summer, alongside Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, I was pleased to announce the first steps in a generational irrigation project based at Lake Diefenbaker.

Irrigation is a very important part of the agriculture industry and the economy. It supports the growth of diverse, high-value crops which increases on-farm profitability, value-added processing opportunities, business attraction and employment.

This 4 billion dollar project, to be completed in three phases, will double the amount of irrigable land in our province, expand opportunities for value-added agri-food processing and create 2,500 jobs per year for the next 10 years.

Phase 1 of the project is estimated to cost 500 million dollars and will include the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing Westside irrigation canal system. This work will increase the amount of irrigable land by 80,000 acres in the area. It is considered one of the most shovel ready irrigation projects in the province with 90 per cent of the current canal already in place. Phases 2 and 3 of the project are estimated to cost up to 3.5 billion dollars.

Phase 2 will see the further expansion and buildout of the Westside Irrigation Project, adding an additional 260,000 acres of irrigable land. Once fully built and developed, the project will eventually see land made available for irrigation near Macrorie, Milden, Zealandia, and as far north as Delisle and Asquith.

Phase 3 will see the buildout of the Qu’Appelle South Irrigation Project, adding an estimated 120,000 acres of irrigable land. Starting at Lake Diefenbaker and going south, the project would run near the communities of Tugaske, Eyebrow, down to Marquis and into Buffalo Pound Lake. It would provide the Moose Jaw-Regina corridor and southern Saskatchewan with a secure source of water for the next century and act as a catalyst for significant industrial expansion in the years to come.

These irrigation projects are building blocks for regional economic development in

Saskatchewan. Initial estimates show that the investment will result in a 40 to 80 billion dollar increase in the provincial Gross Domestic Product over the next 50 years.

Importantly, the start of this project will boost Saskatchewan’s economy when we need it most, and will be a massive step in completing the goals our government has set out in our 2030 Growth Plan for the province.

This is a huge opportunity – both as an economic development measure for Saskatchewan and a food security measure for Canada – and I’m excited for the work ahead.