Canpotex announces $500M project at Port of Vancouver to boost supply chain for Sask. potash exports

Canpotex announces $500M project at Port of Vancouver to boost supply chain for Sask. potash exports

Premier Scott Moe in Vancouver on Friday for the groundbreaking ceremony

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe was in B.C. on Friday as Canpotex announced it will put $500 million into the refurbishment and replacement of equipment at the Neputne Bulk Terminals located at the Port of Vancouver.

Canpotex, based in Saskatchewan, ships potash to markets around the globe. That includes output from Mosaic and Nutrien, the two largest Saskatchewan potash companies.

The company has sold and shipped 325 million metric tonnes of potash over the more than 50 years it has operated.

The project at the Port of Vancouver will help boost the supply chain for potash exports, according to a news release from the provincial government.

"This investment in shipping capacity, made possible by Canpotex, will help deliver more of this vital nutrient to the people who need it," Moe is quoted as saying in a news release.

Sask. premier unsurprised that Trump now says U.S. will continue with Canadian potash

Canpotex president and CEO Gordon McKenzie said the project will allow Saskatchewan potash to be shipped through the Port of Vancouver for "decades to come."

Moe said the project will "create new opportunities and support good jobs and economic growth" in Saskatchewan and across Canada. It will also strengthen global food security and Saskatchewan's position as the world's largest potash producer, Moe said.

Sask. potash in Trump's crosshairs

The announcement comes the same week U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was working on a "massive Deal" to purchase potash from Belarus, with pricing substantially lower than what is paid for potash from Canada.

A day later, Trump appeared to recommit to purchasing Canadian potash, although he continued to insist he wants a lower price from Canada.

In 2024, almost a third of the world's potash came from Canada, all of which was mined in Saskatchewan.

Eleven of the 12 active potash mines in Canada are located in Saskatchewan.

Alexander Quon is the provincial affairs reporter for CBC Saskatchewan. He has been a reporter with CBC Saskatchewan since 2021 and is happy to be working in his hometown of Regina after half a decade in Atlantic Canada. He has previously worked with the CBC News investigative unit in Nova Scotia and Global News in Halifax. Alexander specializes in freedom of information requests and data reporting. He can be reached at: alexander.quon@cbc.ca.