Send this page to someone via email

Operations at Nutrien’s Vanscoy, Sask., potash mine will resume in March.

The company said the exact time it will start-up operations at the mine southwest of Saskatoon still needs to be determined.

Company spokesperson Will Tigley said the outlook for potash is behind the restart of operations.

“We expect a positive medium to long-term outlook in the potash markets as we head toward the spring of this year,” Tigley said in an email to Global News.

Nutrien suspended operations at the mine in September 2019 due to a short-term softening of the global potash market.

Story continues below advertisement

The shutdown was expected to last until the end of December but was extended twice to at least the end of February.

Roughly 265 employees were affected by the shutdown.

Tigley said recall plans for the employees are still being developed.

“We are still reviewing exact timing and developing our recall plan for employees,” Tigley said.

The news comes two days after Mosaic announced it was idling its Colonsay, Sask., operations indefinitely due to weak market conditions.

0:51 Mosaic shuts down Colonsay, Sask. potash mine indefinitely Mosaic shuts down Colonsay, Sask. potash mine indefinitely