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That contrasts sharply with the province’s view that the original cost-sharing agreement remains in place, and Ottawa is equally responsible for the cleanup because it had a monopoly on uranium sales at the time the mine operated.

In an interview last week, Saskatchewan’s Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre said the ballooning bill was unavoidable because the province has to comply with work orders from the federal nuclear regulator, which NRCAN is now choosing not to fund.

“The irony is breathtaking,” said Eyre, whose view that the bill should be divided equally has been echoed by Saskatchewan NDP MLA Buckley Belanger and federal NDP MP Georgina Jolibois, who represent the region encompassing the mine.

Perched on the north shore of Lake Athabasca, the Gunnar mine was abandoned in 1963. Work on the cleanup, which includes covering sprawling tailings deposits and burying debris from demolished buildings, is expected to be complete in 2024.

It is not clear when the province’s lawsuit will be heard.

Photo by Kayle Neis / Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Sohi was in Saskatoon this week to announce $3 million in new federal funding for Meadow Lake Tribal Council Investments LP, which will be used to modernize its NorSask Forest Products sawmill east of Meadow Lake.

The pre-election announcement comes on top of two previous funding announcements in the region over the last 12 months — $400,000 for sawmill upgrades and $52.5 million for the proposed Meadow Lake Tribal Council Bioenergy Centre.