REGINA – Premier Brad Wall expects to have an agreement in place in the next month-and-a-half with PotashCorp. of Saskatchewan to fulfill the company’s commitment to return head office jobs to Saskatoon.
PotashCorp made its “pledge to Saskatchewan” last fall as it attempted to fend off BHP Billiton Ltd.’s hostile takeover attempt.
Wall – who crusaded against the BHP Billiton bid before it was ultimately rejected by the federal Conservative government – has said he wanted a memorandum of understanding with PotashCorp to fulfill the details of the pledge.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Wall said the agreement should be in place before the spring sitting of the legislature, which begins on March 7.
Beyond repatriating jobs to Saskatoon from its Chicago office, PotashCorp’s pledge also included a commitment to international marketing agency Canpotex, the development of a strong aboriginal workforce and a commitment to community programs.
“I can tell you, they have been honouring the spirit of those pledges. They have been working on it and from a board perspective and from the executive perspective . . . the government hasn’t had to inject itself,” said Wall.
In other potash news, Wall said he did not expect the potential sale of Mosaic Co. to affect the company’s plan to put its Canadian head office in Regina. Agriculture giant Cargill plans to spin off its majority stake in Mosaic, which could make it the target of takeover offers.
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