Canadian potash company Nutrien to build terminal in U.S. and not B.C.

B.C. Premier David Eby says a recent decision by a Saskatchewan company doesn’t make sense.

Potash and fertilizer producer Nutrien is bypassing the Port of Vancouver in favour of one near Vancouver, Washington.

Eby said on Monday he questions this decision, as it would put a Canadian product at the mercy of the U.S. administration.

“Puts Saskatchewan’s resources in a precarious place, and denies B.C. a port expansion,” Eby said.

“It is the worst of both worlds.”

Nutrien says it looked at 30 different criteria for its expansion plans and Longview, a city in Washington state, was the best fit.

The company told Global News in a statement that a new facility would take $500 million to a billion dollars in investments to build out, but saying that while Longview is the preferred site, planning is still early.

A final investment decision is expected in 2027.

The federal transportation minister also said Nutrien is making a mistake.

“I’m disappointed at this decision and we’re hoping to persuade the company to change its mind,” Steve MacKinnon, Canada’s Transportation Minister, said.

The Port of Vancouver reports potash exports are up 26 per cent year over year, but planned expansion at terminals on the North Shore and at Westshore terminals might not be enough to meet worldwide demand.

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Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said B.C. needs to turn down the rhetoric.

“It has already cost us one investment in the potash industry and frankly, that is not being a part of Team Canada,” he said.

In 2016, Saskatchewan company Canpotex pulled out of a $775 million facility in Prince Rupert.

Critics say the governments of Canada and British Columbia need to move faster to approve investment in facilities.

“It’s saying the right things. It’s going in the right direction. But talking the talk is one thing and walking the walk is another thing,” said John Corey, the president of the Freight Management Association of Canada.

“And you know, in the next little while, we need to start seeing some tangible things happen that the government has control of.”

If Nutrien follows through on its plans, it will be shipping as much potash from Longview, Washington, as it does from Canadian ports by 2031.

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