Saskatchewan’s economy is heavily reliant on transportation, with highways serving as critical arteries for trade and commerce. As a resource-based economy, it is critical that the province has the proper infrastructure in place to get products to market.
Canada recently underwent a federal election, where the main topic electoral candidates discussed was the tariffs instigated by the Trump administration. While the United States tariff issue does impact Saskatchewan, national media platforms gave little to no attention to the 100 per cent canola tariff instituted by China, which has a direct bearing on the Saskatchewan economy.
In 2024, Saskatchewan exported approximately $4.9 billion worth of canola products to China, including canola seed, oil and meal. Provincial trade goes hand in glove with Saskatchewan’s road and infrastructure system. Strong trade results from having a strong infrastructure system and vice versa. How does a resource-based economy recover from the impact of tariffs and what role does the heavy construction industry play to help fix it?
“The way I see it is that we have several paths to follow to help bring stability back into how we continue to not only trade our goods, but to expand to other markets and make sure that our infrastructure meets the demand,” said Shantel Lipp, SHCA president. “Looking for alternative markets around the globe is being actively pursued by the provincial government to help offset the impact from the China tariffs. However, a large part of those deals is reliant on reassuring potential customers that Saskatchewan has reliable infrastructure to move our goods to them.”
Saskatchewan, regardless of any economic headwinds caused by the tariffs, continues to grow its output and the demand for products continues unabated. Agriculture products, potash, uranium and oil and gas are still needed globally, and Saskatchewan has all that. The province must ensure its roads and infrastructure meet trading partners’ needs.
“So many opportunities have been lost to a decade of stagnation on nation-building projects, and we are hopeful that change is the order of the day.”
– Shantel Lipp, Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association
“The heavy construction industry has always met its challenges head-on. The ability for our industry to be flexible is what keeps the bulk of our members going,” said Lipp. “Rather than being a barrier to growth, the heavy construction industry looks at the tariff challenge as an opportunity. Planning ahead is key to our industry succeeding and that can only happen through stable long-term funding arrangements with key partners within government.”
The future of Saskatchewan highways and infrastructure will increase, not decrease, in demand. Aside from key exports of agriculture products, potash and uranium, Saskatchewan has begun to increase the export of critical minerals driven by global need that will require enhanced highway capacity to transport these resources from remote mining sites to processing facilities or export hubs. The province’s aging infrastructure, coupled with increasing traffic volumes, necessitates significant investment in Saskatchewan’s road system.
“There has been a lot of talk amongst our elected officials that in order to counter the impact of tariffs we need to also look within our own borders to the remove barriers to growth,” said Lipp. “Our industry has been very vocal on removing interprovincial trade barriers that hinder our ability to grow as an industry and as a province.”
Aside from the tariff discussions, there are encouraging signs that the newly elected federal government will start to course-correct its past mistakes. At a meeting in March with the premiers, Prime Minister Carney asked each of them to identify “nation-building projects.” This could be an indication that the country and Saskatchewan may be getting an economic boost through funding projects that include elements of highways and infrastructure.
“Saskatchewan now has representation at the federal table with the appointment of Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River Member of Parliament Buckley Belanger as Secretary of State (Rural Development),” said Lipp. “Our industry is eager to engage with Belanger on the importance of building up our provincial infrastructure to meet the demand of our resource development projects.”
Belanger’s riding covers a vast swath of northern Saskatchewan, which is home to some of the most productive mining activity in North America. It is also home to the McArthur River uranium mine, which is the world’s largest high-grade uranium deposit. In 2023, Saskatchewan’s uranium sector achieved $1.6 billion in sales revenue, the world’s second-largest uranium producer for that year, providing work for 3,420 direct employees and contractors.
“Both provincial and federal governments need to find common ground that will ensure that the level of infrastructure funding keeps pace with our level of growth,” said Lipp. “So many opportunities have been lost to a decade of stagnation on nation-building projects, and we are hopeful that change is the order of the day.”
Martin Charlton Communications is the largest public relations company in Saskatchewan and one of the largest in western Canada.