SaskatchewanThe amendments give the energy and resources minister the power to designate subsurface development area when private mineral owners cannot be located or reasonable efforts have been exhausted to negotiate an agreement. Energy and Resources Minister Colleen Young said she believes the NDP will support the legislationAlexander Quon · CBC News · Posted: Nov 08, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Saskatchewan’s Minister of Energy and Resources Colleen Young has introduced legislation which would give her a new power. (Alexander Quon/CBC News)Mining companies in Saskatchewan are welcoming new powers meant to provide “stability” and “certainty” for the industry. “I think this is one of those rare instances where it’s a win for everybody,” said Pam Schwann, president of the Saskatchewan Mining Association. “It’s a win because we’re able to mine more efficiently, which means it’s more cost-effective for industry. It’s a win for government because they will receive royalties as well.” Saskatchewan’s Minister of Energy and Resources, Colleen Young, introduced the Mineral Resources Amendment Act 2025 in the legislature on Thursday. It quickly passed first reading.Under the legislation, the energy and resources minister will be granted a new power to designate a “subsurface development area,” giving companies the ability to apply for access to mineral resources that would otherwise remain untouched. Young said this is important when private mineral owners can’t be located, including when the owner of the subsurface mineral rights has died or there are multiple rights owners who are otherwise inaccessible. WATCH | Potash industry spared from U.S.-Canada trade war:Potash industry spared from U.S.-Canada trade warSo far, Canadian farmers and potash producers have fared better than other industries in the escalating trade war with the United States. One expert from the University of Saskatchewan shares what this means for Saskatchewan’s agriculture and potash industry.It will also allow Young to issue a designation when reasonable efforts to negotiate an agreement over the subsurface land rights have been exhausted. “At this current point, [companies are] having to mine either around those particularly large parcels of land or curtail their operations,” Young said. Young stressed that companies will have to do “significant work” on an “intense search” over the course of a five-year period before they can apply to the minister for a subsurface development area.If, and when, proceeds are drawn from the mineral rights, the royalties will be put into the province’s general revenue fund. If, at some point, an individual comes forward and can prove they are the mineral rights holder, they can draw on those proceeds, Young said. Marnell Jones, director of public affairs for the Mosaic Company, said these new powers will help the company solve a problem it has encountered as it works to extract potash in the province. Being unable to secure subsurface mineral rights has forced Mosaic to “mine in ways that are very inefficient,” Jones said.”We leave those minerals behind, stranded forever. We can’t go back and mine at a later date. So really the province loses out, as do we.”Jones estimated Mosaic could access “about a half a billion dollars” worth of mineral rights through the powers granted in the new legislation.ABOUT THE AUTHORAlexander Quon is the provincial affairs reporter for CBC Saskatchewan. He has been a reporter with CBC Saskatchewan since 2021 and is happy to be working in his hometown of Regina after half a decade in Atlantic Canada. He has previously worked with the CBC News investigative unit in Nova Scotia and Global News in Halifax. Alexander specializes in freedom of information requests and data reporting. He can be reached at: alexander.quon@cbc.ca. FacebookTwitter
Mining companies welcome Sask.’s newly introduced mining development powers
