On Tuesday, May22 the Honourable Ken Krawetz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance along with Steve Fortney, 1st Vice-President of the Saskatchewan Mining Association launched ‘Mining Week in Saskatchewan’ at the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS hangar) in Regina. Mining Week in Saskatchewan ran from May 20th – 26th, 2012.
“Our theme of this year’s Mining Week is ‘Mining: Investing in Saskatchewan’s Growth,” said Steve Fortney, 1st Vice-President of Saskatchewan Mining Association. “Saskatchewan mining companies, including Mosaic and PotashCorp, have made multimillion dollar commitments to help support the development of the emergency medical helicopter air ambulance service in Saskatchewan. These contributions reaffirm the industry’s commitment to investing in Saskatchewan communities” said Steve Fortney.
Safety is first and foremost for all members of the Association and member companies invest their time and effort in developing and maintaining a positive safety culture at all their operations. “The partnership with STARS is important for our industry as we invest in our operations and in improving the quality of life for all residents of Saskatchewan,” said Fortney.
Mining is a major contributor to Saskatchewan’s economy, directly contributing on average, over $1.5 billion annually in revenue to the provincial government. These revenues support government programs and services such as health care, education and infrastructure development.
This year the Saskatchewan Mining Association will again have dozens of events in communities across the province including, service club, business presentations, and special events such as the 44th Annual Emergency Response/Mine Rescue Skills Competition taking place at EVRAZ Place in Regina.
The Poplar River mine hosted tours for a number of classes from the area during mining week. The Emergency Rescue team competed in Regina on May 26. Check next week’s issue for results of the competition.
