Prince Albert will be home to an oriented strand board mill in a few years. The provincial government has allocated nearly 1.2 million cubic metres of timber to a Saskatchewan-based company which plans to begin construction on the $400 million plant next year and the plan is to have it open in 2027. OSB is similar in strength and performance to plywood. Energy and Resources Minister Jim Reiter says, “Overall, with direct and indirect jobs, it’s expected to create approximately 800 jobs in this area, so it’s great news for this area of the province.”

The Saskatchewan-based company is One Sky Forest Products, which includes Montreal Lake Business Ventures, Meadow Lake Tribal Council, Big River First Nation, Tatanka Oyate Holdings and Peak Renewables, a forest products company from British Columbia. To provide a unified voice for their communities, the four Indigenous shareholders formed Indigenous Forestry Investments. Chair of IFI’s Board of Directors, Gary Daniels says, “Ownership means we will benefit from the wealth generated, create careers for our people, and involve our businesses in the supply chain.

Minister Reiter says Saskatchewan leads the country in Indigenous participation in the forestry sector. About 32 per cent of the province’s timber supply is allocated to Indigenous companies. The provincial government says forestry is the second largest industry in the north after mining, with nearly 8,000 direct and indirect jobs.