| | | Elbow Up Pants Down: Billion dollar investment leaves Canada for USA.
Saskatchewan-based Nutrien Ltd., the world’s largest potash producer, confirmed that it’s looking to build a new export facility in Washington state — not Vancouver.
Article content
Nutrien has set plans in motion to build a $1-billion export terminal at Washington’s Port of Longview at a time when the federal government is pushing for built-in-Canada infrastructure projects.
Nutrien said it needs a new export terminal to meet growing demand for Saskatchewan potash. The company views the Washington site as a more efficient route to potash markets in China, Japan and India, but said it has “open lines of communication” with the Canadian government.
In May, Nutrien chief executive Ken Seitz said executives were considering both Canadian and American ports for the terminal. He said timelines and Canadian government regulations would be deciding factors.
“A businesses’ job is to do their business well,” he said. “If Nutrien thinks that this is best for their business, then I’m 100 per cent behind them.”
Bruneau said it’s unfair to characterize Nutrien’s plan for a terminal in Longview as against the Canadian national interest.
“Investing in the United States is going to make some American governor and American officials happy that a Canadian firm is investing in their country,” he said. “Good for Nutrien. And not so bad for Canada, too, that a company trying to do the best for itself and its shareholders does something that shows Americans that we really are friends and allies.”
If Nutrien is banking on a better shipping alternative in Washington state, that should be taken as a signal to federal and provincial governments that “they need to step up” and remedy the country’s transportation shortcomings, Bruneau said.
thestarphoenix.com |
|
