Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation project goes ahead with the feds

A substantial irrigation project in Saskatchewan will be moving forward without the financial support of Ottawa.

Premier Scott Moe used the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities convention in Regina, Sask. as the venue to announce the province is starting the first 90,000 acres of the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Project.

The total cost is estimated to be $1.15 billion which will be shared between the provincial government and producers who choose to participate.

Speaking to reporters, Moe said he had hoped to have the federal government as a partner at the start of the project. However, that hasn’t happened, and they’ve decided to move ahead.

“It doesn’t look like that’s coming through, but we’ll continue to ask, continue to work with our federal government so that they can be a partner in this, but we need to start moving on it,” Moe said.

During his address to delegates Moe said phase one is expected to begin next year. But before construction starts, there will be engineering and design work alongside stakeholders and Indigenous rights holders over the next 12 to 14 months.

Moe said the province is considering what farmers would have to pay to be involved.

“We haven’t worked out the shares as of yet, but we will be working through that from here on. The important thing is to get a step forward and get the project started and as producers come online we’ll be able to have a formula ready so that they can participate and they will cost share in part of it,” Moe said.

SARM President Ray Orb has been followed this project since the beginning and is pleased it is moving ahead. He said federal ministers were invited to attend and speak at the convention but there was no reply.

“They’re not willing to talk to us so we mentioned this to Minister MacAulay and Minister Bibeau when she was ag minister to come to Saskatchewan and we had no reply,” Orb said. “The ball is in the federal government’s court on this one for sure and they need to come here and talk to the province.”