THE YEAR AHEAD: Moe looks to economic opportunity in 2022

Where 2021 is now a known quantity, 2022 still has plenty of unknowns to be revealed as the months unfurl.

What Premier Scott Moe seems to be hoping for most in those months is economic opportunity and expansion for the province.

He said in the past months, people in the province have been looking inward. But in the new year, there’s a chance to do what he believes the province does best.

“And that’s when we look outward – outside of the province — to how we can provide the sustainable food, fuel and fertilizer as well as other goods (and) technology to the world, and how we can come together to provide the most sustainable, high-quality products that the world is going to need as the world experiences an economic recovery in a post-COVID environment,” said Moe.

The premier wants Saskatchewan to be at the forefront of any economic recovery. He said even at the end of 2020, that he wants the province to recover and grow in the aftermath of the pandemic.

When asked about the year ahead – after mentioning his hope that COVID-19 numbers stay low – Moe went directly to the economy.

“I just can’t help but be excited about the opportunity that we have in Saskatchewan. We are seeing the global investment community arrive here in this province, investing literally billions in projects in a number of different industries,” said Moe.

The premier pointed to the four canola crush facilities set to be built in the province, the record investment in the Jansen potash mine announced in the summer, and continued interest in the province’s uranium industry. In many cases, construction is expected to start in 2022, which Moe said will create temporary and some permanent jobs.

“We have attracted, over the course of just this last summer, about $10 billion of investment from the global community,” said Moe.

“This is most certainly not the end of the investment that is coming to Saskatchewan, but much more so, the beginning.”

If the premier had a new year’s resolution for the Saskatchewan government, he said it would be to double down on efforts to attract that investment. He said investment will grow opportunities in the province, and give future generations the ability to stay in Saskatchewan.

“We want them to have that opportunity to stay right here in Saskatchewan (and) ultimately to meet and raise their family here in this province. That is what drives the decisions that this government makes and it’s what’s going to continue to drive them into the new year,” said Moe.

As with anyone, COVID-19 is on the list of worries for the premier in the coming year.

“I think if anybody said they weren’t concerned about what next curveball COVID-19 is going to throw at the communities and, in this case, the province where we live, I think that would be incorrect. I think that is on everyone’s mind,” said Moe.

COVID-19 has created a lot of uncertainties, but Moe said you just keep planning and then change your plans as COVID changes.

“As COVID changes, you need to adapt as you go along,” said Moe.

Moe said he’s also worried about challenges around mental health and addictions growing in the new year as they have over the past two. Saskatchewan set a record for overdose deaths in 2020 and will likely set another record in 2021.

“(We need to determine) what role and how does the government support individuals and support families in supporting their family members into the future,” explained Moe.

The premier also echoed a theme he had brought forward in 2021, saying he’s worried about what the federal government is doing and how it could end up challenging for Saskatchewan.

Moe repeated a line he has used before, saying Saskatchewan is looking at becoming a nation within a nation, but explained that it didn’t mean separating and instead meant the province taking control and expanding to take advantage of its full provincial jurisdiction.

“We’re going to make every effort as a provincial government to ensure that we not only are protecting our economic sovereignty and our economic opportunity, but doing everything that we can to build and prosper our economic sovereignty and our economic opportunity,” said Moe.