New Sask Polytech Program To Lease Land In Industrial Park

By Robert Thomas

The Moose Jaw Agri-Food Industrial Park has its second tenant and it is once again a provincial government third party organization but at the same time don’t expect an immediate windfall to City coffers because of the lease.

On Monday evening Council approved a lease of 29 acres a portion of Blk/Par A, Plan NW 22-16-26-W2M Ext 2 inside the Industrial Park to Sask Polytech for their Agriculture and Food Production Diploma Program. The 29 acre plot is directly adjacent to the City’s sewage lagoons.

A durum crop, a crop important to the region, in July 2020 north of the city. Operating farm machinery and crop production are two components of the Sask Polytechnic program - MJ Independent file photo

Sask Polytechnic will pay $1 to lease the land for five years and then $160 per acre after that. The Sask Polytechnic program will join SaskPower in the Industrial Park who is presently constructing the Great Plains Power Station there.

“It is a great opportunity to work in partnership with an institution in our City" Jim Dixon economic development officer told Council.

“It fits in so well. They’ll be there,” Dixon said, adding “it is a component of a (agri-food) cluster structure which is so important.”

It trains people as part of the program and ties into the Argri-Food Industrial Park.

“It makes great sense,” he said.

Councillor Dawn Luhning put forth the motion to approve the lease laughing at something Dixon had said in his presentation.

“When you used the word cluster I don’t know where you were going with that,” Council Luhning said while laughing.

Councillor Heather Eby said she was in “full support of this motion and program.”

“I would like to thankbig those in positions that pushed for this program (and got it going),” Councillor Eby said.

“It is a really great hands on program,” she said.

“The passion we heard about the program who presented (about it) was evident,” Councillor Eby said about the in-camera presentation Council and Administration heard.

Nobody from Sask Polytech attended Council to speak about the lease and the new program starting this Fall.

“It is all around good news for Moose Jaw…this is an industry that is going places again.”

Council heard the new Sask Polytech program would have a co-op work term component - MJ Independent file photo

Councillor Eby said the Agri-Food Industrial Park was a probably a main reason the program was in Moose Jaw.

“If we didn’t have our industrial park out there this would not be possible but at least (if not) not a great fit.”

Councillor Doug Blanc said the new Sask Polytech program could hopefully lead to more programs in Moose Jaw after losing them.

“Quite often we have been bypassed by Polytech as courses have been moved from here,” Councillor Blanc said, adding “once this is in place perhaps there are other programs we can get.”

Mayor Clive Tolley said the program was part of “an exciting time for the City of Moose Jaw.”

Councillor Crystal Froese said the new program was “really exciting for the City in more ways than one.”

“It has an impact in our community because it has work terms,” Councillor Froese said.

“This just fits into our Agri-Park.”

The new three year Sask Polytech program began in September 2022 and has 30 students with six foreign student seats available in the program. For a total potential 36 students in the theory and hands on program.

There is additionally a First Nations component to the program as well. The program is a co-op program with three paid work terms.

The 29 acre plot is presently being used for crop production and leased to an area farmer who is paying rent to the City. The City is presently leasing the property for $160 per acre or $4,640 annually. The first five years of the lease to the program will mean an annual loss in $4,639 in revenue to the City.

The report went on to state that the land is at the present time not serviced and its size as well as location make it unlikely to be leased or purchased by a tenant in the near future.

Both the City or Sask Polytech may cancel the lease with two years written notice to the other Party in the agreement.

At the present time food production is a growing field as the world’s population is growing and there have been several weather events such as drought limiting the production of food.