Moe to meet with Nutrien over head office concerns

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe will meet with executives from Nutrien to discuss the potash company’s commitment to keeping its head office in the province.

“I’ll be getting an update on that, I’ll be getting an explanation as to ‘is that the case now?’ Which it doesn’t appear to be, and what are the plans to ensure that is the case in very short order,” Moe said Monday on Gormley.

Nutrien is the product of a January 2018 merger between Potash Corpororation of Saskatchewan (PotashCorp) and Agrium.

At the time of the merger, it was announced the newly formed company would be run by a coalition of Calgary-based CEO Chuck Magro, the former head of Agrium and former PotashCorp CEO Jochen Tilk, who was to stay on in Saskatoon with the title of Executive Chairman.

However, much of the company’s senior-level management has become concentrated in Calgary, along with the company’s trading desk and other functions traditionally associated with a head office.

Tilk left Nutrien in September, leaving Magro in charge.

Susan Jones, the company’s president of potash, is the lone senior executive still in Saskatoon.

Along with Magro, four other high-level managers are based in Calgary.  Two more senior executives work out of Nutrien’s office in Loveland, Colo. and one is based in Northbrook, Ill.

The situation had Moe pointing to 1994 legislation requiring PotashCorp and any successor company, such as Nutrien to keep the company’s head office in Saskatchewan.

“I would hope that they’re all aware that they would need to, be required to abide by the act here in Saskatchewan. There’s nothing new there.”

Moe is set to meet with Nutrien management sometime this week.