Vanscoy potash mine to reopen in March: Nutrien

One week after announcing it would keep Vanscoy’s potash mine shuttered for another month, Nutrien is confirming plans to bring the facility back on line in March.

The exact day in March is unclear, and management is still reviewing plans for how workers will return to the mine.

Nutrien communications manager Will Tigley confirmed in an email that expectations of a positive trend in potash markets led to the decision to restart operations.

“The recall plan is still being developed,” he wrote. “So the timing and specifics on personnel are under review by management.”

The mine was shut down in November due to a glut of supply in global potash markets. More than 250 workers were left on layoff notice from the move.

United Steelworkers representative Darrin Kruger called plans to reopen the mine “good news,” noting the union was told on Wednesday.

The news that Nutrien is reopening the Vanscoy mine comes just two days after The Mosaic Company announced it was keeping its facility at Colonsay “idled for the foreseeable future.”