First Nations entrepreneurs partner with Saskatchewan government

The Saskatchewan government has established an agreement with SAGE Roadway Signs, a division of Saskatoon-based JNE Welding, to supply thousands of highway traffic signs in a six-month pilot program project.

The pilot project will make more than 3,000 road signs, as well as hiring possibly around 10 to 12 people.

Peter Beatty, Chief of the Peter Ballantyne First Nation, says this partnership will benefit many in the Indigenous community.

“At the end of the day, this partnership will benefit everyone. It will benefit the employers, our Cree nation, the people in Saskatchewan,” Beatty said. “To get stable employment is the greatest thing we can look forward to.”

JNE employs 146 people, many of whom identify as Indigenous or Métis.

“This provides an opportunity to diversify our business and create employment opportunities for Indigenous people,” JNE CEO Adam Logue said. “Growth comes from diversity.”

There are roughly 120,000 provincial road signs in Saskatchewan. The province repaired or replaced 13,000 of them last year.

“Our partnership since day one has been successful,” Beatty said. “This partnership engages us in the commercial economy of Saskatchewan, we are proud to be a part of that.”

“The purpose of our partnerships is to create opportunities.”

The pilot project is part of the Sask. governments plan to improve 1,000 km of provincial highways this year, the first of its 10-year Growth Plan goal to build and upgrade 10,000 km of highways.

“We are proud of this partnership with SAGE Roadway Signs and to have these signs made by Saskatchewan people,” Deputy Premier and Minister Responsible for SaskBuilds Gordon Wyant said in a release. “This is another example of the great work and ability of local businesses to step up and fill a need in this province.”