Sask. Research Council provided $887M, total of 1,682 jobs since 2023

The Saskatchewan Research Council has had a big impact on the provincial economy.

The Government of Saskatchewan says that the research council had a big impact on the province’s economy and jobs during the last fiscal year. The council contributed $887 million overall. Of that, $785 million was a direct boost to the economy. Additionally, the council helped create or keep over 1,682 jobs in Saskatchewan, which added another $102 million in value from 2023 to 2024.

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The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) is the second-largest research and technology organization in the country, the government noted, with 1,400 clients in 22 countries.

(Saskatchewan Research Council/Submitted)

“In 2023-2024, SRC had a mandate effectiveness of 38, which means that for every dollar the province invested in SRC, SRC’s work contributed at least a 38-times return to the growth of the Saskatchewan economy,” the provincial government added.

Much of the SRC’s energy has been dedicated to rare earth metals in recent years, leading the research council to become the first organization in North America to produce the metals at a commercial scale. The SRC’s Saskatoon facility is able to use automated smelting technology to produce 10 tonnes of tonnes of neodymium-praseodymium — a high-demand rare earth metal used to create powerful magnets — every month, with the purity level expected to exceed 99.5 per cent.

“At SRC, we are dedicated to strengthening Saskatchewan’s economy with quality private sector jobs and a secure environment,” CEO Mike Crabtree said in a statement.

“This is why our economic impact assessment is so important, as it truly demonstrates the value we can generate from the province’s investment in us.”

— with files from 650 CKOM’s Shane Clausing