There鈥檚 a lot of excitement surrounding the colossal 10-year project announced by the province earlier this summer that鈥檚 slated to cost a total of roughly $4 billion and promises to irrigate up to 500,000 acres from Lake Diefenbaker, more than doubling the irrigable land in Saskatchewan.
This is said to be the first steps of a generational project that will 鈥渇ulfill the vision of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker to ensure the prosperity of Saskatchewan people鈥�, according to the provincial government.
Indeed, the prospects look fantastic on paper if all goes according to plan.
Lyle Stewart, Legislative Secretary to the Minister Responsible for the Water Security Agency (WSA) stopped in at the offices of The Outlook last week along with Patrick Boyle, Executive Director with the WSA to discuss the project.聽 Stewart says he was thrilled when the announcement was made in early July and that it鈥檚 something that鈥檚 perhaps long overdue.
鈥淚 was thrilled by it,鈥� said Lyle.聽 鈥淚鈥檝e been a proponent of this for 20 years and a lot of people had been at it for much longer than that.聽 It鈥檚 overdue and it鈥檒l be a great thing for the area, Central Saskatchewan, all over the province, and even the whole country as far as food security goes.鈥�
鈥淚 think the project is transformational,鈥� added Patrick.聽 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the main things coming out of this, and it鈥檚 a pretty major impact for Outlook and area here.鈥�
Producers have been pretty happy to see this project start up, Stewart says, and noted that there was a time when it was halted.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e mostly pretty happy,鈥� said Lyle, on producers鈥� thoughts on the project.聽 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been waiting for this a long, long time.聽 Work was discontinued on this in 1972, so everybody expected that it鈥檇 be restarted long before this, but here we are and we鈥檙e finally there.聽 We鈥檙e excited and they sure are too.鈥�
Stewart touched on the work that鈥檚 being done in Phase 1 right now and explained that some of the prework being done on Phase 2 isn鈥檛 that far behind.
鈥淩ight now, we鈥檝e set aside $22.5 million to be spent this budget year on pre-engineering soil testing, and that will be not only Phase 1 but Phase 1 & 2,鈥� said Lyle.聽 鈥淲e need to engineer Phase 2 so we know how big to build Phase 1 because water has to flow through Phase 1 to get there.聽 The engineering and pre-engineering kind of happen together but after that, we鈥檙e going to start construction on Phase 1 first.鈥�
The first phase is estimated to carry a price tag of $500 million and will include the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing Westside irrigation canal system.聽 When all is said and done, it should increase the amount of irrigable land by 80,000 acres in the area.聽 It鈥檚 considered one of the most 鈥渟hovel-ready鈥� irrigation projects in the province, with 90% of the current canal already in place.聽 Communities in the canal system include the villages of Conquest and Milden, going north and straight up to the North Saskatchewan River, Stewart said.
The work will be extensive, but it鈥檚 a major part of the project鈥檚 beginning.
鈥淲e think that it鈥檒l be more than a couple of years,鈥� said Lyle, when asked for a timeline of Phase 1鈥檚 completion.聽 鈥淚t might be three or four years to get Phase 1 completed.聽 There鈥檚 a lot of work to do.聽 There鈥檚 a major reservoir that has to be constructed and it鈥檚 a big body of water.鈥�
Critics of the massive irrigation deal have said the provincial government should learn from its 鈥減ast mistakes鈥� when it comes to moving forward on big-ticket projects, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation comparing it to the infamous Global Transportation Hub development.聽 Stewart and Boyle say to compare the two isn鈥檛 a fair shake and that everyone recognizes the power and the value of water.
鈥淚t will,鈥� said Lyle, when asked if the project will deliver on its promise to be the 鈥榮ingle largest project in Saskatchewan history.鈥櫬� 鈥淎s far as the critics go, you know, this is one of the few infrastructure projects you鈥檙e ever going to see that has an actual payback to taxpayers.聽 It鈥檚 a *long-term* payback, but it will pay back and continue to pay back over and over again as time goes on.聽 To see this fully developed, it鈥檒l probably be 50 years; the project will be built in 10.聽 Before the cropping practices evolve, you have to have interest from food processors.聽 You can鈥檛 grow carrots unless someone鈥檚 going to process them.聽 It鈥檚 kind of like a chicken and egg thing; producers will start off growing more conventional crops, maybe adding some soybeans and corn to the mix, but as time goes on and the processing industry learns that this is for real and it鈥檚 here, we鈥檒l see processing companies come here 鈥� major ones 鈥� and want a part of this action.鈥�
鈥淏uilding a highway is different than building a water management infrastructure project,鈥� added Boyle, touching on the criticisms that have compared the project to the GTH.聽 鈥淔or communities to grow and develop, water is a big deal.聽 It鈥檚 not apples to apples in any way, shape or form, and it鈥檚 pretty different.聽 Obviously, we know that irrigation is a success in this area because the town of Outlook itself is a by-product of what was done 50 years ago.鈥�
Excitement for this project is perhaps the most palpable here in the Outlook and surrounding region.聽 After all, the town of Outlook promotes itself as the 鈥業rrigation Capital of Saskatchewan鈥�, so there鈥檚 a lot of anticipation over that billing becoming all the more realized in the coming years.
Stewart says Outlook is sure to reap a long list of benefits and the town has the potential to become a central hub of activity during the project鈥檚 construction over the next decade.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure it鈥檒l happen,鈥� said Lyle.聽 鈥淥utlook is already fairly developed in the irrigation industry, and it鈥檚 the logical place for companies to come and support the irrigation industry and processed food, as well as places for employees to live.聽 Outlook is a beautiful town, and it鈥檒l be at least one of the first choices of places for employees that鈥檒l come to the processing plants and service industries that serve irrigated agriculture that they鈥檒l be working for, this is one of the places they鈥檒l want to live for sure.鈥�
The benefits of the historic irrigation expansion has the potential to last generations.
鈥淥h, for sure,鈥� said Lyle.聽 鈥淟ike I said, before we see this thing fully developed, it鈥檒l be generations and then there鈥檒l be generations and generations of payback after that.聽 This is transformational not only to the region but the province, for sure.鈥�
The announcement of such a ground-breaking project shows that we may finally be tapping into the province鈥檚 irrigation potential.
鈥淲e鈥檙e finally making a real substantial start at it, anyway,鈥� said Lyle.聽 鈥淲ith Phase 1, 2 and 3 and infill that we鈥檝e been supporting over the years in the existing irrigation district, and a number of private projects that are going to be built in other places in the province, we鈥檒l get to our million acres of irrigation that we鈥檝e been wanting in this province since the 1950鈥檚.鈥�
鈥淚 think Lyle pretty much covered it,鈥� said Boyle.聽 鈥淭he intent of the reservoir at the end of the day was to have 500,000 acres of irrigation out of Lake Diefenbaker.聽 Currently, we鈥檙e at around 110,000 acres and I think we can鈥檛 lose sight of what the vision was, and that鈥檚 where we鈥檙e headed.聽 This is another visionary project to move the area ahead and go in that direction.鈥�
