The Albany Potash Project is receiving a conditional environmental assessment approval.

CanPacific Potash Inc. will be moving onto the next steps to develop a new 3.25 million tonne-per-year solution mine about 50 kilometres southeast of Regina.

Environment Minister Dustin Duncan says during public consultations, they heard concerns about potential impacts to native grasslands and wetlands.

Duncan says the approval has 10 conditions attached to it. He says this includes having a mitigation plan in place for potential impact on native grasslands and wetlands. “At this point, the approvals as a part of the environment assessment, is largely on cultivated land but for future developments around the site, if it does have an impact as a part of the conditions they will need to have a compensation plan or mitigation plan essentially for grasslands or wetlands approved by the Ministry.”

Duncan says there are a few other things that need to be done before the project can fully move forward. “They’ll need to get an approval with the RM, they’ll need to get a number of approvals from the Ministry of Environment as they further develop the site, they will need to do approvals with the water security agency, highways, energy and resources. So there are a number o steps they need to follow, but none of those could take place until after the environmental assessment and that’s where we are at today.”

Click here to see the full assessment.