The announcement on Tuesday of a new wheat straw pulp mill facility coming to Regina is exciting news for the city’s mayor.

Sandra Masters said it is something that’s been in the works for months.

“I think the opportunity for us as a city to continue to build job creation and industry in a low-carbon, advanced-material sector that supports value added in the agricultural industry is outstanding for our city and area,” shared Masters.

The news follows announcements this year from Viterra and Cargill to construct canola crushing plants in the Queen City. The mayor said Reginans should be incredibly proud that the city is going to lead in terms of agriculture value coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The opportunities from these three facilities are exponential. It starts to grow and feed upon itself, and I think that’s one of the reasons why it’s so exciting,” she stated. “We’re going to be known not just in the province or the country, but we are going to be known internationally.”

Construction of the Red Leaf Pulp facility is expected to start early next year on Regina’s west side.