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Saskatchewan’s Minister of Energy and Resources is heading to Ottawa next week on a helium mission.
Chris Beaudry will lead a delegation advocating for changes to federal policy, supporting Saskatchewan’s helium investment and encouraging private investment, while also strengthening the country’s role as a reliable supplier of helium to countries around the world.
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According to a news release from the Government of Saskatchewan, the mission shows the province’s leadership in this developing industry, “developing and exporting resources that support economic growth at home and help meet global demand.”
The provincial government said Saskatchewan, as Canada’s leading helium producer, supplies about three per cent of the total worldwide supply of the resource. The province’s Helium Action Plan aspires to grow that contribution to 10 per cent by 2030.
“Saskatchewan helium producers have invested approximately $700 million in the province and continued growth will depend on a competitive policy environment that gives companies the confidence to invest and expand,” the province said in its release.
Beaudry said in the release that Saskatchewan’s position as a global critical minerals leader means it can be a reliable, long-term supplier of helium, which the minister called “essential to health care technology, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, national defence, and scientific research.”
The alignment of federal tax treatment with other critical minerals will aid in private investment for the province while expanding Canada’s helium sector, Beaudry continued, and keeping markets well-supplied with the resource.
Ongoing geopolitical instability, the province said, has threatened a fifth global helium supply shortage in the past number of decades. The heavy concentration of global helium supply chains can make them vulnerable to being disrupted.
“Because helium is irreplaceable in most applications, supply reliability is critical, and Canada has an opportunity to respond to demand,” the provincial government said in its release.
North American Helium Inc. chairman and CEO, Nicholas Snyder, said Canada is a growing helium producer but can’t depend on other countries for capacity when it comes to processing.
“The disruption of helium supply from the Middle East has reinforced the importance of building a secure, domestic helium industry,” Snyder said.
“Canada’s first helium liquefier is a shovel‑ready critical minerals investment that would support hospitals, national defence, semiconductor manufacturing, and space exploration.”
The province asserted that industry leaders support the importance of competitive federal policies in attracting private investment.
“The Government of Saskatchewan’s leadership in advancing the required policy changes is greatly appreciated,” said Chris Bakker, Helium Developers Association of Canada chair and Avanti Helium CEO.
According to Bakker, competitive tax treatment and access to targeted critical minerals program like those in Canada are needed to unlock the private investment for helium resources in the country.
Those resources are estimated to be the fifth-largest in the world, Bakker added.
“Treating helium the same as other critical minerals would also help make Saskatchewan the home of Canada’s first helium liquefaction facility,” the province said. “This type of facility is required for most high‑value uses of helium and for exporting it to international markets.
“Building one in Saskatchewan would attract new investment, create jobs, expand export opportunities, and help ensure Canadians have a secure and dependable supply of helium,” the release concluded.
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