Cover Story

By Véronique Loewen

If you haven’t really heard of Canpotex before, it’s because it has been one of Saskatchewan’s hidden gems. Yet, it is one of the world’s largest suppliers of potash and a well-known business in many markets around the world. When 12 potash producers operating in Saskatchewan, including Nutrien’s and Mosaic’s predecessor companies, formed the corporation in 1972, its mission was simple – to market and deliver Saskatchewan-mined potash overseas and help the world grow the food its growing population needed.

Today, fifty years later, that mission hasn’t changed; Canpotex continues to responsibly promote and distribute Saskatchewan potash to growing overseas markets on behalf of its shareholders, Mosaic and Nutrien.

Canpotex first established its headquarters in Toronto. However, in 1985, the company relocated its global headquarters to Saskatoon to be closer to its shareholders’ operations, and to bring the full benefits of the company’s growth to Saskatchewan. “Bringing the bulk of Canpotex’s jobs and community investment back to Saskatchewan made sense. The potash that helps grow food around the world originates in Saskatchewan so bringing the benefits of potash exports back to the province is only natural,” says Gord McKenzie, Canpotex’s President and CEO.

From the beginning, Canpotex established itself as one of Canada’s earliest and largest exporters to markets such as China, India and Brazil. And to date it remains Saskatchewan’s largest overseas exporter with about 13 million tonnes of potash shipped to over 40 countries each year and totalling approximately US$4 billion annually. “Today Canpotex counts 120 employees in Saskatchewan and another 30 employees in its offices in Singapore, Shanghai and Sao Paulo. We do our part to contribute to food security around the world and we offer unique jobs, careers with international reach, to the people of the province,” explains Gord.

To move large quantities of potash overseas reliably and safely, Canpotex has invested over US$1 billion to build what has been recognized as one of the best supply chains in Canada. To facilitate its ocean transport and storage capacity, the company invested early on in its own potash handling port facilities, including Neptune Bulk Terminals at the Port of Vancouver in British Columbia, as well as Portland Bulk Terminals in Portland, Oregon in the USA and more recently operating a terminal in Saint John, New Brunswick. “With large potash handling and storage capacity on both coasts in North America, we are able to make more deliveries more costeffectively and with increased flexibility. On the rail side, we have a fleet of over 5,000 dedicated railcars. Canpotex designed them in collaboration with National Steel Car of Hamilton, Ontario and we maintain them at our railcar maintenance facility near Lanigan, Saskatchewan. We’ve designed these railcars to preserve the quality of the potash during transport and facilitate loading and unloading and other operational efficiencies at our shareholders’ mines and at port,” explains Gord.

For Gord, who became Canpotex’s President and CEO in 2020 amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, celebrating the company’s 50th years is not only looking back to its history for lessons learned, but it’s also having his sight well aimed at the future. Gord says, “Our goal is to build on our past and to continue to market and deliver potash efficiently and effectively. Our top foreign markets remain Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, but there are

Gord McKenzie, Canpotex’s President and CEO.

many more growth markets on the horizon and we aim to grow our global reach. We are committed to do that sustainably by treating people with respect, putting safety and the environment first and conducting ourselves with the utmost integrity wherever we do business.”

“We are also committed to supporting our markets’ by contributing to food security. For us that means to continue educating farmers about the benefits of potash to increase yields in markets like Bangladesh, Vietnam, or Mexico. To date, we have invested over US$50 million in farmer education, with a focus on the virtues of balanced fertilization. And we are also supporting the advancement of agricultural innovation and sophistication wherever we can.”

During the pandemic, the global need for food to sustain a growing population did not stop, and the intricacies of global supply chains became wildly apparent to all. In this context Canpotex continued to be a reliable supplier for its global customers delivering approximately 13 million tonnes in 2020. “Like everyone else, we found ways to do business differently and communicate with our customers virtually. Clearly our long-standing relationships with many of them helped weather any disruptions,” adds Gord.

Although Canpotex operates in a sometimes-challenging geopolitical context, being a Canadian company is important to Canpotex’s success. Gord remarks, “Our business is incredibly global, but our customers value our Canadian roots. Canpotex has a solid track record of being a reliable supplier of high-quality potash sourced from a stable country where the rule of law matters. Our customers can count on us to operate with integrity wherever we do business.”

Canpotex has been quietly supporting the communities where they conduct business and where their employees live and work. In Saskatchewan, the company focuses its community investment on “Inspiring the Growth of Children” and contributing to child hunger initiatives. They are supporting organizations such as the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and its Healthy Mother Healthy Baby program, the Saskatoon Food Bank’s Milk for Children program, the Salvation Army Weekend Investment in Nutrition Program and many others. “Although we have been active in our community over the years, we haven’t been very visible. Aside from seeing our name on rail cars at train crossings, people don’t really know who we are and that we contribute substantially to Saskatchewan and the country’s economy. We’re trying to change that. We want the people of this province to be proud of what Canpotex accomplishes here and around the world.”

“We’re about to become even more visible to people in downtown Saskatoon. We’ve moved from our long-standing location on 2nd Avenue to a brand-new space in the East Tower at River Landing. It is important to Canpotex to remain in Saskatoon’s downtown, and reaching this milestone year was the perfect opportunity to create a bright, modern, and highly functional office space. The views of the river valley are truly gorgeous and bound to inspire people working in this environment and showcase the best of Saskatoon to our international visitors. We can’t wait to celebrate our 50th anniversary with our employees, shareholders, customers and many community partners in the months to come,” concludes Gord.

Saskatoon and Saskatchewan are fortunate to have corporations such as Canpotex in their midst. We are proud of Canpotex’s achievements and extend our CONGRATUATIONS for helping raise Saskatoon’s business profile for 50 years! www.canpotex.com