Saskatchewan Minerals Inc. is a privately held company located in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, that mines and processes

sodium sulphate Sodium sulfate (also known as sodium sulphate or sulfate of soda) is the inorganic compound with formula Na2SO4 as well as several related hydrates. All forms are white solids that are highly soluble in water. With an annual production of 6 mill ...

. Originally established as a

Crown corporation Crown corporation () is the term used in Canada for organizations that are structured like private companies, but are directly and wholly owned by the government. Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country, and have a sign ...

in 1947. Today the company is one of the largest producers of anhydrous sodium sulphate in North America with production capability of 285,000 tons per year. The company has won the Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies award. Originally established in 1947 by the government of

Tommy Douglas Thomas Clement Douglas (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as the seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Bap ...

the company remained a crown corporation until privatized in 1988 by the government of

Grant Devine Donald Grant Devine (born July 5, 1944) is a Canadian politician who served as the 11th premier of Saskatchewan from 1982 to 1991. He led the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan from 1979 to 1992 and is one of only two leaders of that ...

. The primary plant has operated in

Chaplin, Saskatchewan Chaplin ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Chaplin No. 164 and Census Division No. 7. The community is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway approximately from Moose ...

since that time. A second plant operated at

Mossbank, Saskatchewan Mossbank is a town in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The town is south of Old Wives Lake and 68 km south of Moose Jaw. History Mossbank was incorporated in 1912 as an extension of the railroad from Expanse. The townsite was chos ...

from 1954 until 1984 and third plant operated at Ingebrigt, Saskatchewan from 1966 until 1984. During the 1980s, the market shifted to requiring higher purity sodium sulphate (primarily for use in detergents) resulting in the upgrade of the original Chaplin plant and shutting down the plants producing lower grade material. The Ingebrigt facility remained in a standby condition In 2013 the company's name was updated to Saskatchewan Mining and Minerals Inc.

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External links

Saskatchewan Minerals
{{Authority control Non-renewable resource companies established in 1947 Former Crown corporations of Saskatchewan Mining companies of Canada Companies based in Saskatchewan 1947 establishments in Saskatchewan