Terry Friske had questions and concerns over the desired route of the proposed Saskatoon Freeway. And now he’s got answers.
Terry, who is the Plant Manager at Saskatoon’s ERCO location, said his initial reaction to hearing about the proposed freeway earlier this year was concern over its location. His key concern is ensuring access to the land ERCO owns and the minerals beneath it. He said it’s a matter of understanding where the actual freeway corridor will be so the lifespan of the ERCO plant is not limited by the loss of access to the minerals found there.
Thanks to a recent face-to-face meeting with Geoffrey Meinert of the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure, Terry’s concerns were addressed. Terry learned during the meeting that the Freeway route would come within 400 metres to the north of the ERCO site. If the proposed design maintains that proximity and skirts the ERCO property, Terry said there shouldn’t be an issue with land access. Any impacts on the ERCO site, he hopes, would be minimized.
Geoff also shared some of the other potential activity around the Freeway interchanges with Terry, as one of the main concerns for ERCO is access in and out of its plant.
Follow-up meetings with Terry and other impacted landowners are top of mind with members of the freeway functional planning study team as they strive to remain transparent throughout this design phase of the project.
Further dialogue with a variety of stakeholders, including not only landowners, but environmental advocates, industry groups and Indigenous organizations will continue through the fall.