Prairie Arctic Regional Council Sisters in the Brotherhood
Saskatchewan “K+S Legacy Project” Hires 19% Female Scaffolders
Shawn Brown, Janelle Feltham, Irene Rombaut, Belinda Fitzgerald, Justine Rombaut, Carla Redwood and
Michael Schmegelsky – August 2014
The growth and visibility of UBC Local 1985 Sisters is, once again, visible on the K+S Legacy Site in
Bethune, Saskatchewan. The Contractor at the K+S Site is Safway and currently the site is running at 19
percent female ratio which is great news for the sisters in the non-traditional trade in Saskatchewan.
“Safway – Saskatchewan Branch has been open for almost 3 years now, and during this time we have
employed many of the Sisters in the Brotherhood on various projects throughout the province. We
currently have 5 Sisters at the K+S site near Bethune, and I honestly believe once you get a few of the
Sisters on any job setting up scaffold it increases the productivity of the entire crew. We have had great
success with the Sisters as part of our crew mix and will continue to utilize them on any and all projects
going forward”, says Don Black Saskatchewan Branch Manager.
The K+S Legacy Site official ground breaking ceremony was held in June of 2012 as the starting signal to
the extensive construction work on the new potash site in Southern Saskatchewan. The Legacy Project is
a Greenfield project for the establishment of potash production on the basis of solution mining in the
south of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. With Legacy, K+S will be the only potash producer with
large production facilities on two continents. The new potash plant will complement the German
production network, reduce the average production costs and extend the average lifetime of the mines.
Initial infrastructure construction works in the areas of water supply, electricity and road development
as well as drilling activities and they have already begun at the site. Through to 2015, K+S will develop a
potash production based in solution mining in Southern Saskatchewan with first quantities of potassium
chloride. By 2017 the two billion tonne mark shall be reached, this will be followed by the gradual
expansion of production capacity to 2.86 million tonnes by 2023.
Safway started to mobilize on site in mid-December 2013. The site is being run by Shawn Brown who is a
Member from Local 1386 and Michael Schmegelsky who is a Member of Local 1985. “It takes a lot for
both men and women to do what we do in heavy industrial scaffolding. Here at the K+S project I am
proud to have Sisters, the hard work, attention to detail and humor is exciting and welcomed. Times
have changed in a most positive way and the Sisters are leading the way into the future”, says Shawn
Brown.
“Sisters in the Brotherhood… It has definitely been a tough sell to the older generations in the past. It is
nice to see that today’s generation is more willing to adapt to change and direct their energy
productively to support a healthy work environment. I do applaud the women that forged the path to
where we are now, without their strong willingness to succeed, Sisters in the Brotherhood could not be
where they are today, a healthy part of the work force. Keep up the great work and I look forward to
working with them in the future”, says Mike Schmegelsky.
“This site is represented by all local 1985 members, mostly from the Regina area. These sisters are all at
various levels of their apprenticeship and all have a goal of reaching their journeyperson status in the
future. I have the pleasure of working with them and dispatching them to various projects and they are
all great positive femtors” – Laurie Temple
When I reflect back and review the historical record the UBC in general, and in particular our Regional
Council, has played in terms of having women in non-traditional work, we can feel proud of our
accomplishments. We have opened our minds and our doors to allow women to become participants of
our growing economy. The jobs we work on every day are well paying jobs which enhance the quality of
life for all our families. We can be proud in being that vehicle of change. “We, in partnership with our
industry leadership, need to continue in creating a workplace environment that is welcoming to
potential workers which is key to attracting and retaining all workers including women. We need to
continually work at creating the necessary cultural changes. We should be introducing diversity policies
and practices to create an inclusive, welcoming and respectful environment for all potential new
entrants, including women, and communicate these to all employees. The UBC is proud in our past
accomplishments in terms of women playing an active role both on the job and in our union affairs.
Together we will build a strong organization, community and a better society as a whole”, Says Kelvin
Goebel Saskatchewan Regional Manager for the Prairie Arctic Regional Council.
This is the second Saskatchewan Site that the Sisters of the Prairie Arctic Regional Council has had a high
female ratio on.