Box 5039, Sussex, New Brunswick E4E 5L2  |  (506) 432-8400
Mark Fracchia, General Manager | E-mail Mark

Operations

Underground mining operations take place at a depth of between 400 and 700 meters (1,300 to 2,300 feet). The operation produces potash and salt, with an annual capacity of 0.8 million tonnes KCl and 0.7 million tonnes of salt.

Significant Events

A booster pump was installed at Cassidy Lake to handle additional brine flow from the New Brunswick mine.

The first supply well was completed to provide a regional water supply.

Surface employees achieved 12 years without a lost-time injury on June 12, 2006.

Community Relations

During the year, an underground site tour was arranged for the New Brunswick Minister of Natural Resources and support staff. A meeting was held with a new member of the New Brunswick legislature. Issues discussed included the Penobsquis well water problem, the division's purchasing and economic impacts, possible future projects and the ongoing brine inflow problem.

Tours were provided for officials of the provincial Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission and for safety officers from the Atlantic provinces who were attending a safety conference in Sussex. 

A meeting was held with the Local Service District to discuss mine projects and water supply for the local community. A continuing concern is the water well problems experienced by some households in Penobsquis. The division continued to work cooperatively with the provincial government and the Local Service District on a regional water supply. The first long-term supply well for Penobsquis was drilled in 2006.

Community Donations

Cash donations to local community organizations totaled Cdn $27,070 in 2006. The top recipients were the Hammond River Angling Association (an environmental group), New Brunswick Wildlife Federation, the Dairy Town Classic Basketball Tournament, Port of Saint John 2006 Port Days and the Sussex Health Center.

The estimated value of in-kind donations for 2006 was Cdn $34,500. Recipient organizations included the community of Penobsquis, the Atlantic Balloon Fiesta and the Hammond River Angling Association.

In 2006, PotashCorp decided to commit Cdn $100,000 over five years to the Saint John campus of the University of New Brunswick. The donation will assist in construction of the University Commons, which contains a library and a PCS conference room.

Energy Efficiency

The division participated in a provincially sponsored energy audit. It has set energy key performance indicators but has not yet implemented specific energy efficiency initiatives.

Awards

The division was overall winner of the 2006 New Brunswick/Nova Scotia Mine Rescue Competition.

It received the New Brunswick Mining Association Mineral Industry Award for Lowest Frequency and the CIM New Brunswick Branch Trophy for Lowest Severity in 2005.

Local Procurement

The value of goods, materials and services purchased locally in 2006 (excluding raw materials and energy) was Cdn $49.5 million, 69 percent of all purchases.