A vacant big-box store in Humboldt, Saskatchewan is being transformed into a technical training centre designed to staff the world's largest potash mine, as the labor squeeze from BHP's Jansen project arrives in the small prairie city.
Carlton Trail College, BHP, and the Government of Saskatchewan are jointly funding the renovation of the former Peavey Mart on 8th Avenue into the new BHP Technical Training Centre. The 22,725-square-foot building will house programs targeting the mining, manufacturing, agriculture and health care sectors, with Jansen as the primary driver. First ore from Jansen is expected later this year, and BHP projects roughly 600 operational jobs at the mine alone, with far larger demand rippling through regional supply chains.
The timing reflects the scale of investment already committed. BHP sanctioned Jansen Stage 1 in 2021 with a US$5.7 billion commitment, then accelerated Stage 2 in 2023 with another US$4.9 billion, pushing total investment past US$14 billion. That capital mobilizes a workforce, and Saskatchewan's trades labor market, already stretched thin by an aging workforce and competition from Alberta's oil patch, has little slack to absorb it without intervention. The new centre is one concrete answer to that problem.
Source: NationGraph.
The building itself carries its own story. Peavey Mart, long a fixture of rural Saskatchewan farm supply retail, collapsed into receivership in early 2025, closing locations across the country. The Humboldt store sat empty until this partnership repurposed it, turning a symbol of rural retail decline into workforce infrastructure.
Renovations are set to begin this summer, with the facility officially opening in fall 2027. Carlton Trail College is now seeking construction management proposals through SaskTenders, with the selected contractor expected to begin work immediately. The financial breakdown between the three partners has not been disclosed.
