June 16, 2025
For immediate release:
(Saskatoon, SK) The Saskatchewan Industrial and Mining Suppliers Association (SIMSA) is proud to announce that it has hired Grant Cherkas as its Nuclear Specialist. SIMSA and its members will now be able to leverage his considerable experience, as he has over 30 years of experience working in the nuclear industry, including experience as CNSC staff, OPG, and notably his recent previous role as Vice President of Market Development and Chief Engineer with Westinghouse Electric Canada where he was responsible for engineering, design for manufacturing, quality (including nuclear QA programs), manufacturing QC, qualification of suppliers, product specification & procurement, and supply chain development.
Grant Cherkas, P.Eng.
As SIMSA’s Nuclear Specialist, Grant will maximize the amount of Saskatchewan content for new nuclear development in Canada and globally, especially in Saskatchewan. His extensive technical background will enable him to continue SIMSA’s work in the sector as it enters more technical issues.
Grant will also work towards a knowledge legacy by bringing-in a junior engineer under his company “Prairie Nuclear Consulting Inc.”
Grant has extensive domestic and international experience in nuclear engineering, quality & management systems, safety analysis, organizations, operations, regulatory affairs and licensing. Most recently, Grant was Vice-President of Market Development and Chief Engineer for Westinghouse Electric Canada, where he was responsible for bringing Westinghouse’s global innovation, technology, and solutions to Canadian clients. Grant is a registered Professional Engineer in multiple Provinces in Canada and formally worked at OPG and CNSC.
Grant commenced work at SIMSA today, and once he has had some time to be orientated, SIMSA members can contact Grant for assistance at grant.cherkas@simsa.ca or by calling SIMSA at (306) 343-0019.
SIMSA’s Executive Director – Eric Anderson – stated, “SIMSA is excited to have the opportunity to work with a person of Grant’s considerable abilities. He portrays an outstanding skillset required to assist SIMSA’s members, successfully navigate into the nuclear sector. In short, he will be an invaluable asset to SIMSA and its members.”
To enable Grant’s work, SIMSA has also secured over $2.8-million in funding from NRCan’s “Enabling Small Modular Reactors Program“ towards “Accelerating Supply Chain Readiness and Participation in Saskatchewan for SMRs and Fuel Supply.” The Project aims to evaluate the capabilities of the existing supply chain in Saskatchewan, including Indigenous suppliers, and identify the technical requirements, gaps, opportunities, and barriers relating to the manufacturing, fuel cycle, construction, and operations of SMRs. The project involves SIMSA and several partners.
The Saskatchewan Industrial and Mining Suppliers Association (SIMSA) represents over 360 Saskatchewan suppliers to Saskatchewan’s mining, energy, and industrial sector; this group of companies represents over 35,000 employees and over $17-billion in revenues. SIMSA’s mandate is to represent the interests and concerns of Saskatchewan industrial equipment and service suppliers, through promotion of its members and the creation of partnerships with industry and other associations. SIMSA is the only construction related Association that represents only Saskatchewan-based suppliers and notes that there is nearly four-times as much economic impact from purchasing from a local supplier, as there is from one outside of the province. SIMSA’s employee base along arguably makes SIMSA Saskatchewan’s third largest city.
