Mosaic has cut 95 percent of their workforce at their Colonsay potash mine.

Senior Director of Public Affairs, Sarah Fedorchuk provided a statement regarding the tough news for the area.

"We announced Wednesday that in response to some very challenging market conditions for potash that we will be idling our Colonsay mine until the end of the year. What that means is that we have issued 330 temporary layoff notices to our unionized workforce there."

According to a union representative the employees were taken to meeting rooms Wednesday morning and given the news.

Fedorchuk adds that's never an easy meeting to hold.

"Absolutely, no. Decision like this are very hard to make and we realize that there is an impact to our employees and their families."

The return date is early next year but the company does hope to call some or all back prior to 2017.

"The current date for all of our employees to return to work is January 3rd," Fedorchuk explained. "We will continue to watch the market very closely in hopes that we will be able to bring back people sooner than that."

The union says some people will get paid in lieu of notice, some people will get between five to eight weeks of payment.

You can hear more from Fedorchuk below.