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Each 160-square-foot room, similar to these rooms being built for oil sands workers, will include a flat-screen TV, phone and wireless Internet capabilities.Jeff McIntosh for The Globe and Mail

Atco Ltd. said Monday it has been chosen to build housing for workers at BHP Billiton's Jansen potash mine – the biggest Canadian contract in the company's history.

Atco said it's a "multimillion-dollar" contract, but did not disclose an exact amount.

Atco Structures & Logistics Ltd. will design, build and operate a 2,586-person lodge at the mine site, north of Regina.

"Our reputation for designing, building and operating large mining accommodations throughout the world, in addition to our ability to execute at a very high level, set the stage for this project," president and chief operating officer Harry Wilmot said in a release.

"A contract to build a mining accommodation of this scope and scale reinforces our long-standing reputation for having the capacity to deliver a large and comfortable work force housing lodge."

The lodge includes a 20,000-square-foot sports complex and a 200-seat movie theatre.

It also has a 1,200-person dining room, private dining area, lounge, library, convenience store, medical centre and full laundry service.

Each 160-square-foot room will include a flat-screen TV, phone and wireless Internet capabilities.

The first 500-room facility is expected to be up and running in October, with the entire lodge set to be complete in mid-2013.

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