SK Economic Fundamentals 2008-06

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Province to welcome top U.S. politicians

Saskatchewan will be showing off groundbreaking environmental projects when two influential U.S. politicians visit on Monday.

The two members of the U.S. House of Representatives -- Rick Boucher and Tim Mahoney -- will visit the International Test Centre for Carbon Dioxide Capture at the University of Regina.

They will also view the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas Weyburn-Midale Carbon Dioxide Monitoring and Storage Project near Weyburn as well as SaskPower`s Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture/Sequestration Demonstration project.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...b2-6e0ab3e7f2c9

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Russian producer buys Sask. Ltd

MONTREAL -- Russia`s third-biggest producer of nitrogen fertilizers, OAO Acron, has bought a 98-per-cent stake in Canadian potash exploration company Saskatchewan Ltd. for $61 million.

It holds 36 exploration licences covering 10,274 square kilometres in Saskatchewan, one of the world`s largest sources of potash.

Acron said there reserves will support a mine to produce potassium oxide, a key fertilizer ingredient.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...76-ab97015c0a04

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Company uncovers new gold zone

Golden Band Resources Inc.`s winter drilling program in the La Ronge gold belt has uncovered a new gold zone, the company announced this week.

The Saskatoon company found gold in all eight holes drilled in the Golden Heart deposit area, at the north end of its property in northern Saskatchewan.

"The grades that we`re seeing are very high grade," said president and CEO Rodney Orr in an interview Friday. "We drilled eight holes on this new target. . . . There`s low grade in all of the holes and there`s high grade in two of the holes.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...c1-35583893a5be

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Regional College merger approved

Following provincial government approval earlier this week Great Plains College will debut on July 1.

The new College will be formed through the merger of Prairie West and Cypress Hills Regional Colleges and the new entity will boast nine campuses in Warman, Biggar, Kindersley, Rosetown, Outlook, Swift Current, Gravelbourg, Maple Creek and Shaunavon.

"The Government supports the merger and I congratulate the colleges for their initiative in looking to better meet the needs of the students and communities they serve," Advanced Education, Employment and Labour Minister Rob Norris said in a press release announcing the merger. "

http://www.swbooster.com/index.cfm?sid=148004&sc=1

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Southwest hoping to build on survey

In early February, the Action Southwest regional partnership selected a cross section of approximately 1,200 businesses from across Southwest Saskatchewan to participate in an online survey developed to identify challenges that small and large businesses may be facing.
"Some of the things that surprised me was the focus in the Southwest," said survey conductor Doug Elliot, Owner of QED information Systems and publisher of Sask Trends Monitor. " We have a large portion of businesses doing a lot of all of their business in the Southwest, so that was one of the interesting findings.""The other interesting part on a positive note, there is a lot of businesses in the Southwest?who say they are in the business to provide community service, to provide employment for people in the community. It is not just about profit and making money. So that is a positive."

http://www.swbooster.com/index.cfm?sid=147598&sc=1

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Three projects mean building boom: experts

Between the multiplex project, Temple Gardens Mineral Spa expansion and River Street development, construction experts believe times are good for those in the local building profession.
Brent Waldo, Cardinal Construction general manager, said he is very excited about the three major construction projects coming to the local downtown area.
"Saskatchewan is doing well and Moose Jaw is doing well," he said. "It`s a good time to do business in Moose Jaw."

http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/index.cfm?sid=148153&sc=3

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Experts talk about food prices

There isn`t much that individual farmers in Western Canada can do to combat rising global food prices, according to a panel of experts at the 15th annual Moose Jaw Farming for Profit conference Monday.
"Soaring food prices are coming on top of a problem we`ve had for a long time," said Daniel Gustafson of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. "There`s a real increase in the number of people in the world suffering from hunger and malnutrition."
The conference — held Sunday and Monday at the Heritage Inn — addressed the current global food crisis, with most agriculture economists agreeing increased output from local farmers wouldn`t have any effect overseas, but might make a dent in the North American problem.

http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/index.cfm?sid=146721&sc=520

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Town ponders government`s Urban Connector deal

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways approached town council on Monday, June 23 to discuss highways 4 and 55 running through the town of Meadow Lake.
The Ministry of Highways would like to hand over the roadways to the Town for up-keep and maintenance. The idea is for the government to have a uniform design on how the urban connectors are handled.
The way the program works is, any town with over 1,000 people in Saskatchewan will be asked if they would like to sign on to an agreement to own the highways through their towns. No town will be able to say they receive more money from the government, nor will the government spend more time on one town than another and receive complaints about being unfair to communities.

http://www.meadowlakeprogress.com/This%20W...ess/408725.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Provincial parks to get upgrades

Plans are underway to enhance a number of Saskatchewan`s provincial parks as part of the government`s $20 million, four-year investment in parks.

According to Meadow Lake MLA Jeremy Harrison the government is spending $557,500 to electrify 124 additional campsites within the Makwa Provincial Park.

"We have been pushing for them since we`ve been hearing from the community that it is needed," he said.

"The Premier was up there last summer and said he heard it as well."

Harrison said the upgrades will have a positive impact on the tourism industry in the area.

"It`s a positive thing for sure," he said.

http://www.meadowlakeprogress.com/This%20W...ess/408724.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Dion heading west to preach his plan

OTTAWA -- Federal Conservatives and Liberals are accusing each other of purposely stoking resentment in Western Canada as Stephane Dion prepares to sell his national carbon tax proposal in Alberta, heart of the country`s energy industry and bastion of Conservative political support.

When the Liberal leader heads to Calgary later this week he`ll have to face down what some experts call the bogeyman of East-West politics -- Liberal Pierre Trudeau`s 1980-85 National Energy Program (NEP).

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a Calgary MP, has said the carbon tax would not only damage the West like the NEP but "screw" the rest of the country, too.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...9e-575f8eaad291

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Governors support oil sands

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. -- Alberta found some allies Sunday at the Western U.S. governors` meeting, when a pair of nearby lawmakers defended the oilsands and suggested Canada continue to ramp up its output in the face of environmental concerns

"I look forward to the day that we markedly increase the oilsands production," said Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat. "We have an energy crisis in this county and maybe the only reliable trading partner that we have in this country is my neighbours, my friends in Alberta."

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...1e-b0ed75d7375b

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Plant makes jobs for locals

WOOD MOUNTAIN -- Canada`s first metakaolin plant is up and running after ironing out some bugs and gearing up to reach full capacity of 200,000 tonnes per year in the next few months.

More importantly, the $50-million mine and mill complex is producing much-needed jobs for young people in this sparsely populated area of south-central Saskatchewan.

Metakaolin, in case you didn`t know, is superheated kaolin, a white-coloured clay used in the manufacture of paint, plastics and ceramics and as a filler and coater in paper.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...24-8caac0b9c84f