SK Economic Fundamentals 2008-11

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1108SKTN
New owners plan makeover for Confederation Mall

The Confederation Mall on Saskatoon`s west side has been sold and will undergo renovations, its property manager said Thursday.

David Kevill, senior commercial property manager with ICR Commercial Real Estate, said Confed. Shopping Centre Inc. purchased the mall at the end of September. However no other details, including the purchase price of the development, are being released.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...6e-6d54413c2c6b

 

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1108SASK
Price plunge hurts oil firms

Lower gas prices may be good news for consumers but oil companies operating in southeast Saskatchewan are suffering from plummeting oil prices.

Many are considering cutting their drilling budgets and reducing the number of active drilling rigs.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...79-d4aa8e9bd70b

 

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1108SKTN
Jobs from A to Zin booming Saskatoon

Saskatoon`s recent graduates and job hunters seeking career options in the city might not have to look further than the city itself.

According to Judy Schlechte, director of human resources for the City of Saskatoon, the municipal public sector is ripe with various employment opportunities.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...3e-54fc2fae7f88

 

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1108SASK
Outlook healthy for hiring in public sector

As the reality of a global economic recession sets in, provincial governments across Canada may tighten the purse strings in coming months but the employment outlook remains healthy for public sector workers given that many employees will retire soon while demand for services grows.

In the West, Alberta`s labour market remains the strongest in North America, according to a recent report by the Fraser Institute, while B.C.`s ranks second-best in Canada. The continued strength of western Canadian labour markets, while moderating, combined with an aging population will result in aggressive provincial public sector hiring.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...28-4c3067a2cee8

 

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SK Small Town Updates: 2008-11-23

 

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1108SASK
Will helps protect your wishes and your wealth

After 18 years as a financial planner, Susan Stefura of National Bank Financial is still amazed at public apathy toward estate planning.

"I am continually shocked at the number of people who don`t have a will or an up-to-date will," Stefura said during a presentation for Altamira Financial Services.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...e1c4ade&p=1

 

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1108SASK
Rent notice time prompts debate

One rent hike a year for Saskatchewan residents is enough, says the NDP.

The Opposition announced Monday it would introduce an amendment to the Saskatchewan Party`s government recently introduced changes to The Residential Tenancies Act.

NDP justice critic Frank Quennell said the party supports that bill`s changes to the notification period for a rent increase from three to six months.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...30-e9bf6ddaaaff

 

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1108SASK
Farm cash receipts rise in Saskatchewan

REGINA (SNN) -- Saskatchewan farmers appear headed for another good year financially as farm cash receipts were up 25 per cent to $6.7 billion in the first nine months of 2008, Statistics Canada said Monday.

But the good news is tempered by the fact farm input costs, such as fertilizer and fuel, increased by about 50 per cent during the same period and government program payments fell, partly negating the rise in cash receipts. And the livestock sector continued to suffer, as cash receipts fell by 12.5 per cent to just under $1.1 billion in the first three quarters, reflecting low prices, the then-high Canadian dollar and pending country of origin labelling legislation in the U.S.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...77-2c0305e82cbd

 

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1108SASK
Hottest in Canada, Sask. economy may be cooling off

Saskatchewan posted a 10.4-per-cent increase in retail sales in September -- the second-highest year-over-year increase among the provinces -- according to a release by Statistics Canada Tuesday.

And year-to-date retail sales are up 12.6 per cent, the highest percentage increase in the country, and well ahead of second-place Manitoba at 8.6 per cent and third-place Newfoundland and Labrador at 8.5 per cent.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...07-77be84e9bb32

 

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1108SKTN
Lead in tap water worries residents

Recent tests have found potentially unsafe levels of lead in the tap water flowing into homes in Saskatoon`s oldest neighbourhoods and aging municipal infrastructure is the likely cause.

"With something like this, there`s a public health issue," says Caswell Hill homeowner Ryan Walker.

Walker recently learned he has to run his cold water tap at full blast for 10 minutes every morning in order to bring the concentration of lead down to the maximum level considered safe for drinking by Health Canada standards.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...e5-e6b407740a1a

 

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1108SASK
U.S. regulation COOLs market for Sask. cattle producers

To anyone who doesn`t own cows, Canadian Western Agribition in Regina looks much the same as ever. There are hordes of school-age kids getting a close-up view of farm animals. All the horse events draw a good crowd. And the purebred cattle breeders are washing, grooming and showing their animals just like normal.

Despite the façade of Agribition normalcy, this is a time of tremendous stress in the beef industry. In some ways, the situation is worse than the BSE crisis back in 2003. These days, there isn`t a general appreciation of what the industry is facing. Nor are there any easy solutions.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...6c-ba4d04dec9ca

 

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1108SASK
Property taxes not sufficient: report

A new Canada West Foundation report states that property taxes are an insufficient means for meeting the needs of municipal governments.

However, the findings of the recently released position paper came as no surprise to Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...81-05141818411c

 

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1108SASK
Internet access will reach all rural Sask.

High-speed Internet access will reach all of rural Saskatchewan within three years under a new $129-million infrastructure plan, the provincial government vowed Wednesday.

SaskTel`s high-speed Internet coverage will increase from 86 to 100 per cent, while 50 new cell towers will also be added to give 98 per cent of the population cellphone coverage, up from the current 96 per cent.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...66-681726adc88d

 

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1108RGNA
Neighbourhood gets chance to see proposal

Residents of the Core Neighbourhood had a chance to see what is being proposed for their community.

The City of Regina, with the help of an external consultant, was able to draft a new Core Neighbourhood Plan in the hopes it will rejuvenate the downtown. The plan is to help shape the look and feel of the area by guiding how land is used and how buildings are constructed.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...fb-946fddeab429

 

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1108SKTN
Councillor suggests levy to fix lead-pipe problem

The city should begin aggressively replacing lead pipes in older neighbourhoods and consider paying for it with a dedicated levy, says Coun. Pat Lorje.

A $4.50-per-month levy on monthly water bills already funds improvements aimed at eliminating basement flooding. A similar levy could raise money to replace lead pipes, the cost of which could approach $50 million, Lorje estimates.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...b3-c67a775cd34f

 

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1108SASK
PotashCorp projects to create new jobs

Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan will require the equivalent of 32,526 direct and indirect positions during construction of capacity expansion projects over the next four years, says a company executive.

When expansion projects are complete at its Allan, Cory, Lanigan, Patience Lake and Rocanville operations in 2012, the company will be responsible for the creation of an additional 14,583 direct and indirect jobs in Saskatchewan, Wayne Brownlee, PotashCorp executive vice-president and CFO, said at a Canadian Club of Saskatoon luncheon Wednesday.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...b5-f45a316d04b1

 

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1108SASK
A plan to go nuclear

A site roughly between Prince Albert and Lloydminster on the North Saskatchewan River could be the location of a nuclear power plant by 2018, Bruce Power announced Thursday.

"We have indeed confirmed there is a role for nuclear power in Saskatchewan," said the company`s president and CEO Duncan Hawthorne.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...18-72f070d660d9

 

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1108SASK
Sask. credit rating climbs

One of the most influential bond rating agencies has increased Saskatchewan`s credit rating to the highest it`s been in 22 years.

But while Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer was ecstatic Thursday over New York-based Standard and Poor`s decision to hike the province`s credit rating to AA+ from AA, he said in won`t have much impact on provincial debt because Saskatchewan isn`t in the business of borrowing.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...4b-211d441d04a8

 

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1108SKTN
Saskatoon airport hits million passenger mark

The Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport reported its one millionth passenger of the year Thursday, one month ahead of last year.

The airport has been seeing steady increases in traffic for the past 59 months. Passenger volume is up 9.3 per cent from 2007, said a press release. The airport also saw a record number of passengers in one month in October, with 100,000 travellers.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...9c-d9fb3d4f8f36

 

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1108SASK
Travel getting swifter through Swift Current

The provincial government is hoping that travel in and out of Swift Current will become easier in the near future.

Premier Brad Wall, Highways and Infrastructure Minister Wayne Elhard and Swift Current Mayor Sandy Larson were on hand at the Swift Current iPlex on Friday to announce a partnership to improve the interchange along the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 4 in Swift Current.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...ed-0b102df7c36a