Enterprise Saskatchewan

Estevan
Souris Valley Housing Incorporated (SVHI), a group whose purpose is to find affordable housing, is prepared to move forward. The group consists of people in the community who want to find a solution to the housing crisis in the city. Donations so far include a private donation of 10 acres of land just north of the city and $10,000 from Spectra Credit Union. SVHI hopes to build four affordable housing units in the next three months. It is hoped that with community involvement these four units can be built and sold at a reasonable cost to people in need. The proceeds of the sales will go towards building more similar units. (Estevan Mercury, April 21, 2010)

Kipling
A tea and sandwich shop has opened in the famous Red Paper Clip house. Owners are Ellen Johnson and daughter Billie Szilagyi. (Kipling Citizen, April 16, 2010)

Radville
This n That Nails, owned by Tammy Gust, has opened for business. (Radville Star, April 22, 2010)

Temptations Candles & Gifts, owned by Tina Cherpin, has opened for business. (Radville Star, April 22, 2010)

Weyburn
Cellular Plus held a grand opening. (Weyburn Review, April 21, 2010)

Weyburn Eye Care Centre held a grand reopening in their new location. (Weyburn Review, April 21, 2010)

Brittany Labbee and Rhea Barber are the owners of the new hair salon, Velour Hair Studio. (Weyburn Review, April 21, 2010)

Weyburn Inland Terminal (WIT) reported a profitable year at their annual general meeting. WIT earned $2.364 million which is below the five-year average of $3.559 million. (Weyburn Review, April 21, 2010)

Oxelgren’s Garage, a small engine repair shop, has opened for business. Travis Oxelgren is the owner. (Weyburn Review, April 28, 2010)

Gravelbourg
Sven Haug was named president of the Gravelbourg Chamber of Commerce at the annual general meeting. Supporting businesses and businesses supporting each other in Gravelbourg will have a reciprocal effect and will have the overall effect of attracting new businesses. (Gravelbourg Tribune, Monday, April 19, 2010)

Moose Jaw
The annual Focus on Trade Show at the Moose Jaw Exhibition Grounds was held last weekend featuring over 100 booths with a wide variety of vendors. (Moose Jaw Times Herald, Friday, April 16, 2010)

Starting in September, SIAST Palliser Campus in Moose Jaw will have two programs suspended, with four others being reduced resulting in eleven lay offs. (www.discovermoosejaw.com, Saturday, April 17, 2010)

Council unanimously approved a motion for the city to establish an Ad Hoc Committee of interested councilors, with administrative support, that would probably come through the city’s agreement with South Central Enterprise Region, to promote the development of a young entrepreneur business incubator mall in Moose Jaw. (The Moose Jaw Times Herald, Tuesday, April 20, 2010; www.discovermoosejaw.com, Tuesday, April 20, 2010)

Owner of Boh’s Cycle & Sporting Goods, Bryan Van Tassel, won both the Marketing and Business of the Year awards at the Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. Other winners include: Moose Jaw Real Estate Board, Community Involvement award; Heritage Inn, Customer Service award; Bloodline Tattoos, Young Entrepreneur award; St. John Ambulance, Healthy Workplace award; Vibe Graphics, New Business award; Cardinal Construction, Job Creation award; W.J. Jones & Son, Pioneer award; Cypress Paving, Business Innovation award; and Darin Chow, Business Leader of the Year. (The Moose Jaw Times Herald, Thursday, April 22, 2010)

Ogema
A Touch of Wellness celebrated a grand opening at their new location. (Deep South Star, Thursday, April 16, 2010)

Outlook
The fourth annual Outlook & District Chamber of Commerce Trade Show was held recently. The event focuses on small businesses and shows community residents what is available in the area. (The Outlook, Friday, April 9, 2010)

Battleford
Council finalized its budget and approved a $100 per residence and $200 per business regional recreation levy. That brings the residential base tax designed for essential services like police and firefighting to $825 per household, and $1,650 for businesses. (Daily News Online, April 26, 2010)

Meadow Lake
A new Co-op C-Store and Gas Bar is in the works for Meadow Lake. The new facility will be 20,042 square feet. Phase 1 of the project should break ground in June and be complete by the end of September. Phase 2 will include the addition of a touch less carwash. Total cost of the project is estimated to be $4 Million. (Northern Pride, April 20, 2010)

Northern Pride newspaper was recognized as the Best Overall Newspaper by the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association. (Northern Pride, April 20, 2010)

North Battleford
Innovation Credit Union posted another successful year with a total asset base growth of 9.6%, member deposit growth of 6.2% and total loan growth of 11.9%. Innovation Credit Union is currently in merger discussions with Synergy Credit Union. (Highway 40 Courier, April 21, 2010)

The Battlefords News Optimist and Regional Optimist won four awards in the recent Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association Awards held recently. Awards were presented for Best Front Page, Best Advertisement, Best Hard News Photo, and Columnist of the Year. (Regional Optimist, April 23, 2010)

Blue Rentals is celebrating their fourth anniversary. (Regional Optimist, April 23, 2010)

The Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs (BATC), the city, the town, school boards and Battlefords Tourism have partnered to host one of the biggest events held in the Battlefords in decades, the 2012 Saskatchewan First Nation Winter Games to be held April 9 -14, 2012. (Daily News Online, April 26, 2010)

Pierceland
Heavenly Flowers opened in Pierceland in the former McClellan’s store. Owner is Leslie McRae. (Beaver River Banner, April 21, 2010)

Unity
Serenity Pottery is holding a grand opening in early May. (Unity Herald, April 19, 2010)

Hudson Bay
Goldsource Mines Inc. (Goldsource or the Company) has completed drilling 27 core holes for the winter 2009-10 exploration program at its wholly-owned Border Project located near Hudson Bay which encountered several thick coal zones including 126.5 metres in the Niska 107 deposit. Drilling to date has discovered 17 coal deposits at Border with good potential for additional coal discoveries; the winter program also included 5 drill holes on the Ballantyne property as well as 8 holes on the Company’s quarry claims in Manitoba. (Post-Review, April 15, 2010)

Humboldt
The Humboldt Co-op Agro Centre celebrated its grand opening at its new site. The Co-op General Manager is Phil Griffeth, Co-op Farm Equipment manager is Hal Haeusler, Co-op Petroleum manager is Eugene Graf, Co-op Agro and Crop Supplies manager is Brad Frerichs. (Humboldt Journal, April 14, 2010)

Lanigan
The new owners of Lanigan Car Wash are Dave Paetsch and his son, Greg Paetsch. (Lanigan Advisor, April 26, 2010)

Melfort
Wright’s Greenhouse celebrated the grand opening of their new location. (Melfort Journal April 27, 2010)

Northeast Source for Sports held its grand opening celebrations. (Melfort Journal, April 27, 2010)

The Melfort & District Chamber of Commerce celebrated their annual business awards. The Mel-Bex Award winners in the various categories were:
Business of the Year, Ten Employees and Under: FYI Doctors
Business of the Year, Eleven Employees and Over: Thomas Motors
Customer Service Award: Dr. John Mindiuk
Heritage Award: Annand Law Office
Property Appearance Award: Dairy Queen
Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Roseanne Myrheim, M & K Welding
Community Involvement Award – Non Profit: Canadian Métis Heritage Corporation
Community Involvement Award – Corporate: Scotiabank
Citizen of the Year: Bernice McCosh
(Melfort Journal, April 20 and April 27, 2010; Melfort & District Chamber of Commerce April 21, 2010)

Prince Albert
City council has approved the construction of a 195 unit, two-high rise building project. There would be 131 condos in the first building and 64 in the second building, with each condo being either a one-bedroom or two-bedroom suite. Construction should start within one month and is expected to be completed next fall. (Prince Albert Daily Herald, April 28, 2010)

Tisdale
The Tisdale and District Chamber of Commerce celebrated their annual business awards. The 2009 winners were:
Pioneer Business Award: Don Falkner, Falkon Theatre
Business of the Year Award: Scotiabank
Citizen of the Year Award: Kirby Burningham
Group of the Year Award: SRC/TMSS Leadership Conference Committee
Citizen Honours Award: Joanne Messer
(The Tisdale Recorder, April 21, 2010)

Wynyard
K-4 Rentals in Wynyard is now a Flaman Rentals dealer. A grand opening of the new business was held. Owners are Murray and RoseMarie Kowalyk and Bev and Greg Kostyk. (The Advance Gazette, April 19, 2010)

Fort Qu’Appelle
The CIBC in Fort Qu’Appelle hosted an open house to celebrate 100 years of banking. (The Fort Qu’Appelle Times, April 27, 2010)

Lipton
After more than 25 years, the Lipton Hotel is now under new management as new owners settle into their new home and business. Don Wizniuk and Una Dowd along with Kimberly and Bryce Stav have relocated from Cut Knife to begin their new venture. (Fort Qu’Appelle Times, April 20, 2010)

Sharon Lutz recently hosted the grand opening of Sharon’s Coffee and Bake Shop. Sharon’s Coffee and Bake Shop, formerly known as the Dial Confectionary, has been completely refurbished to include a larger seating area. (The Fort Qu’Appelle Times, April 27, 2010)

Regina
The Pasqua Hospital is opening its new emergency department this month. The new emergency department will be 5,000 square feet larger; will have 36 stretcher/recliner chair spaces – an increase from 22 beds; two trauma rooms; three negative-pressure isolation rooms; a hazardous materials decontamination room; a dedicated room with shower for sexual assault victims; a psychiatric seclusion room; and an enclosed and climate controlled ambulance garage that will include six decontamination showers. The renovation cost $6.1 million. (Leader Post, April 16, 2010)

Lifestyle Cabinetry, located at St. John and 8th Avenue, is celebrating their first year anniversary. (Leader Post, April 17, 2010)

Kitchencraft has opened a new showroom located on Broad Street. (Leader Post, April 17, 2010)

SIGNARAMA, located on Francis Street, celebrated their grand opening. A franchise of the largest full service sign company in the world, SIGNARAMA Regina is independently owned and operated yet has the backing of an international business with nearly 1000 stores worldwide. (Leader Post, April 22, 2010)

North Ridge Development Corporation (NRD) was named the 2009 Family Enterprise of the Year by the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise (CAFÉ – Regina Chapter). The Saskatoon based company was formed 25 years ago and has been active in Regina for the last 10 years. During that time, North Ridge has developed a reputation as one of the top custom builders in the city. North Ridge is also expanding into multi-family housing and recently was awarded the Regina & Region Home Builder’s Association (RRHBA) Customer Choice award for multi-family unit and environmental leadership in 2009. (Leader Post, April 23, 2010)

Construction has begun on the next phase of the Grasslands shopping area south of the Wal-Mart Supercentre west of Lewvan Drive. The new retail space is located on the same parcel of land as Wal-Mart and will close off the south side of the development. (Leader Post, April 28, 2010)

Strasbourg
The owners of DiGers, Kelvin and Arlene Schapansky, are building a large extension on the south end of their building. The addition will accommodate a larger seating area for the deli/coffee shop and allow for expansion of the convenience and confectionary services. (Last Mountain Times, April 27, 2010)

The taps are turned on for a $4 million water supply project that hooks Aberdeen into the Saskatoon water system. SaskWater, which completed the project, buys water from Saskatoon and sells it to Aberdeen, which then bills town residents. Aberdeen, SaskWater and the Highway 41 Water Utility, which serves the Rural Municipality of Aberdeen, signed water supply agreements in 2008. (Star Phoenix, April 17, 2010)

Housing starts in the Saskatoon region are expected to rise over the short-term but fall over the long-term, according to a new Conference Board of Canada report. Saskatoon joins 11 other Canadian cities analyzed by the conference board, which states the long-term outlook reflects the fact that housing starts will begin to move back in line with demographic requirements. The Saskatoon area recorded 1,390 housing starts to March 2010, up from 577 starts last year. (Star Phoenix, April 17, 2010)

The elimination of a 50-year-old policy that prevents commercial and acreage development within a 1.6 kilometer buffer around Saskatoon's city limits is part of a plan to change how the city and the rural municipality that surround it operate. The plan, presented at an open house in April, will fundamentally alter the relationship between the City of Saskatoon and the Rural Municipality (RM) of Corman Park, according to Bill Delainey, manager of planning operations for the RM of Corman Park. (Star Phoenix, April 21, 2010)

Westcap Mgt. Ltd. received $3.7 million in funding from the federal government to advance First Nation and Metis business opportunities in Saskatchewan. The funding will allow eight more First Nation and Métis communities to participate in Westcap's Business Ready Investment Development Gateway (BRIDG) initiative, a three-year program designed to help aboriginal communities in Saskatchewan become business-ready. (Star Phoenix, April 21, 2010)

Twenty positions have been eliminated in the Saskatoon Health Region (SHR), bringing to 40 the total number of cuts for the year. The move, which will save $1.1 million a year, was made to save money and streamline services. (Star Phoenix, April 22, 2010)

Hiring more aboriginal employees isn't a diversity issue for Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc.; it's a business opportunity, according to the company's president and CEO. At a Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) luncheon in Saskatoon, it was stated a rise in Potash Corporation's relatively small percentage of aboriginal employees to be reflective of the size of Saskatchewan's First Nations and Métis community is due. (Star Phoenix, April 22, 2010)

Construction of the Art Gallery of Saskatchewan at a site in River Landing will begin this year with the first phase of the $55 million project, contingent on federal funding. A four page brochure for the new gallery, obtained by The Star Phoenix, states the building, which would replace the 44 year old Mendel Art Gallery, would be the new epicenter for arts and culture in Saskatoon. The Mendel board of trustees unanimously approved pursuing the River Landing location earlier this month. (Star Phoenix, April 23, 2010)

The process of selling Cover-All Building Systems Inc. is underway after a Calgary judge ruled in favour of putting the local company in receivership. Pricewaterhouse Coopers Inc. is now in control of Cover-All's assets and business, and is moving forward with a plan to sell the company. A process outlined in court documents started the process of encouraging potential owners to come forward with bids. (Star Phoenix, April 27, 2010)

NEW BUSINESSES:
Go For Sushi Buffet, owners, Eric Li and Jason Chen. (Star Phoenix, April 17, 2010)Sage Computer Technologies, owner, Michael Cavanaugh. (Star Phoenix, April 17, 2010)
Wynk Wear, owners, Georgina and Blair Hindmarsh and Sean Martin. (Star Phoenix, April 17, 2010)
Hang Loose Yard and Tree Services, owner, John Wright. (Star Phoenix, April 18, 2010)
Granite Transformations, owner, Bryan Popowich. (Star Phoenix, April 24, 2010)
Symmetry Therapeutics, owners, Don Wickstrom and Navarra Good. (Star Phoenix, April 24, 2010)

Gull Lake
The Gull Lake Advance was nominated for five awards at the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association’s 94th Annual Convention. The paper came away with top prize for their Salute to Veterans supplement. Gull Lake also received three second place finishes. (The Gull Lake Advance, April 20, 2010)

Herbert
The annual meeting of the Co-op was held and the comment was that even though it was an eventful year, sales were slightly lower in 2009 due to lower fuel prices. Although 2009 brought various challenges concerning all areas of the business, it also continues to see visible donations to charities and organizations. (The Herbert Herald, April 20, 2010)

Kindersley
The Kindersley Clarion paper, owned by Jamac Publishing Inc., celebrated 100 years in circulation. Jamac recently earned three first-place finishes at the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Awards banquet in Regina. This event marks a milestone and makes it the longest run business in Kindersley. (The Clarion, April 21, 2010)

A strategic plan for the long term future of the airport has been drafted by manager Kathleen Henderson. The concern is that the airport doesn’t make big money, but it serves as a business hub in the community. (The Clarion, April 21, 2010)

Kyle
The Kyle Pioneer Co-op has officially opened its doors. Many visitors came to see the new store with all the amenities. (The Kyle Times, April 16, 2010)

Leader
The ground has been turned for a Subway restaurant located along Highway 21. They hope to be open by mid July and operate seven days a week. (Leader News, April 21, 2010)

Maple Creek
The post office had to cut back hours in their office due to the economic state of our country. Canada Post’s downsize has stemmed from businesses reducing their costs. (The Maple Creek News, April 22, 2010)

The Community Planning Committee discussed the improvements to transportation and establishing a theatre building in town. They felt that they attract people by providing a venue that would accommodate touring groups, dance recitals, music festivals and professional stage productions. (The Maple Creek Times, April 20, 2010)

Shaunavon
Legacy Paint and Pet Supplies celebrated their grand opening. They opened their doors earlier this year, in a location adjacent to Legacy Computers. (The Shaunavon Standard, April 20, 2010)

Southwest
The Swift Current area generated $23.2 million, its highest level of interest in two years, during the April 2010 crown petroleum and natural gas rights sale. (Southwest Booster, April 15, 2010)

Swift Current
Swift Current taxpayers are facing a four per cent increase in the city’s mill rate in order to generate an additional $250,000 to balance the City of Swift Current’s 2010 budget. The increase places focus on planning for the future and allows the city to maintain their current level of services. (The Southwest Booster, April 22, 2010)

Great Plains College and the University of Saskatchewan signed a memorandum committing the two institutions to working together to develop better programs at the community level. (Swift Current Online, April 21, 2010)

Esterhazy
Sheri Muir has opened up Pure Harmony Esthetics, Hair Care & More. (The Miner-Journal, Esterhazy, April 26, 2010)

Langbank
Seed Hawk Inc. has issued temporary layoffs because of a slow-down in overseas orders due to global recession. The layoffs are expected to last for three months. The company is still moving ahead on its $7.5 million, 55,000 square foot expansion as announced in February. (The Whitewood Herald, April 26, 2010)

Melville
Connie Sapara has expanded her Sears outlet store to include larger merchandise items such as major appliances, mattresses, electronics, and seasonal items. A grand opening was held. (The Melville Advance, April 21 and 28, 2010)

Jean and Quinton Tank have re-opened The Laundromat, a business they had previously operated five years ago. They are also offering alterations at their new business. (The Melville Advance, April 21, 2010)

Moosomin
Moosomin Chamber of Commerce Home, Farm & Leisure Show 2010 was held on April 30th and May 1, 2010. (The World-Spectator, Moosomin, April 26, 2010)

Spy Hill
Debbie and Marcel DeCorby have purchased Spy Hill Foods from Ryan and Heather Carter. No changes are expected at this time. (The Miner-Journal, Esterhazy, April 19, 2010)

Whitewood
Whitewood Economic Development Committee Trade Fair and Craft Show & Sale took place on May 1, 2010. (The Whitewood Herald, April 26, 2010)

Yorkton
Wal-Mart officially became a Wal-Mart Super Center. A grand opening was held. (Yorkton This Week, April 28, 2010) 

According to a Statistics Canada report, Saskatchewan had the highest increase among the provinces on a seasonally adjusted basis between January 2010 and February 2010, up by 5.5 per cent. Nationally, wholesale trade dropped by 1.2 per cent. (Enterprise Saskatchewan News Release, April 21, 2010)

New motor vehicle sales in Saskatchewan for February 2010 are up by 33.6 per cent over last year which is the third highest increase in the nation. Manufacturing shipments which were up slightly in February of this year, by 0.7 per cent, ranked the sixth best in Canada. (Enterprise Saskatchewan News Release, April 16, 2010)

There were 174 urban housing starts last month in Saskatchewan, up from 95 in March of last year. Saskatchewan had the third highest percentage change among Canadian provinces. Urban housing starts were up in the first three months of 2010 to 710 units, compared with 257 units in the first three months of 2009. (Enterprise Saskatchewan News Release, April 12, 2010)

ISC, the former Land Titles Crown, will be a one-stop, online portal for business owners to incorporate their businesses, pay their taxes and register for government programs and services. The transfer of the Corporations Branch functions from the Ministry of Justice to ISC in October is the first phase in developing an online business registry service by early 2011. By the end of 2012, ISC will begin to expand the services offered beyond registration to provide business owners with a single point of access to other government services for businesses. Business owners will only have to fill out one form, which will be used to register the business for Provincial Sales Tax remittances, Workers’ Compensation Board payments, and other government programs and services. (Leader Post, April 21, 2010)

Kramer Ltd., located in Regina, and Saskatchewan Minerals Inc., located in Chaplin, were among the winners of the 2009 Top 50 Best Managed Companies in Canada. (Leader Post, April 29, 2010)