Enterprise Saskatchewan

Carlyle
Dunn Transport, a third generation family trucking business, celebrated their 60th anniversary. (Carlyle Observer, June 25, 2010)

Carnduff
CanElson Drilling Inc., an Alberta corporation, has acquired Totem Drilling Ltd. Totem Drilling, which opened in 2006, owns and operates drilling rigs in the Bakken oil fields. (Carnduff Gazette, June 28, 2010)

Estevan
A sod-turning ceremony for the new Suburban Extended Stay hotel was held. Construction on the new 89 room hotel is expected to begin in January. (Estevan Mercury, June 30, 2010)

Cheeze Biizkitz, a food kiosk in the mall, is closing. (Estevan Mercury, June 30, 2010)

Creighton Lodge is now under new ownership. Sun Country Regional Health Authority has turned the level one and two care home over to a consortium of rural municipalities. (Estevan Mercury, June 30, 2010)

Sheila Guenther and Garth Hoffort are the new owners of Watson Land Services. The company has been in operation for close to thirty years. (Pipeline News, July 2010)

Kipling
The Red Paperclip House has now become The Paperclip Cottage. The house marked its fifth anniversary of the popular trade that started with a paper clip and ended up being a house and finally a movie filming in Kipling. Kyle McDonald, the person who started the trading, turned the house back over to the town. Now the house is a restaurant and tourist information centre. (News Release, Kipling Community Development)

Kisbey
The Skid Shack, a new restaurant owned by May McAuthur, has opened for business near the Pheasant Rump First Nation and the Village of Kisbey. (Carlyle Observer, July 2, 2010)

Oxbow
Safe-Tee Management, owned by Shirley and Jim Galloway, is moving into the former True Value hardware location. Some of the services the business will offer include a small retail space for personal protective equipment as well as fire extinguishers, gas monitor calibration, a medical office for pre-placement medical assessments, mini physicals, etc. (Pipeline News, July 2010)

Weyburn
SaskTel’s 3G wireless network which will be launched in August will be commercially available in Weyburn as well as several other locations in the province. (www.leaderpost.com, July 6, 2010)

Crescent Point Energy Trust held an opening of their new building. Crescent Point is the largest oil producer in southeast Saskatchewan. Their operations consist of light and medium oil and natural gas assets. (Weyburn Review, June 30, 2010)

The new outdoor swimming pool at the Weyburn Leisure Centre is now open. Funding for the pool came from donations from the Young Fellows and Cenovus, and grants from the provincial and federal governments. (Weyburn Review, July 7, 2010)

White Bear
A grand opening was held for the Bear Claw Hotel. The Bear Claw Casino and Hotel is the first fully integrated casino resort. The hotel has 36 rooms with access to the casino gaming floor. (Estevan Lifestyles, July 9, 2010)

Gravelbourg
The grand opening of McCord Community Park was held with a ribbon cutting and a good crowd in attendance. (The Gravelbourg Tribune, July 5, 2010)

Moose Jaw
The Moose Jaw Funeral Home is now offering cremations at its own crematorium, which was built in conjunction with an indoor columbarium, a place where families can rest their loved ones’ urn, along with personal items, behind a glass door. The columbarium officially opened in June. An open house was held at the funeral home in June. (The Moose Jaw Times Herald, July 7, 2010)

Levi Dombowsky, owner of Prairie Storm Paintball Inc., recently spent $12,000 on expanding his paintball business. He’s added additional playing fields and equipment which can accommodate more customers. Levi is currently working on two additional playing fields, a new store front and staging/spectator area that includes washrooms, concession and a retail store. (Moose Jaw Regional Office, July 2010)

Outlook
Ken and Ruby Chan, the longtime owners of the New Outlook café, have sold the business and went out with a bang on their last day in June. The café has been sold to a couple, Zhi Jian Ban and Xiu Qin Ma, who have prior restaurant experience. The Chan’s are looking forward to their retirement and being closer to their family in Saskatoon. (The Outlook, Friday, July 2, 2010)

A representative of The Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Development Action Plan will be marketing the area at the Calgary Stampede 2010 in conjunction with Saskatchewan Tourism. (Economic Development Office, Outlook, July 2010)

Frenchman Butte
Fort Pitt Provincial Historical Park has recently undergone extensive renovations and held a re-dedication ceremony. (St Walburg & Area Gazette, July 7, 2010)

Meadow Lake
55 West ER held their first annual general meeting in June. (Northern Pride, June 25, 2010)

Herbal Magic Weight Loss & Nutrition Centre has opened a location in Meadow Lake. The operation is a satellite site from the Cold Lake, Alberta operation. (Meadow Lake Progress, July 2, 2010)

North Battleford
Westland Agencies has been sold and is now operating under the name Signature Service Real Estate. Principles in the new company are Brian Lampitt as General Manager, Rita Baxter as Broker and Herb Cox as Branch Manager. (Regional Optimist, July 2, 2010)

Kramer Auction has added a new Real Estate Division Inc. to their operations. Ed Truelove is the broker who will handle real estate auctions, land lease auctions and traditional real estate sales. (Regional Optimist, July 2, 2010)

The construction contract for the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts has been awarded to APM Construction Service Inc. for a total price of $13,060,704 plus taxes. The company is based out of Prince Edward Island. (City of North Battleford, July 7, 2010)

Farm Credit Corporation held a grand opening of their new building. (News Optimist, July 7, 2010)

Scott
Scott Research Farm celebrated 100 years this month. (Regional Optimist, July 2, 2010)

The Town of Scott is celebrated its 100th year anniversary this July. (Wilkie Press, July 5, 2010)

Melfort
Funding totalling $15 million is being contributed to the Fort a la Corne Employment Development Partnership project which is based on an agreement between the Government of Canada, the construction industry, Cumberland College and First Nations organizations. The federal government is contributing $7.5 million of funding to this project through the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership program. Through the project, participants will receive skills training they need in order to take part in the construction of a hydroelectric facility. There is a proposal for a hydroelectric dam at James Smith First Nation. About 600 First Nations people in the region will be accepted into the program for training and out of that, about 400 are expected to gain employment. (The Melfort Journal, June 29, 2010)

Prince Albert
The city is reporting a record breaking year for development permits with $38.4 million being issued for the first two quarters of 2010. In 2008, permits issued were $36.4 million in the first two quarters. So far the city has issued 170 building permits, of which 128 are residential and 42 are commercial. (Prince Albert Daily Herald, July 9, 2010)

Persia Bistro, Prince Albert’s first Iranian restaurant, located in the South Hill Mall celebrated its grand opening. The owner/operator is Jaklin MacGregor. (Enterprise Saskatchewan, Prince Albert Regional office, July 9, 2010).

Sobey’s grocery store in Prince Albert is now open for business 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sobeys stores in Regina and Saskatoon also switched over to the new hours. (Star Phoenix, July 2, 2010)

Tisdale
The Northeast Newcomer Services office in Tisdale held its grand opening. This is Tisdale’s immigrant services office. The regional manager is Ruth Howes. (The Parkland Review, June 25, 2010)

Watrous
The Watrous Co-operative Food Store expansion plans for this year have been postponed until further notice. They will continue with the parking lot completion this summer. (The Watrous Manitou, July 5, 2010)

Brendan Manz is the new Community Development Officer for the Watrous and Manitou Marketing Group. The group includes Watrous, Manitou Beach and the Rural Municipality of Morris. (The Watrous Manitou, July 5, 2010)

Fort Qu’Appelle
Mainline Insurance Brokers Inc. held their grand re-opening. (The Fort Qu’Appelle Times, June 29, 2010)

Indian Head
The grand opening of the Historic Bell Barn will take place on July 24th. (Indian Head-Wolseley News, June 21, 2010)

Indian Head Bakery and Coffee Shop held their grand re-opening. (Indian Head-Wolseley News, June 21, 2010)

Regina
Zellers will be moving into the space previously occupied by Wal-Mart in the Southland Mall. Retrocom, the owner of the mall, is investing $15 million into the mall and its tenants, with $11 million being invested in the revitalization of the exterior and interior of the mall. The revitalization process will begin immediately and will take approximately 18 months to complete. Construction on the Zellers store will begin in the fall. (Leader Post, June 26, 2010)

After 33 years in business, John Kress is closing the Book & Brier Patch. The 9,000 square foot store, located on Albert Street will close its doors on July 31st. (Leader Post, June 29, 2010)

RCMP Depot Division celebrated their 125th Anniversary this month. Numerous ceremonies and activities took place at the RCMP Heritage Centre. (Leader Post, July 2, 2010)

Building permits totaled $29.2 million in June, down from $43.6 million from June 2009, according to the City of Regina. Regina is still on track to break the previous record for building permit values, with $242.5 million in permits issued in the first half of 2010 compared with $213.2 million during the same period last year. The largest single permit was for $3 million to Fiorante Homes & Commercial for an apartment building on McTavish Street. Several more large projects haven’t been permitted yet, such as the 26 storey Capital Pointe hotel and condo complex at the site of the old Plains Hotel and the 18-20 storey office tower at 12th Avenue and Hamilton Street. (Leader Post, July 6, 2010)

According to the Conference Board of Canada, the Saskatoon region continues to have a balanced home resale market. The region is set to experience a seven per cent or higher increase in the price of resale homes over the next 12 months. (Star Phoenix, June 26, 2010)

According to a recent house price survey, condominiums are becoming the most attractive entry level home purchase in Saskatoon. Standard condos are selling for an average of $232,833. (Star Phoenix, July 8, 2010)

According to the Saskatoon Region Association of Realtors, a drop in the number of home sales in Saskatoon last month is a result of an increase in property listing. Despite the decrease in sales, which fell 17 per cent to 364 home purchases in June compared to 441 purchases during the same month last year, the average selling price for a home increased seven per cent to $295,963 from $276,194 in June 2009. (Star Phoenix, July 6, 2010)

Saskatchewan Housing Corp. committed $200,000 to Habitat for Humanity that will be used to join two duplexes and allow fours families to realize their dream of becoming home owners. The funding is part of the $1 million announced in April to assist Habitat for Humanity’s Saskatchewan affiliates in providing 20 homes for lower income Saskatchewan families. (Star Phoenix, July 9, 2010)

According to a recent report released by Statistics Canada, the value of building permits issued in the Saskatoon area during the past year has more than doubled from last year. The value of home building permits issued in Saskatoon’s census metropolitan area in May was $90.3 million, up 101.8 per cent over May 2009. (Star Phoenix, July 7, 2010)

Construction started on the United Associated (UA) Local 179’s new $2.5 million training facility located in Saskatoon. UA Local is a pipe trades union with members who work in the fabrication, installation, maintenance and servicing of all forms of fluid plumbing systems. The building is expected to be open for business by early 2011. (Star Phoenix, June 25, 2010)

Lockheed Martin donated a $3.5 million training package to the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology. The donation includes a package of training materials for the school’s Aviation Maintenance and Engineering faculty. (Star Phoenix, June 26, 2010)

Saskatoon Ideas Inc. has received federal funding to create a new economic incubator for the Saskatoon and Outlook regions. Western Economic Diversification Canada is providing $35,000 in funding under the Western Diversification Program. The funding will help hire a consultant to do market assessments and develop a business incubation model that will be used to advice and support entrepreneurs. (Star Phoenix, July 9, 2010)

Cameco Corp. has signed agreements with two Chinese companies, China Nuclear Energy Industry Corp. (CNEIC) and China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), to supply uranium. The two companies signed a non-binding framework agreement that will see the parties work to negotiate long term uranium purchase agreements and potential joint development of uranium resources. (Star Phoenix, June 25, 2010)

Canada and India signed a nuclear co-operation agreement at the close of the G20 conference in Toronto. The agreement will allow Canadian companies to import and export controlled nuclear materials, equipment and technology to and from India. This is good news for the Saskatoon based uranium giant, Cameco Corp., who opened an office in the India city of Hyderabad in September 2009. (Star Phoenix, June 29, 2010)

Cameco Corp. was ranked 18th on the Corporate Knight’s annual list of the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. The Best 50 Corporate Citizens are leading the charge to a cleaner, more humane capitalism, where markets and companies work to make the world a better place. (Star Phoenix, June 26, 2010)

Prairie Plant Systems Inc. recently signed a new contract with Health Canada worth nearly $17 million. The contract encompasses development, production and distribution of dried marijuana and marijuana seeds. Now, the Saskatoon company is the only federally licensed medical marijuana producer in Canada and must get to work hiring new staff and expanding its secret growing facility to accommodate the contract. (Star Phoenix, July 8, 2010)

The Saskatoon based company, Vecima Networks Inc., has signed a deal with a leading United States based original equipment manufacturer for the supply of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) output modules. QAM technology is used by cable operators to provide digital video, high definition television, high speed data, video on demand and other services. According to Vecima, the total annual market for Universal Edge QAM platforms is expected to grow to $450 million worldwide by 2014. (Star Phoenix, July 8, 2010)

Saskatoon’s Great Western Minerals Group Ltd.’s one million dollar rare element exploration program is underway on a site in the Yukon. The company is funding the program under an agreement it made earlier this year with True North Gems Inc. in a bid to acquire up to 65 per cent of the True Blue site. The purpose is to determine the surface dimensions of the currently known rare earth element mineralization and identify new areas of mineralization in the area. (Star Phoenix, July 9, 2010)

Saskatoon’s 49 North Resources Inc. is looking to raise up to $10 million for an oil and gas development near Kindersley. The deal is expected to close on or about July 28. (Star Phoenix, July 2, 2010)

Construction is scaling back at BioExx Specialty Proteins Ltd.’s canola protein plant near Saskatoon as operations near a start date. BioExx said the startup of the plan is expected within the next few weeks. (Star Phoenix, July 8, 2010)

Sobeys grocery stores are extending their hours across Western Canada to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week including Saskatoon. (Star Phoenix, July 2, 2010)

A pilot project, known as the Third Quarter program, designed to match workers nearing their early retirement years with potential employers, was recently unveiled in Humboldt. Government funding is being provided for the Third Quarter program. The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce is also helping in its implementation. (Star Phoenix, July 9, 2010)

Allied Contract Sales, owned by Jared, Wally and Leota Servetnyk, relocated to 56th Street and expanded its market. They bring in new lines and now serve residential clients. (Star Phoenix, June 26, 2010)

Saskatoon’s newest hotel, the Points Four by Sheraton, will house Saskatoon’s first Ric’s Grill restaurant. Ric’s Grill Steak, Seafood and Chop House is an 18 chain restaurant in Western Canada. The main dining room is expected to open in the next two to three months. (Star Phoenix, June 29, 2010)

The Mall at Lawson Heights has been chosen as the site of the first Saskatchewan location of Laura Canada. The popular women’s wear store will open a 10,000 square foot store at the mall in October 2010. The national brand will carry the Laura, Laura Petites and Laura Plus collections. (Star Phoenix, July 9, 2010)

Abby’s, owned by J.A. Sharp, opened a second location downtown in the King George. The store supplies home décor, giftware and party supplies. (Star Phoenix, July 3, 2010)

Knott den Hollander, owned by Holly Ann Knott and Connie den Hollander, relocated into the renovated Avenue Building on Wall Street. (Star Phoenix, July 3, 2010)

New Businesses:
Cuppa’T II, owners Nicole Gordon and Jule Gilchrist. (Star Phoenix, June 26, 2010)

Biggar
The United Church began their year long 100th anniversary celebration in June. They marked the event with balloons, music and a brief early church history. (The Independent, July 5, 2010)

The Planning for Growth initiative was launched. Municipalities now have greater access to funding to accommodate and encourage economic development and population growth in their regions. (The Independent, June 28, 2010)

The town of Biggar increased their mill rate to 20 to meet funding requirements for the Diamond Lodge replacement project. (The Independent, June 28, 2010)

Fox Valley
The new Dragonfly Arts and Cultural Centre have opened in the old Lutheran church building. (The Prairie Post, July 2, 2010)

Kindersley
Kindersley held their 100th birthday celebration with organizers scheduling flight tours as part of the festivities. (The Clarion, June 30, 2010)

The Tea Tassel held their last week of business before closing the end of June. (The Crossroads, June 25, 2010)

Southwest
The Southwest Enterprise Region held its first annual meeting. It was launched in May of 2009 and marked the beginning of a new approach to economic development designed to bring together every sector of the economy to create sustaining growth strategies. (The Prairie Post, July 2, 2010)

Swift Current
City business director, Marty Salberg, reported that building permits in Swift Current increased significantly. They went from $640,000 in May 2009 to $5.5 million in May 2010. The commercial construction building permits were $400,000 in May 2009. In May 2010, they were in excess of $3 million. He adds there is continued interest in the city’s newest development behind the new hospital and the commercial area behind the casino. New roads will encourage development and the sale of land. (Swift Current Online, July 8, 2010)

Four medical students will be trained at the Family Associate Clinic through the benefit of the Family Medicine Teaching Unit established in Swift Current by the Saskatchewan College of Medicine. (Swift Current Online July 7, 2010)

Swift Current’s Lyric Theatre was the location for the third annual Chautaugua festival held in July. Six professional performers from across the country, as well as a variety of local entertainment took the stage during the event. (The Gull Lake Advance, July 6, 2010)

Canora
Effective August 13, 2010, Chelsea Wilson has tendered her resignation as Community Development Officer for the Town of Canora. The town is actively seeking a replacement. (The Canora Courier, July 7, 2010)

Grenfell
Memory Lane Lodge, a privately owned senior care home, will be expanding to a new 10,000 square foot facility. The current facility houses five seniors. The new facility will accommodate up to 20. Cheryl Wilson, the owner, hopes to have the new home ready for spring or early summer 2011. (The Grenfell Sun, June 21, 2010)

Ituna
The Town of Ituna celebrated their 100th birthday. (The Melville Advance, June 16, 2010)

Wolseley
Brenda and Gerry Hill have sold Weird Willie’s General Store to three gentlemen from Vancouver, British Columbia. It is not known at this time what the new name will be. (The Grenfell Sun, June 21, 2010)

Yorkton
Laura Kachur and Candace Tarr have opened up The New Energy Wellness Centre, offering a variety of therapies focused on a holistic approach to healthcare. (The News Review, Yorkton, July 1, 2010)