Enterprise Saskatchewan

Estevan
Do All Metal Fabricating has opened a new Hydraulics Division. (Estevan Mercury, August 11, 2010)

Elite Events has opened and is owned by Chandell Tytlandsvik. The business offers event consulting, planning and decorating. (Estevan Mercury, August 18, 2010)

Kipling
The Toronto Dominion bank celebrated 100 years in the community. (Kipling Citizen, August 6, 2010)

Macoun
The Macoun Co-op has completed the $230,000 update to their cardlock. (Federated Co-operatives Ltd.)

Redvers
The Redvers Co-op’s new full service C-store is now open. (Redvers Optimist, August 14, 2010)

Weyburn
Behind the Curtain Boutique has opened. Partners in the business are Marley Brown, Melanie Alexander and Karrie Johnston. The boutique offers several lines of dance and skate wear as well as purses, bags, gifts and dance shoes. (Weyburn Review, August 11, 2010)

The Federal Government announced that it will give an additional $2.2 million to the carbon sequestration project near the Saskatchewan-North Dakota border. The project uses pipes to feed greenhouse gases from a coal gasification facility in North Dakota to oilfields near Weyburn. To date, 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide have been stored in the Saskatchewan oilfields. The announcement brings the total Canadian contribution to $15.2 million. (Labour Market Bulletin, Service Canada, August 2010)

Assiniboia
Three local businesses, BG Video World, Homestyle Floors and Interiors and the Assiniboia Times were recently awarded with a plaque and special gifts for their continued support of Welcome Wagon for the past twenty years. (Assiniboia Times, Friday, August 6, 2010)

Davidson
In the spring of 2010, the community of Davidson was the first stop for Mid Sask Enterprise Region (ER) to launch the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Project. Interviews were conducted with the owners and managers throughout the Davidson business community and although the responses were varied, they also shared some common themes. Over 75 percent of Davidson businesses have been surveyed and Mid Sask ER has now set its sights on other communities throughout the region. The BRE Project has been expanded to include the communities of Elbow, Beechy, and Central Butte. Mid Sask ER staff will be conducting interviews in these communities throughout August and September and the results of these surveys will then be compiled over the next two months. Last but not least, Mid Sask ER will be reaching out to the business community in Outlook to conduct the final set of interviews in late fall or early winter. (MidSask ER, August 18, 2010)

Kenaston
Sonia and Les Howells are the new proprietors of 4 C’s Corner Store, formerly known as Heather’s Korner. 4C’s Corner Store offers a variety of products including liquor and lottery. The business also offers the services of a small fitness center and tanning bed. (MidSask ER, August 18, 2010)

Moose Jaw
After seventeen months of speculation, citing market conditions and an inability to reach a Collective Agreement, XL Foods issued a statement on Friday saying they will close the Moose Jaw beef processing plant. The plant has not been operational since April 2009, due to a contract dispute with its employees. More than 200 employees have been officially laid off. About 140 employees have been picketing since September 2009. (Moose Jaw Times Herald, Saturday, August 14, 2010)

The reopening of the Moose Jaw Pork Packers could be good news for the laid off workers from XL Beef. They are looking at running a Job Fair in November and the company is very interested in the workers from XL beef who are familiar with the dynamics of a meat plant. The plan is to have the pork plant operational before the end of 2010. (Moose Jaw Times Herald, Tuesday, August 17, 2010)

Edam
Edam Arenas Twinning Project is on schedule and on budget. The facility has been under construction for approximately 4 months and is expected to be completed in time for this seasons ice sports. The total project is expected to cost $2.1M. (Regional Optimist, August 13, 2010)

Frenchman Butte
The new Frenchman Butte Heritage RV Park held its Grand Opening. (St. Walburg & Area Gazette, August 11, 2010)

Meadow Lake
Development plans are underway for the new Pristine Ridge condominium development adjacent to the Northern Meadows Golf Course. A partnership of five couples known as Five of Hearts plans to break ground this fall on phase one of the project. (Beaver River Banner, August 11, 2010)

Jewelry Classique will have a new owner as of August 28th. Mary Bekter is retiring and has sold the business to Rhonda Cowan. (Meadow Lake Progress, August 13, 2010)

Prairie North Health Region has purchased the Meadow Lake Associate Clinic building and plans to renovate the facility’s vacant space to bring enhanced services to the community. It is anticipated the renovations and upgrades will be completed by January 2011 to accommodate two medical residents and two medical students. (Northern Pride, August 17, 2010)

Meota
Plans are underway for construction of two adult condominium developments, one at Meota and one at Cochin. Contractor is Kevin Jones of Guns ‘N Hoses Construction Ltd. Deposits on the units are now being taken. (Regional Optimist, August 13, 2010)

North Battleford
A new shop is set to open in the Frontier Mall August 13th. Tiny Treasures supplies children’s wear. (Regional Optimist, August 13, 2010)

Marcus Miller has been hired as the new curator at the Allan Sapp Gallery. Mr. Miller comes from Lethbridge. (News Optimist, August 17, 2010)

St. Walburg
The 22nd Annual Blueberry Festival will take place August 27 & 28th. (St. Walburg & Area Gazette, August 11, 2010)

Unity
The Delta Co-op Agro Building held a grand opening on August 12th. (Unity Herald, August 2, 2010)

Unity went all out in their bid as one of five finalists to become Riderville for 2010, including painting a huge Riderville emblem on Main Street. If they are successful, the prize money will be put toward minor sports. (Star Phoenix, August 11, 2010)

Hudson Bay
Woodland Motors has been purchased by Wayne and Karen Grenier. They will change the name to Mid Town Motors Ltd. on August 16, 2010. Dennis and Colleen Windjack were the previous owners of Woodland Motors for the past 34 years. (Hudson Bay Post-Review, August 12, 2010)

Humboldt
James Moller will be the new city manager commencing October 1, 2010. Moller replaces Tom Goulden. (Humboldt Journal, August 11, 2010)

Melfort
Perry Trusty will be the Chief Executive Officer for the newly created Boreal West Enterprise Region. This Enterprise Region covers the areas of Meadow Lake, La Loche and Canoe Lake. Trusty is currently the Economic Development officer for the City of Melfort until August 27th. (Melfort Journal, August 10, 2010)

Nipawin
The 23rd annual Saskatchewan Premier’s Walleye Cup was held August 6 and 7th with over $75,000 in cash and prizes handed out. The fishing tournament once again lived up to its reputation as one of the province’s flagship fishing events. (The Nipawin Journal, August 4 and August 11, 2010)

Prince Albert
Jo-Lee’s Back to the Fifties Diner has opened for business in Prince Albert. Owners are Jocelynn Kingfisher and Brenda Unruh. (Prince Albert Daily Herald, August 16, 2010)

Tisdale
Beeland Co-op upgraded its cardlock. The $600,000 project was completed in July 2010. (Enterprise Saskatchewan, August 11, 2010)

Indian Head
The Historic Bell Barn celebrated its official opening on July 24th with approximately 700 in attendance. The Bell Barn is located on highway 56, approximately one mile north of Indian Head and will be open every day during the tourist season from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Indian Head-Wolseley News, August 9, 2010)

Regina
SaskJobs.ca saw a 6.5 per cent increase in the number of postings in July. Some 8,875 jobs were posted to SaskJobs.ca last month, compared with 8,328 in July 2009. Vacancies were posted by employers in 244 communities. More than 63,000 vacancies have been posted to the site since the start of the year. (Leader Post, August 6, 2010)

Although not all the numbers are in, organizers are calling the 2010 Queen City Ex a success thanks in part to good weather, updated facilities and a new layout. The events in the new Cooperators facility drew big crowds as did the nightly concerts in the Molson Grandstand. (Leader Post, August 9, 2010)

Sherwood Co-op is upgrading its gas bar/convenience store on Prince of Wales Drive. The $1 million project should be completed in August 2010. (Federated Co-operatives Ltd., August 9, 2010)

Nicky’s Café, located at 1005 8th Avenue, is celebrating their 25th Anniversary. (Leader Post, August 10, 2010)

The Rochdale Crossing Marketplace, formerly known as Sherwood Village Mall Coop, has a new fresh look due to some extensive renovations. The 40,000-square-foot facility recently held their grand reopening. (Leader Post, August 12, 2010)

The Food Bank Village Market, located at 445 Winnipeg Street, opened its doors in March. The store is the only one of its kind in Canada and offers core grocery and household products at significantly reduced prices specifically for food bank clientele. The market has about 1,750 registered customers. On busy days the store does about $1,000 in sales. (Leader Post, August 11, 2010)

The Royal Red 53rd Annual Canadian Nationals will be held at Evraz Place in Regina from August 16th – 21st. (Leader Post, August 12, 2010)

The third Hill Centre Tower is well on its way to becoming a reality. The City of Regina’s planning commission will meet on August 17th to discuss Harvard Development’s application to build the 20 storey office tower on the northwest corner of Hamilton Street and 12th Avenue. Harvard Developments noted that more information about the proposed tower will be revealed during an exciting announcement on August 19th. As per requirements for development in the area, Harvard is investing almost $800,000 in public amenities. (Leader Post, August 16, 2010)

The City of Regina’s planning commission gave its blessing to the proposed Hill Centre Tower. If City Council approves the project, the development will commence almost immediately on the 20 store building at the northwest corner of Hamilton Street and 12 Avenue, with completion for occupancy expected in late 2012. The tower will require an investment of more than $100 million. The 200,000-square-foot building would be the first Class A office space developed in Regina in at least 20 years. (Leader Post, August 18, 2010)

The Royal Red Arabian Horse Show is taking place at the Co-operators Centre from August 16 to 21. Regina is host to the internationally renowned horse show for the 23rd time. The show contributes approximately $13 million into Saskatchewan’s economy. (Leader Post, www.leaderpost.com)

Numbers released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) show construction began on 210 homes in the Saskatoon census metropolitan area (CMA) in July 2010, up 28.8 per cent from the 163 homes started in July 2009. Year-to-date, CMHC numbers show 1,199 homes under construction in the region, more than double the 505 homes started by the end of July last year. (Star Phoenix, August 11, 2010)

The downtown Lighthouse assisted-living facility recently received a $1.85 million grant from the City of Saskatoon’s affordable housing reserve. This addition to the facility’s 20th Street location adds 65 affordable rental units and 20 emergency beds for a total of 165. (Star Phoenix, August 20, 2010)

Innovative Residential Inc. received a $927,000 grant from the City of Saskatoon to build a 42-unit townhouse complex which targets households with an income below $52,000. (Star Phoenix, August 20, 2010)

Saskatoon City Council gave Station 20 West three years to raise the money required for construction, two more years than project officials asked for at Wednesday’s council meeting. If the deadline is not met and Station 20 does not receive its building permits, the City has the option to buy back the land. (Star Phoenix, August 19, 2010)

Saskatoon City Council recently approved the $1.3 million purchase of a property at 325 Third Avenue North, where the city will house new offices and a warehouse. The City will eventually spend $2.98 million to purchase, renovate and equip the building. To pay for the building, the City is using $1.65 million from the Land Development Fund and $1.33 million from the sale of the Arthur Cook Building. (Star Phoenix, August 19, 2010)

According to a weekly survey of gas prices, energy industry consultancy group MJ Ervin & Associates stated that the average pump price in the country was down 2.7 cents from the previous week; down from $1.043 to $1.016. Saskatoon remained unchanged. (Star Phoenix, August 18, 2010)

BHP Billiton recently made a $38.6 billion US bid to acquire Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. The aggressive move by BHP to purchase the fertilizer giant for $130 US per share was not welcomed by the Saskatoon-headquartered business. Bill Doyle, Potash Corp.’s CEO is classifying this takeover attempt as “feeble”, stating that it severely undervalues the company on every count. (Star Phoenix, August 18, 2010)

Great Western Minerals Group Ltd. has finalized an agreement with Rare Extraction Co. of Stellenbosch, South Africa to purchase 100 per cent of the rare earth products produced, as well as its subsidiaries from its Steenkampskraal mine. This agreement propels Great Western toward becoming the first fully integrated rare earth producer outside of China. (Star Phoenix, August 11, 2010)

The Saskatoon-based company, Claude Resources Inc. saw both its earnings and gold production rise in the second quarter. During the first half of the year, Claude recorded net earnings of $100,000 compared to a $4.9 million net loss in the same period last year. Gold revenue for the mining company has also seen an increase, rising to $15.2 million for the quarter and $25.4 million for the first half of the year from 2009 figures of $9.1 million for the quarter and $20.6 million for the year. (Star Phoenix, August 13, 2010)

Shore Gold Inc. noted a net loss of $1.4 million in the second quarter this year when compared to last year’s second quarter net loss of $2.2 million. Shore Gold’s report stated that the losses can be attributed to ongoing operating costs and writedowns of mineral property expenditures incurred during the quarter and during the six-month time frame. (Star Phoenix, August 14, 2010)

Cameco Corp.’s uranium revenue dropped 18 per cent last quarter, falling to $364 million from $443 million. During the first six months of 2010, uranium revenue declined by 14 per cent to $668 million from $779 million. Cameco now expects uranium sales to fall between 10 to 15 per cent in the remainder of the year. This may be a result of some customers deferring deliveries until 2011, plus a reduction in the spot market sales. Cameco now expects to sell 30 million pounds as opposed to its earlier estimate of 31 to 33 million pounds of uranium sales. (Star Phoenix, August 14, 2010)

Saskatoon Co-op is upgrading its home centre at Avenue C. The $6.8 million project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2011. (Wayne Thrasher, Enterprise Saskatchewan, August 11, 2010)

Saskatoon Co-op is building a new gas bar / convenience store, tunnel car wash and cardlock at 51st Street and Millar Avenue. The $16.3 million project is expected to be completed in January 2011. (Wayne Thrasher, Enterprise Saskatchewan, August 11, 2010)

SaskTel recently activated a new 3G+ wireless network to bring advanced high-speed mobile web services to tens of thousands of Saskatchewan residents for the first time. SaskTel is spending $172 million on upgrading its existing CDMA network to a HSPA+ or “high-speed packet access”. The service company is aiming to finish a province wide deployment covering 98 per cent of the province’s population sometime next year. (Star Phoenix, August 17, 2010)

Western Economic Diversification dedicated $250,000 to improve video conferencing and connectivity in Western Canada. It will support the Community Futures Partners of Saskatchewan which helps to provide video conferencing and professional development services, increasing access to programs and training for rural entrepreneurs via e-learning. The upgraded system will reach 200 communities in Western Canada through the Western Canada Business Service Network. (Star Phoenix, August 10, 2010)

Cabela’s Canada, a major retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and outdoor equipment, is eyeing Regina and Saskatoon as part of an ambitious plan to expand in Western Canada. (Star Phoenix, August 7, 2010)

New Businesses:
Amish Heirlooms Furniture, owned by Gaston Cote and Jackie Ford. (Star Phoenix, August 7, 2010)
Health Centered Massage Therapy, owned by Keith Ramage. (Star Phoenix, August 7, 2010)

Elrose
Leaders are trying to develop a project involving a new water treatment plant. A main pipeline between Elrose and Rosetown and another in the Kyle area, along with pumping stations and a waste water injection method are all part of the future pending plan. (The Press Review, Aug. 10, 2010)

Eston
Officials in the Rural Municipality of Snipe Lake are anxious to move their rural water pipeline project along as planning has gone well and the project now hinges on grant availability. Should the waterline move forward, the treatment plant in Eston would supply all water for the line and the utility board would essentially be buying water directly from the town. No firm dates have been set for the Snipe Lake waterline as they continue to study feasibility. (The Press Review, August 17, 2010)

Kindersley
The airport runway in Kindersley is soon to be repaved. It is hoped that the new runway will have a longer life span thanks to the work that is being done which includes some grading of the runway to improve water run off, along with drainage work that is separate from the runway. (The Clarion, August 4, 2010)

Southwest
Interest in the Southwest trailed the rest of the province during the August sale of Crown petroleum and natural gas rights. While the sale generated its second best totals in their past 11 sales at $95.8 million, the Southwest recorded just $2.5 million in activity. (The Southwest Booster, August 19, 2010)

Shaunavon
Shaunavon General Motors is in the process of looking for a new name after GM re-structured and re-branded last year. (The Shaunavon Standard, August 17, 2010)

Two local farmers are producing barley and exporting it to Sapporo, Japan’s popular brewing company. (The Shaunavon Standard, August 10, 2010)

Swift Current
Traffic will start running smoother in the near future after a summer of construction on the Highway #1 and #4 interchange project. Mac Forester, Director of Engineering, estimates less that a month until the work is completed with markings on the pavement, signage and the traffic signals. (The Southwest Booster, August 12, 2010)

REM Enterprise was recognized as one of nine founding companies of the Agricultural Manufactures of Canada during the association’s 40th annual convention in Regina. (The Southwest Booster, August 12, 2010)

Jarrod Schafer expressed the message that Swift Current is running out of land. The city has gone through a huge construction boom and is therefore experiencing a great shortage of land for development. (The Shaunavon Standard, August 10, 2010)

Moosomin
An official groundbreaking ceremony took place on August 3, 2010, for Moosomin’s new Multipurpose Recreation Centre. The new $2.3 million facility adjoins the north side of the existing Communiplex. The new building features a 500 seat hall, a 1,200 sq. ft. stage as well as a separate conference room. The federal government contributed $553,000, the provincial government $750,000 and the Town of Moosomin provided $997,000 investment in the project. It is expected to be complete by spring 2011. (The World-Spectator, Moosomin, August 9, 2010)

Rocanville
Annette Selby has purchased The Oven Door Bakery from Cherie Dukart. A grand opening was held on August 5, 2010, for Nellie’s Pizza and Subs. (The World-Spectator, Moosomin, August 9, 2010)

Yorkton
On July 29, 2010, fire destroyed a building which housed Heiser’s Health & Fitness, Shear Bliss Salon, Wax Pot Esthetics and Pumphouse Supplements. Once the investigation is complete the insurance company will decide whether the structure will be torn down or whether a portion of it can be restored. (The News Review, Yorkton, August 5, 2010)

Tammy and Gerald Lemcke have purchased the local Sears store. A grand opening was held on August 14, 2010, for the new Yorkton Hometown Sears. (The News Review, Yorkton, August 12, 2010)

Saskatchewan experienced the largest drop in building permit activity in Canada in June, according to Statistics Canada. The data indicates the value of building permits issued in Saskatchewan was down 44.8 per cent in June compared with May. Across Canada, the value of building permits was up 6.5 per cent in June compared to May and up 24.9 per cent in the June to June Comparison. (Leader Post, August 7, 2010)

According to a report released by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, new housing starts in Saskatchewan cities remain strong. Saskatchewan’s urban housing starts were up 52 per cent in July 2010 when compared with last July, the fourth highest percentage increase among the provinces. Construction starts on multiple family units were up 693 per cent, compared to July 2009. Single family dwellings were up by 11 per cent. (Enterprise Saskatchewan News Release, August 10, 2010)