SK Economic Fundamentals 2008-07

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WestJet, Southwest reach travel deal

SASKATOON -- WestJet`s new agreement with Southwest Airlines will offer flying customers more -- and more streamlined -- options for travel into the United States, says the Calgary-based airline.

"For somebody in Saskatoon, it opens up the entire Southwest market to fly to relatively conveniently,""said Richard Bartrem, WestJet vice-president of culture and communications, in an interview.

"If you look at it just from a scale perspective, we have across our entire network roughly 380 flights a day. Southwest Airlines has 380 flights to Las Vegas

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...a0-8b08fa2dda9d

 

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Ecovillage draws crowd

The greenest housing development in Saskatoon is generating so much demand that proponents are considering a lottery to choose buyers or adding units to the preliminary design.

Within the last two weeks, at least 70 people have paid $1,000 refundable deposits on 67 units in Rivergreen Ecovillage, planned for the corner of Avenue C and 19th Street as part of River Landing.

Even the non-profit Prairie Ecovillage Development Corp. behind the project is surprised at its popularity.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...3b-8f1c302f99b5

 

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Education property tax relief solution elusive, MLA says

REGINA (SNN) -- Many people think paying to educate Saskatchewan children has become a burden for property owners, but there appears to be no agreement on how to provide additional relief and still adequately fund education.

That`s what Rosetown-Elrose MLA Jim Reiter has heard so far in his review of education property tax. While he is still accepting submissions until Sept. 1, a number of individuals and groups have already put forward their ideas.

"You`d be hard-pressed to find someone in this province to say they don`t want some property tax relief," said Reiter, a Saskatchewan Party MLA. "I guess the question is how we offer that relief -- what mechanism do we use to offer and how do we pay for it is where it gets difficult."

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...41-0af422d537d8

 

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Pool owners get safety reminder

The Saskatoon fire department is reminding residents with private swimming pools their pools must comply with civic regulations.

During the next few months, Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services will conduct random inspections of private pools to ensure compliance with the bylaw.

The bylaw says residential pools must have a minimum 1.5-metre no-climb fence, gates with self-closing devices, a pole long enough to reach mid-pool, a first aid kit and a buoy rope that will reach across the pool.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...95-e66fd96abddc

 

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Rental incentives applications sought

The city is now accepting applications for incentives under its new rental construction land-cost rebate program.

The program provides a $5,000 grant per eligible unit for projects that involve new construction or additions to existing structures.

The units must remain rentals for at least 15 years.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...62-455a9f591216

 

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Apartment tenants OK condo conversion

Tenants of the Candlewood Apartments in City Park have voted to approve a developer`s plan to convert their units to condos.

The vote, organized by the City of Saskatoon during the past week, resulted in 32 ballots in favour and five against for 86 per cent approval. The city had required 75 per cent approval.

The condo conversion now goes to city council for approval next month.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...a7-3a4ee57f60d5

 

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Agrium buys control of fertilizer distribution company

The potential growth of the European fertilizer market is a strong lure for Agrium Inc., which closed a $50-million-plus deal Tuesday for a majority share of one of the continent`s largest fertilizer distribution companies.

Common Market Fertilizers S.A. (CMF) markets products in 11 Western European countries and in South America. It has a network of 1,500 customers, sales volumes of up to 2.5 million tonnes of crop nutrients per year and annual sales revenues of about $600 million, says Calgary-based Agrium.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...07-cb9f45332514

 

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Major employer in Melville, Sask., laying off workers at equipment plant

MELVILLE, Sask. - Delays in commitments on contracts from the Alberta oilsands has resulted in layoff notices being issued by the major employer in Melville, Sask.
Babcock and Wilcox Canada Ltd., a company based out of Cambridge, Ont., that makes boilers and power-generating equipment, sent out notices to 48 workers - the entire hourly staff of the plant.
"We`ve been waiting for a particular commitment from the oilsands to keep that location busy for a while," said Yvette Amor, company spokeswoman. "That has been delayed."

http://www.medicinehatnews.com/index.php?o...4&Itemid=68

 

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Positive changes could reduce labour shortage

Prince Albert`s less fortunate First Nation population could be the answer to the labour shortages in the city.

In his work ministering to people on the street, Rev. Vernon Temple of the Prince Albert Full Gospel Outreach Centre has seen people turn their lives around.

"I can see the potential ... they are hard working people.`

http://www.paherald.sk.ca/index.cfm?sid=151157&sc=4

 

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Decision time nigh for pulp mill`s future

The provincial government and Domtar have both laid all their cards on the table and it is now decision time on the future of the shuttered Prince Albert pulp mill, said Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd.

Boyd met Wednesday in Regina with officials of the forestry company, including, for the first time face-to-face, Domtar president and chief executive officer Raymond Royer.

"All of the issues that are important to both sides have been discussed and clarified and ... we`re at the point now where both sides need to make decisions," Boyd said in an interview.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...16-b9688c2370f4

 

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Carbon capture plan is good news for Sask.

Alberta`s planned $2-billion investment in carbon capture and storage projects won`t leave Saskatchewan in the dust when it comes to the technology, says the Saskatchewan Party government.

At May`s western premiers` meeting in Prince Albert, Alberta and Saskatchewan were elected to take the national lead in developing the technology, which is seen as a potential magic bullet for reducing greenhouse gas emissions but still faces big questions about its viability.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...c2-edab36e7ca4d

 

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Pundit predicts prosperity

Saskatchewan is not in the midst of an economic boom, but the cusp of an extended period of prosperity, thanks to projected high energy prices over the next several decades, says a Calgary-based oil and gas analyst.

"This is not a boom time,`` said Peter Linder of Delta One Energy Partners. "This is a good time, a great time. And I strongly believe that (for) the next 10, 15, 20, 30 years, these good times will continue. They`ll be volatile, but they will continue,`` Linder told a Regina & District Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting Wednesday.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...af-c927124fd005

 

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Sask. market more balanced

Housing construction activity in Regina for the first six months of the year continued at historically high levels, but there were signs in statistics released Wednesday that activity could soon cool slightly.

The housing market "is slowing down to a nice soft landing,`` said Paul Caton, a senior market analyst with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

But there is no sign of any crash, Caton said, adding that signs continue to point to a very strong housing market and brisk activity on the home construction scene.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...57-0cafcd07d691

 

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Development another step closer to reality

The company that hopes to develop the Clear Vistas residential and commercial development near White City says it has taken another step to making the project a reality.

More specifically, the Clear Vistas Management Corp. has announced it has finalized the acquisition of 540 acres of land needed for the project which would be developed south of the Trans-Canada Highway and south of the Emerald Park Golf and Country Club in the Rural Municipality of Edenwold.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...e6-54085494a567

 

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Unity gets $480,000 to update water system

The provincial and federal governments handed the Town of Unity $480,000 Tuesday to upgrade its water system.

The funding comes from the Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund.

"The government of Canada is proud to work in partnership with the province of Saskatchewan to make infrastructure investments that will leave real and lasting benefits for the residents of Unity," Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar Conservative MP Carol Skelton said in a news release.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...12-7f08aa43eb09

 

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Near-record number of houses under construction

The 2,628 houses now under construction in Saskatoon`s census metropolitan area (CMA) do not add up to a record, but the numbers are close.

"The last time it was that high was in June 1983, baby boom year," said Paul Caton, senior market analyst for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC), which released its housing start numbers Wednesday.

The late 1970s and early 1980s saw a huge demographic bump-up in house construction, as baby boomers moved into the market in droves.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...30-82840d9453dc

 

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Saskatchewan cabins buck cooling off trend

While the recreational property market is cooling down in the rest of Canada, Saskatchewan`s cottage country continues to be hot, with waterfront properties now starting at $300,000, according to Re/Max`s recreational property report.

Cottage buyers are coming out of the cold again, after a late spring stalled the Northern Saskatchewan recreational property market in the first quarter of 2008.

A winterized, waterfront cottage at the popular Northern Saskatchewan lakes will set you back $350,000 on average, up about 10 per cent over last year, says a report released Tuesday by Re/Max.

"It`s a general price of the major lakes in the north," said Larry G. Stewart, broker/owner of Re/Max offices in Prince Albert and Saskatoon.

http://www.househunting.ca/vacation-homes/...b3-ee710cace763

 

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Candle Lake trying to control growth: mayor

Development in Candle Lake is proceeding, but it`s not as intense as some people think, says the village`s mayor.

Nick Toporowski said while development inquiries have increased over the past several years, there is a protocol to be followed and most requests haven`t reached an advanced stage yet.

"We`ve got proposals on the table," said Toporowski.

He said two subdivisions, of 40 to 50 homes each, have been "on the go for some time now," but the village council has not yet given them third reading.

http://www.paherald.sk.ca/index.cfm?sid=151583&sc=4

 

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Public to give input on sustaining sand hills

Planning to ensure that the Great Sand Hills of southwest Saskatchewan has a sustainable future remains underway, a year after a massive two-year study of the area was handed over to the provincial government.

But members of the public will soon be given a formal chance to weigh in, said Randy Seguin, director of the province`s environmental assessment branch.

The Great Sand Hills Regional Environmental Study was completed and handed over to the province last July, and then forwarded to the environmental assessment branch for review.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...4f-3ca73d8459a6

 

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Card skimming device found in Moose Jaw

MOOSE JAW -- Banking institutions have alerted the Moose Jaw Police Services to an automated ticket kiosk at Galaxy Cinema that had been fixed with a debit card skimming device.

Since Tuesday, local police have received continued fraudulent transaction reports.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/new...46-9c219c2a83ba