Eighty-seven years of history are about to be demolished in Weyburn.
The Souris Valley Hospital, once known as the Weyburn Mental Hospital, will not be receiving a reprieve from the wrecking ball.
Original plans for restoring the old hospital fell through in late September and the city has been left with no other option but to demolish the building.
The housing market in Regina was at a frenzied pace earlier this year, but during the third quarter, prices have cooled down and flattened out, says a report by Royal LaPage Realty. More available listings and less demand from buyers means the province`s housing market has returned to more normal conditions, the real estate company said Monday.
"The listings are dramatically up and the buyers, for the most part, are sitting on the sidelines, waiting to see what`s going to happen," said Mike Duggleby, broker-manager for Royal LePage Regina Realty.
Saskatchewan saw the value of building permits decline by 46 per cent to $153 million in August from $283.5 million in July, the largest decrease of any province, Statistics Canada said Monday.
The decline was the result of lower permit values for mining buildings in Saskatchewan, the report said.
But the province was one of only three that saw an increase in residential construction activity in August over July.
It took tireless fundraising and lobbying, but Moosomin`s "fatigued" hospital will soon be replaced with a new state-of-the-art integrated health-care centre.
The grand opening of the Southeast Integrated Care Centre took place on Tuesday. It will replace Moosomin Union Hospital, which was built in 1905, as well as the Eastern Saskatchewan Pioneer Nursing Home and the Eastern Saskatchewan Pioneer Lodge. Finishing touches just need to be put on the new 85-bed facility and then it`s expected patients will be admitted by mid-November.
SASKATOON -- North American Gem Inc. announced Monday it has received 69 coal prospecting permits north of Hudson Bay.
The permits cover 52,992 hectares and make up the first set of coal disposition applications filed by the company, which received first-priority status from Saskatchewan Energy and Resources. The western Canadian company is waiting for the results of 717 additional permits submitted to the ministry.
Saskatchewan`s economy will continue to roar while the Canadian and U.S. economies whimper over the next couple of years, according to projections released Wednesday by the RBC.
The analysis by the RBC financial services group indicates Saskatchewan will lead the country in economic growth for the next few years.
New housing starts in September rose by 48.3 per cent in Regina but dropped by 30.3 per cent in Saskatoon, according to statistics released Wednesday by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
Regine Durand, a market analyst with CMHC, said high inventories of houses on the market for sale in Saskatoon are among the factors that have discouraged construction of new homes in that city.
Sales of oil and natural gas rights in Saskatchewan have topped the $1-billion mark for the first time, the provincial government announced Thursday.
The final push above the $1-billion mark came in the October rights sale that brought the province $223.4 million, the third-highest monthly total on record.
1008SASK Sask. job market enjoys `a bit of a surge`
Happy days were here again in September -- at least in Saskatchewan`s hot job market, but not necessarily on the world`s troubled stock markets.
Data released Friday by Statistics Canada shows that employment in Saskatchewan grew by an impressive 18,100 jobs in September, compared to September of last year.
"That`s a significant increase,`` said Doug Elliott, an independent observer who publishes the Sask Trends Monitor newsletter.
According to Statistics Canada, Regina`s housing prices rose 23.1 per cent from August 2007 to August 2008.
The report released on Friday said Regina had the second-highest percentage increase in the country behind St. John`s, N.L. Housing prices there rose the fastest in the country with an annual price increase of 23.7 per cent.
During a recent University of Regina federal election forum, the observation was made that Saskatchewan has become -- both urban and rural -- a Conservative province.
One can see why some might see this as a recent phenomena, given that the NDP have been shutout since 2004 and the Conservatives have won every one of the province`s 14 federal seats except Ralph Goodale`s Wascana riding. Factor in the Saskatchewan Party victory a year ago and you might assume we`ve shifted right.
Employers are already seeing results from a recent recruitment trip to Ontario.
At the beginning of October, roughly 50 Saskatchewan companies joined representatives from the provincial government in Toronto to make their pitch for skilled workers at the National Job Fair.
Of the 11 companies that have responded so far to a follow-up survey conducted by the provincial government, they collectively received 1,750 resumes and have already short-listed 170 candidates for jobs.
1008SASK Sask. bucks national trend, auto sales still on the rise
Saskatchewan was one of only three provinces to see an increase in new vehicle sales in August, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.
Car dealers in this province sold 4,995 new cars and trucks in August, up 7.8 per cent over last August`s 4,633.
It was the second-best showing among the provinces. Newfoundland and Labrador had the biggest increase in sales at 11 per cent to 3,300 units, and New Brunswick sales were up two per cent to 4,027 units.
A controversial civic policy allowing apartment buildings to convert into condominiums if at least 75 per cent of their tenants vote in favour of the move -- even when apartment vacancies are scarce -- was narrowly upheld Tuesday by city council.
Coun. Pat Lorje`s motion to rescind the policy was supported by four of her fellow councillors but rejected by five others, resulting in a tie due to the absence of Coun. Gord Wyant, who did not attend the meeting. The motion needed a majority to win approval.
1008SASK Non-residential construction draws investors
More positive news for the Saskatchewan economy arrived Wednesday with the release of statistics showing growth in investment in non-residential construction was outpacing growth in most of Canada.
The data, released by Statistics Canada, shows that investment in non-residential construction was up 6.5 per cent in the third quarter (July, August, September) of this year compared to the second quarter. That was well above the 1.5-per-cent growth rate nationally.
Saskatchewan exports, led by oil and natural gas, more than doubled in August compared with the same period in 2007, according to seasonally unadjusted data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.
The value of international exports increased by 104 per cent to $3.24 billion in August over $1.59 billion in August 2007 -- the highest percentage increase among the provinces, and more than 10 times the national average.
The number of houses listed in major markets across Canada began to drop in the third quarter, although Saskatoon and Regina continued to see increases.
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) said Wednesday the balance between listings and sales began to tighten for the first time, quarter over quarter, since the beginning of 2007.
