Arcola
Arcola Daycare Inc. opened on June 2nd. The daycare is approved for 21 funded spaces by the Saskatchewan Learning Fund. (Carlyle Observer, May 30, 2008)

Jeremy Johnston, owner of J.J. Trucking, was recognized as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Saskatchewan Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs (SYPE) at the annual Silver Spades Awards Gala. (Estevan Mercury, June 4, 2008)

Carnduff
The owners of Macleod's True Value, Henry and Barb Luhr, celebrated their 40th year in business. (Carnduff Gazette Post, June 9, 2008)

Estevan
Drewitz School of Dance held its silver anniversary this year. Lorie-Gay Drewitz-Gallaway is the owner of the dance studio. (Estevan Mercury, June 4, 2008)

Boston Pizza has the honour of being awarded gold standing by the Boston Pizza All-Stars Program for the second year straight. Marco Ricci is the owner of the franchise. (Estevan Mercury, June 4, 2008)

Flick Fest, the free concert Estevan won, was attended by 500 people. (Estevan Mercury, June 4, 2008)

Dennis Moe and Lorna Pylychaty are the new owners of ReMax Progressive Realty. (Estevan Mercury, June 11, 2008)

Stoughton
A residential lot development of 17 lots has sold to Winalta Inc. The company will develop the property with their ready to move homes. (Grenfell Sun, June 10, 2008)

Curtis Smith, Ashley Carter, and Susan Smith recently opened The Lunchbox Café. (Grenfell Sun, June 10, 2008)

Weyburn
City Centre Mall has new owners. Manjit Bahia, of Uptown Property Management, is the contact for the mall. (Weyburn Review, May 28, 2008 and June 11, 2008)

The City of Weyburn has sold all of their residential lots. As of the end of May, 53 lots were sold. The city is working on developing 75 residential lots and anticipates having the lots for sale in August. (Weyburn Review, June 11, 2008)

Assiniboia
A new inland grain terminal at Assiniboia should be in operation this fall. The elevator, owned by Paterson Global Foods Inc. has been under construction since August 2007 and is nearing completion. The terminal has a capacity of about 28,000 metric tones. Its design incorporates the most modern grain handling and storage concepts. The site will have a 112 railcar spot and the ability to load a 112 car unit train in eight hours. It will also have a full inland cleaning capability for direct export. It is expected that the terminal will have full time staff of approximately 15 people. (Moose Jaw Times Herald, May 30, 2008)

Coronach
During the Saskatchewan Municipal Awards in Regina the Town of Coronach won runner-up in the Environmental Stewardship Award Category. The town received recognition for its Greener Community recycling initiative. (Moose Jaw Times Herald, May 30, 2008)

Moose Jaw
The Little Chicago Development Company, which is redeveloping the zero block of River Street by building a major hotel /shopping project will park a refitted 1950's city bus on the street corner to serve as a tourism information booth. (Moose Jaw Times Herald, May 31, 2008)

The former Ross School has been sold to local developers and plans are to renovate the building into condos. The parcel of land the school is on overlooks the Hillcrest Golf Course. (www.discovermoosejaw.com, June 4, 2008)

Battleford
Building permits totalling $1.17 million were issued in the month of June. This reflects construction of two 4-plex condos and installation of a sprinkler system at the Court House/Land Titles building. (Daily News Online, June 3, 2008)

Sleeping Beautiful held their grand opening on June 4th in Battleford. (Regional Optimist, May 30, 2008)

Cut Knife
The Clayton Campbell Memorial Museum was damaged by fire that it appears was deliberately set in garbage bins located next to one of the buildings. Fortunately, the fire was quickly contained and no artefacts were lost. (Highway 40 Courier, June 4, 2008)

Green Lake
The Green Lake Lodge is celebrating 50 years in business. Owners Bryan and Linda Jensrud will hold official celebrations in July. (Northern Pride, June 10, 2008)

Lloydminster
The City of Lloydminster is initiating a re-branding strategy that will result in a new city logo by next year. Public submissions are being accepted until June 20th. The city hopes to launch the new brand in early 2009. (Meridian Booster, June 6, 2008)

Maidstone
The Maidstone Health Complex will hold its grand opening on June 10th. (Regional Optimist, May 30, 2008)

Meadow Lake
The Meadow Lake Co-op officially opened its new, state-of-the-art 28,000 sq. ft. service centre on April 25th. The new location is approximately four times the size of the old site (which has been converted to a convenience store) and brings all of the hardware products under one roof, as well as offers many new products. One new service is a truckers' lounge. With the access of a CO-OP cardlock card, the truckers' lounge has three showers, laundry facilities, an internet kiosk, vending machines, and a place to relax. (Federated Co-operatives Limited, June 2, 2008)

Rubyn Norman has opened Flying Dust Gravel servicing Meadow Lake and area. (Northern Pride, June 3, 2008)

Home Hardware is celebrating their 8th anniversary. (Northern Pride, June 10, 2008)

North Battleford
Construction of a skate park for the community is underway and should be completed by summer's end. The park is being constructed west of the Civic Centre. (Regional Optimist, May 30, 2008)

Battlefords Tourism is holding a grand opening at their new location in the Royal Bank Tower in downtown North Battleford on June 3rd, as part of Tourism Awareness Week. (Regional Optimist, May 30, 2008)

RGB Furniture Manufacturing Inc., owned by Bob and Denise Brown, is increasing their staff. The business, which relocated from Spruce Grove Alberta, completed building renovations throughout the winter and began production this April. The company manufactures custom furniture from Red Oak and European Beech. (Daily News Online, June 3, 2008)

Simply Serene Massage Therapy and Skin Care, owned by Joelle Gantefoer, is celebrating one year in business in June. (North Battleford Regional Office)

Mainline Autobody suffered a fire loss on June 5th. The fire started in a vehicle outside the shop and spread to the garage. (CJNB Radio, June 6, 2008)

Great China Buffet suffered a roof fire. (CJNB Radio, North Battleford)

Winalta Industries has announced plans to close its North Battleford plant on September 7, 2008. The facility employs 91 people, both unionized and non-unionized. Winalta manufactures industrial trailer units for the oil patch. The company is consolidating its production facilities near Edmonton. (Daily News Online, June 11, 2008)

Paradise Hill
The Co-op Cardlock facility is celebrating their grand opening on June 23rd. (St Walburg Gazette, June 11, 2008)

Unity
The local credit union has decided to re-open the Unity Motor Hotel after the previous owners left town to pursue other opportunities. Local contractors have been putting in long hours to get the facility up and operational. The credit union has hired a manager with hotel/bar experience and she is hiring her own staff. (Northwest Herald, June 2, 2008)

Wilkie
5MHS Grocery (Shop Easy) is holding their grand opening on June 16th. The owner/operator is Mary Ellen Herzog. (Wilkie Press, June 11, 2008)

Birch Hills
Aaron Palidwar and business partner Lonnie Nicholls are the new owners of Quayle's Pharmacy. The pharmacy was purchased from retiring Adrian and Debbie Quayle, who were in the business for 32 years. (The Post-Gazette, June 11, 2008)

Capstone Condo's, condominium project in Birch Hills is well under way to selling more than half of the 24 apartment units. The sod turning has taken place and the facility is slated to be completed by spring of 2009. (The Post-Gazette, May 28, 2008)

Carrot River
The Carrot River Co-op recently celebrated the grand reopening of its completely renovated Marketplace food and hardware store. The facility incorporates an 11,000 sq. ft. food store and a 6,000 sq. ft. hardware/agro store in one location. The entire facility was remodelled and upgraded with modern décor and equipment. The cost of the renovations was $920,000. (Federated Co-operatives Limited, June 2, 2008)

Debden
Committee members of the Debden and District Seniors Home Inc. had a sod turning ceremony for their new senior's personal care home to be located in the Village of Debden. It took five years to raise the $455,000 capital required for the $1.3 million project. The remainder of the funds were borrowed from the Diamond North Credit Union. Construction has begun for the 20 bed - level one and two care facility and is expected to be completed by Christmas of 2008. (Prince Albert Regional Office)

Fort a la Corne
Shore Gold has published a report that brings a diamond mine at Fort a la Corne one step closer to reality. The report estimates that there are 122.7 million tonnes of kimberlite in the ground at the Star Kimberlite site. Within this kimberlite, geologists estimated there are 16.7 million carats of diamonds. This is called the indicated resource. They estimate that those diamonds would be worth about $US 225 per carat. Based on these numbers, $3.8 billion worth of diamonds are estimated to lie in the Star Kimberlite. They also have some diamonds that are inferred. The amount of diamonds inferred to exist could account for almost another four million carats with an estimated value slightly higher at $226 per carat. Shore Gold's next step is to have a reserve estimate published, which would give more detail about what would be the cost to get these diamonds out of the ground. The resource estimate, balanced against the reserve estimate, will be presented to the financial community, and funds will be requested for the mine to be built. (Prince Albert Daily Herald, June 10, 2008)

Melfort
CJVR Radio has expanded into British Columbia. The Canadian Radio Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has awarded CJVR a license to operate a new FM station in Chilliwack, BC. The station will go to air sometime in the next 6 to 9 months. Radio CJVR is independently owned and operates radio stations in Melfort and Whitecourt, AB. (The Melfort Journal, June 3, 2008)

After 27 years in business, owners of Little Venice restaurant, Mike and Suzie Chelico have sold off all the restaurant items and equipment. The Chelico's placed a bid on the liquor store and won. The building is now being renovated to house the new Saskatchewan Liquor Board Store and is expected to be opened in 2009. (The Melfort Journal, May 20, 2008)

Nipawin
Nipawin Eavestrough has been sold to Troy Bleich. (Nipawin Journal, May 28, 2008)

Porcupine Plain
A sod turning ceremony for the new K-12 school in Porcupine Plain was held June 2nd. The estimated $12.2 million facility is expected to be completed by the fall of 2010. $8.3 million comes from government funding. The new school will replace Porcupine Elementary School and Porcupine Plain Composite High School. (Northeast Chronicle, June 5, 2008)

Preeceville
Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd. of Winnipeg has discovered oil in two formations at its Preeceville site 350 kilometres east of Saskatoon. The company had been searching the area since 2001. Nordic, which is engaged in the exploration and development of oil, natural gas, and coal bed methane in Albert and Saskatchewan, will begin testing to determine formation pressures and flow rates. The Ministry of Energy and Resources will see a report on the discovery from Nordic within the next 20 days. (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 12, 2008)

Prince Albert
A ground breaking ceremony took place for a new $2.85 million acute and social detox facility. Construction is now underway for the 14 bed facility adjacent to Victoria Hospital that will open in 2009, with the majority of beds used to house intoxicated people. The project is funded by the Ministry of Health as part of expanded addictions services in Saskatchewan. (Prince Albert Daily Herald, June 10, 2008)

Diamond North Credit Union, Arctic Branch is now open at their new location in Prince Albert. Diamond North which has branches in other parts of Saskatchewan, merged with Arctic Credit Union in Prince Albert in January. (Prince Albert Daily Herald, June 2, 2008)

Mattress Mattress and Esterbrook Appliance Experts is now open in Prince Albert. Owner Tracy McDiarmid says the company Mattress Mattress features six different mattress brand names and is the largest seller of discount mattresses in Canada. The appliance section has a complete high and low range of kitchen appliances and a complete selection of all other household appliances with many popular brand names to choose from. (Prince Albert Daily Herald, June 9, 2008)

White Fox
Helen Mooney has purchased the White Fox Diner from Charlie Mah. Many renovations have been done to date and more are anticipated. (Nipawin Journal, June 4, 2008)

Fort Qu'Appelle
The Town of Fort Qu'Appelle was recently honoured by being a finalist in the Saskatchewan Municipal Awards (SMA) program. The program was established to celebrate the many excellent practices municipal governments of all sizes use on a daily basis. Fort Qu'Appelle was honoured under the environmental stewardship category for its new sewage treatment facility which was completed in July 2007. (The Fort Qu'Appelle Times, June 3, 2008)

Mission Ridge Winter Park will be featured in West Jet's July issue of its in flight magazine. The park was awarded editorial space in the magazine after winning the value awards competition contest. The competition looked for a prairie attraction which offered the highest quality and most unique travel experience in the West Jet destinations. (The Fort Qu'Appelle Times, June 3, 2008)

The Fort Qu'Appelle library recently received a branch service award for superior services during the recent annual general meeting of the Southeast Regional Library. (The Fort Qu'Appelle Times, June 3, 2008)

Ituna
The ADEX 2008 Silver Award for Design Excellence has been awarded to Safety Bath Inc., Saskatchewan's walk-in bathtub manufacturer for their Supreme line of bathtub. ADEX, which stands for Awards for Design Excellence, is given annually for superior product design of furnishings and building materials marketed to the design trade and is sponsored by Design Journal, an international trade publication for interior designers, architects, and facility managers. In 2007, Safety Bath received the ADEX Platinum Award for its So-Lo with heated shower deck model. (Ituna News, June 2, 2008)

Regina
After owning Wascana Greenhouses and Nurseries for 33 years Heinz and Erika Wefel have sold the business to a Chinese-based firm. The Wefels plan to retire from the nursery business. (Regina Leader-Post, May 31, 2008)

On June 3rd, the Piapot First Nation held a sod turning ceremony at Regina's first urban reserve. Located in north central Regina the reserve will be home to a new gas station and 24-hour store. Construction is anticipated to be complete by August. (Regina Leader-Post, June 4, 2008)

Watrous
The new Koyote's Grill, located in the former Paul's Place building, will open on June 11th. The restaurant is owned by Lorraine Bjorn and Joe Gagnon, both of whom moved from Alberta to Watrous. (The Watrous Manitou, June 9, 2008)

Humboldt
Downtown stakeholders got a peek at what the city is planning for their area of the city during several meetings. The sessions included discussions on the construction of more parking, the purchase of flower pots, and a complete realignment to fix a problem intersection. The renewal of the downtown area has been on city council's agenda for some time and there have already been some improvements made such as the streetscaping of one intersection and the repaving of Main Street. (The Humboldt Journal, June 4, 2008)

After weeks of discussion and public hearings, a mixed residential and commercial development north of 13th Avenue was approved by city council. (The Humboldt Journal, June 11, 2008)

Saskatoon
The airport statistics for May continue to be strong. Traffic in May was up 3.5% versus last May, which makes it the strongest May ever. Year to date passenger traffic continues to be up 8.5% and load factors are estimated to be in the 90% range. (Airport Statistics Report, June 2008)

More than 40% of Saskatoon employers plan to hire staff between July and September, which is an indication of a robust hiring climate for the third quarter of 2008. An employment outlook survey conducted by Manpower Canada shows 43% of employers in Saskatchewan's largest city plan to hire in the third quarter, 50% plan to maintain their current staffing level, 4% aren't sure of their staffing intentions for the quarter and 3% expect to reduce their workforce. (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 11, 2008)

A plan to house low-income and disabled people in new units north of the police station has expanded into a proposed $66 million tower that would be among Saskatoon's tallest skyscrapers. Calgary developer Stoneset Equities has sent a formal proposal to Saskatchewan Housing Corp. to construct a building that would include 120 units for people with long-term disabilities or low incomes and 20 shelter beds. Stoneset's proposal would also have 130 rental or condo units plus commercial space, pushing it to 28 storeys. (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 10, 2008)

Marlene Neil, the owner of the Chatters Hair Salon and Beauty Supply Outlet chain, recently returned from California where she beat out more than 500 other Canadian salons to bring home the Global Salon Business Award for Entrepreneur of the Year, the top honour at the international competition. The company has grown from one store in Saskatoon in 1971 to 84 from coast to coast in Canada. The business, which operates a distribution centre in Red Deer, and guarantees its customers the lowest product prices due to its buying power, is venturing into the realm of big-box retailing. (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 13, 2008)

Saskatoon's first big-box retail development, River City Centre, has been acquired by a Nova Scotia-based property management group. Crombie Real Estate Investment Trust has bought River City Centre, located in the city's north industrial area on Circle Drive, for $27.2 million. The retail development includes tenants such as Staples, Dollarama, Giant Tiger, Sport Mart, and Part Source. The property, which totals 160,456 sq. ft. of retail space on 13.4 acres, is 100% leased. (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 13, 2008)

New Businesses: Frontier Vinyl & Glass, Owners: Andrew Cook and Darren Zerebeski; U Weight Loss Clinic, Owner: Jonathon Nedeljkovic; Harlingten's of London, Owner: Croft Harlingten. (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 7, 2008)

Central Butte
Central Butte Dental Clinic is now open for business. Dr. Norm Vankoughnett is welcoming new patients. (Swift Current Regional Office)

Climax
A handful of small prairie communities are working with their American neighbours to promote the expansion of the Turner/Climax Port to a 24-hour commercial border crossing. At the last meeting in Saskatchewan the committee met with Saskatchewan MLA Wayne Elhard to consider the possibilities. Jay Meyer, general manager of the Southwest and Cypress Hills REDAs said that the provincial government can only take the highways to the border and then the next step is discussions with the federal government. (Prairie Post, June 13, 2008)

Gull Lake
Jaco's Auto Repair has closed its doors. (The Gull Lake Advance, June 3, 2008)

Herbert
Harder's Pharmacy is now open in Herbert. (Herbert Herald, June 10, 2008)

Kerrobert
Almost 50 kilometres of 36-inch pipe have arrived in Kerrobert, signifying the beginning stages of the biggest expansion project in Enbridge's history. Pipes will be stockpiled until mid-August, when the implementation of the pipeline in this region is expected to start. The first shipment will be used for a segment running from the Alberta/Saskatchewan border to Kerrobert, and the second will go south from Kerrobert. The expansion project is expected to have a positive impact on the region, as more employment opportunities will arise from the construction of the pipeline, bringing more workers to the province and consequently creating an economic boost in the area. (Crossroads, June 2, 2008)

Frontier
Frontier Airport received funding in the amount of $5,400 through the Community Airport Partnership program (CAP) for repairs to the runway surface. The municipality matched this amount to get the project finished. (The Shaunavon Standard, June 3, 2008)

Kindersley
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on June 6th in recognition of Kindersley's new water line. The water line connects to the town of Kindersley's water treatment plant, allowing subscribers to access potable treated water that they previously had to haul by truck. (The Clarion, June 4, 2008)

Peter Kenyon was recently in Kindersley attempting to get leaders from across the region working together to focus on community enhancement and making the most of the thriving economy. The half-day seminar was hosted by the Community Futures Meridian Region and West Central REDA. In his keynote presentation Kenyon shared with more than 30 individuals from Provost, Coleville, Kindersley, Eston, Hoosier, Kerrobert, and other communities across the region information on how some businesses in rural Australia achieved great success. Of the businesses Kenyon talked about, all focused on customers as their number one priority. (Crossroads, June 9, 2008)

Kyle
H5 Convenience store opened on the May long weekend at Clearwater Lake Regional Park. (The Kyle Times, May 30, 2008)

Maple Creek
Cypress Hills Regional Economic Development Authority has hired a Calgarian, Michael Fitzpatrick, for the position of economic development officer. Michael will work out of Maple Creek four days a week, and one day out of Gull Lake. (Maple Creek News-Times, June 5, 2008)

Regional
Drilling has begun in the Southwest for uranium. JNR Resources Inc., which is headquartered in Saskatoon, has partnered with UPC Uranium Power Corp. of Vancouver for the exploration project where they hope to drill 50 to 60 holes this year. The nine areas of interest are located in the RMs of Arlington, Carmichael, Piapot, and White Valley. (Swift Current Regional Office)

Rosetown
Regal Motors celebrated the completion of renovations with ceremonies on June 6th. Besides upgrading the show room, parts, service and reception areas, the project added 2,100 sq. ft. of usable space. (The Rosetown Eagle, June 2, 2008).

Councillors completed first reading of a bylaw that would bring three residential lots into the commercial central business district during their May 20th meeting. (The Rosetown Eagle, June 2, 2008)

Riches Antiques & Collectibles is celebrating their first anniversary on June 20th. (Swift Current Regional Office)

Shaunavon
Shaunavon Tire & Alignment, which is owned and operated by Jason Lacelle, celebrated their grand opening on June 6th. (The Shaunavon Standard, June 3, 2008)

2008 marks the third year in a row that Shaunavon Credit Union has been recognized with an Achievement in Marketing Award (AIM) from the Marketing Association for Credit Unions. The AIM Awards provide an opportunity for credit union marketers from across Canada to submit their work and compete against credit unions of similar size. Shaunavon Credit Union marketer, Lyanne Campbell, was on hand to receive the award on June 5th and 6th in Whistler, B.C. (The Shaunavon Standard, June 10, 2008)

Shaunavon Co-op Marketplace Foods are celebrating their 2nd anniversary. (The Shaunavon Standard, June 10, 2008)

Wave Energy Ltd made a $250,000 contribution towards the new Skating Rink. The company has been one of the leaders in the recent growth of oil activity in the Southwest, employing approximately 70 workers in the Gull Lake region. Don Rae, president of Wave Energy, says the company makes a conscious effort to contribute to the communities where it has ongoing operations. (Swift Current Regional Office)

Swift Current
Cypress Hills College is preparing for a busy academic year. After an impressive two years of student enrolment growth of 28%, it seems that the upcoming school year will see even more students enrol at the College. Five programs currently sold-out with waitlists and enrolment levels in other programs are up or on-par with last year. (Press Release, Cypress Hills College, June 3, 2008)

The City of Swift Current made use of the provincial government's Saskatchewan Infrastructure Growth Initiative to secure a loan for property development. The amount borrowed for a maximum of $9.2 million on a quick loan from the Credit Union with the passing of a bylaw for long-term financing. Another loan for $1.5 million, on a 20-year interest rate swap with the RBC Royal Bank, was also included within the bylaw for completion of the iPlex construction. (Prairie Post, June 13, 2008)

To accommodate the ongoing building boom, the City of Swift Current has serviced 38 new lots in the city. There are 33 regular lots worth approximately $40,000 each in the highland subdivision. Five higher-end lots on Stirling Bay are priced around $80,000 to $86,000. In October another 54 lots will be up for sale north of the current ones. The City is also looking ahead to developing land behind the hospital in upcoming years. Due to a high demand for residential lots, a draw for lots in the Highland Subdivision will be made on June 25th. (Prairie Post, June 13, 2008)

Customers looking to source out local products will be happy to learn the Southwest REDA is holding its third annual Taste of the Southwest on August 9th during Swift Current's Family Fun Weekend. (Prairie Post, June 13, 2008)

Occupancy permits for the month of May, 2008 showed 14 new businesses registered in Swift Current. 37 building permits were issued for May, 2008 for a total amount of $3,091,260.00. (Report from City of Swift Current, May, 2008)

Bangor
Rob and Sherri Sax, formerly of England, now living in the Bangor area, have established Prairie Engraving, a home-based engraving business, specializing in custom designed giftware. (The Miner-Journal, Esterhazy, June 2, 2008)

Canora
On May 23rd, at an Awards luncheon in Regina, the Town of Canora received the Environmental Stewardship Award, sponsored jointly by SUMA, SARM, the Saskatchewan Association of Northern Communities, The Urban Municipal Administrators Association of Saskatchewan, the Rural Municipal Administrators' Association of Saskatchewan, and the Ministry of Government Relations. Canora was nominated by Ducks Unlimited Canada, based on its water source protection strategy, in which Ducks Unlimited is a partner. (The Canora Courier, June 4, 2008)

Kamsack
Kamsack is one of nine Saskatchewan communities sharing $500,000 through a provincial program that provides funding for capital improvements to community airports. Kamsack will be receiving a grant of $70,000, which will represent half the estimated total cost of a project to enhance the community's airstrip. (The Kamsack Times, June 5, 2008)

The Kamsack Times is celebrating their 100th anniversary. The first issue of the Times was dated June 5, 1908. A special supplement was printed in this week's issue, commemorating the 100th anniversary. (The Kamsack Times, June 12, 2008)

Kipling
On May 28th, the Minister of Education announced funding for 500 new child care spaces, 30 of which are reserved for Kipling once the town has its centre up and running. (The Kipling Citizen, June 6, 2008)

Langbank
Seed Hawk held an official grand opening of the company's 19,000 sq. ft., $2.8 million expansion on June 3rd. (The Whitewood Herald, June 9, 2008)

Moosomin
A grand opening took place on June 4th for a new herbicide shed at Parrish and Heimbecker. (The World-Spectator, Moosomin, June 9, 2008)

A 10-page section, promoting southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba as a place to live, will be printed as part of the Calgary Herald and Neighbours newspapers on June 12th. The section includes stories on the PotashCorp expansion and the new integrated health facility, as well as several stories about people who have moved to the area from Alberta and B.C. The $50,000 Make Saskatchewan Home project is the largest ever undertaken by the Gateway REDA. (The World-Spectator, Moosomin, June 9, 2008)

Willowbrook
The Village of Willowbrook will be holding a public meeting on June 24th to discuss a proposal to restructure to become included within the R.M. of Orkney No. 244. (This Week Marketplace, Yorkton, June 6, 2008)

Yorkton
James Richardson International (JRI) has announced the immediate construction of a canola crushing plant for Yorkton. JRI had made the announcement in September 2006, but due to the unexpected escalation of construction costs it required JRI to review its engineering specifications. The required review has now been completed and JRI has concluded the project will proceed as planned. Construction is expected to take about two years, with the facility expected to open in 2010. During construction, it is expected to employ 200 person-years of employment. Once operational, the plant is expected to employ 65 - 70 employees. (Yorkton This Week, June 4, 2008)

Yorkton is one of nine Saskatchewan communities sharing $500,000 through a provincial program that provides funding for capital improvements to community airports. Yorkton will be receiving a grant of $65,000, which will be put towards a drainage system and rehabilitating the lighting system. (The News Review, Yorkton, June 5, 2008)

On June 2nd, the Parkland College unveiled its new corporate identity, complete with a new logo and slogan, as well as "Regional" was removed from the name. (Yorkton This Week, June 11, 2008)

Venture Forward, a province wide Entrepreneurship Competition developed in partnership by Global Infobrokers Inc., RSVP Event Design, and the N. Murray School of Business, University of Saskatchewan, was recently held in Saskatoon. The business plan competition is open to all post-secondary students or recent post-secondary graduates who wish to establish a business in Saskatchewan. The winners were:
• Rylan Grant / Herbert Mueller Delta Point Wireless Inc.
• Roxanne Dicke Right at Home ReDesigns
• Dirk Propp / Keli Propp IIBC
• Cassie Rosteski Cassie Danielle Clothing Inc.
• Bailey Kreuger Drop Dead Gorgeous Day Spa
• Efren Pereira Jr. Star Lab Recording Studio
• Matthew Kemp / John Coode InfoPark
• Jennifer Poissant / Jarvis Wright Paws Wright Inn
(Saskatoon Star Phoenix, May 27, 2008)

Over the last 10 years, the average price of an urban bungalow in Regina rose by 226% - the largest price increase in the country for that type of property according to a survey released by Royal LePage. The Saskatoon market came in first for price increases for urban two-storey homes, as well as suburban bungalows and two-storey homes. (Regina Leader-Post, June 4, 2008)

According to Statistics Canada, building permits in April reached a total of $260 million, up 136.8% from $109 million in April 2007 (seasonally unadjusted). This is over seven times the national average increase of 18.1%. Residential permits totalled $142 million, an improvement of 108.1% on a year-over-year basis when compared with last April. Non-residential construction also experienced a jump over last April, recording a total of $117.6 million, up 189.9%. (Government of Saskatchewan News Release, June 5, 2008)

Saskatchewan's building permits saw the largest percentage increase in Canada in April, according to Statistics Canada. The total value of building permits issued in April hit $260 million, up 137% from $109 million in April 2007. Not only is the $260 million a record high for the province, the 137% increase is more than seven times the national average of 18%. (Regina Leader-Post, June 6, 2008)

Employment increased by 8,500 jobs in Saskatchewan last month in comparison to May of last year and set a provincial record. Labour force data released by Statistics Canada indicated there were 517,500 people employed in Saskatchewan in May. That breaks the previous record of 509,900 people employed set in June 2007. (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 7, 2008)

Saan Stores Ltd. is closing all of its 126 retail outlets, which include Red Apple Clearance Centres, due to the company's reorganization. In Saskatchewan Saan Stores are located in Wynyard, Fort Qu'Appelle, Outlook, Tisdale, Melfort, Nipawin, Humboldt, Moosomin, La Ronge, and Meadow Lake. Red Apple Clearance Centres are located in Prince Albert and North Battleford. (The Advance Gazette, June 9, 2008)

Saskatchewan exports are increasing at a higher rate than anywhere in the nation according to Statistics Canada. The international export of goods for April 2008 was up 44.8% to $2.465 billion when compared to April last year. Nationally, exports increased 3.6% over the same period. Alberta's exports were up 40%, while Manitoba decreased 10.6% and British Columbia dropped 13.1%. (Government of Saskatchewan News Release, June 12, 2008)

Saskatchewan's manufacturing shipments continued to climb in April 2008 according to Statistics Canada's latest Monthly Survey of Manufacturers. On a seasonally unadjusted basis, Saskatchewan's manufacturing shipments were up 14% to $987 million in April 2008 when compared with April 2007. This was the fourth highest percentage increase in Canada. There was a 2.6% decrease on a national level. (Government of Saskatchewan News Release, June 13, 2008)