FCL CEO Scott Banda announces retirement
Jan. 26 saw news that long-time Federated Co-operatives Ltd. CEO Scott Banda is retiring from his position in May. Banda has spent 20 years with FCL, with the last twelve as the company’s CEO.
Brandt adds 1,500 jobs
The Brandt Group of Companies announced Jan. 27 that they are seeking to add 1,500 positions to the company in 2022. Coming out of a year of record growth, the new jobs will be spread through Brandt’s operations in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
“2021 was a record year for Brandt. We saw many market challenges, but our employees rose to the occasion and drove our company to new heights,” said Shaun Semple, Brandt Group’s CEO. “This success has created many more opportunities, resulting in another 1500 new positions being created across Brandt in 2022.”
Saskatchewan Polytechnic ranks high in Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges
On Jan. 27, 2022, Sask Polytech announced it has received a top ranking on Re$earch InfoSource Inc.’s Top 50 Research Colleges list.
Sask Polytech received a first-place ranking for college research income growth, and second-place for completed research projects. The first-place rank due to the $7.2 million of sponsored research income generated in 2019-2020. This represented an increase of over 300 per cent from the $1.7 million of sponsored research income generated in 2018-2019. Sask Polytech received second place for number of applied research projects completed in 2019-2020, with the school completing 245 projects in 2019-2020. Overall, Sask Polytech ranked 12th on Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges List for 2021.
“Applied research is where ideas meet reality, delivering practical solutions to everyday problems. This research could not be completed without sponsored research income. In addition to contributing to many applied research opportunities for faculty and students,” said Dr. Susan Blum, Applied Research and Innovation associate vice-president, “these research dollars support industry and community partners with the research and development crucial to turning ideas into working solutions.”
“This is an outstanding achievement for the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Applied Research team,” said Dr. Larry Rosia, president and CEO. “Our performance on the Top 50 Research Colleges 2021 rankings provides direct evidence that we are growing our applied research capacity. Our applied research team does an excellent job of helping industry and partners capture new opportunities, solve everyday challenges and contribute to economic growth and job creation in Saskatchewan.”
Based in Canada, Re$earch InfoSource is a research, consulting and publishing firm specializing in policy, research, business intelligence and analysis on science, technology, innovation, and the Canadian R&D ecosystem.
Global Helium increases holdings
Calgary-based Global Helium Corp. has expanded its landholdings in Saskatchewan, reaching more than 1.5 million acres in southern Saskatchewan’s helium fairway. This acquisition makes Global the second-largest helium landholder in Canada, and one of the largest in North America.
“We continue to advance our strategic priorities, which include: (i) expanding our Saskatchewan land holdings in Canada, (ii) using geophysical and other technologies to evaluate our land base to advance our prospects to the drill stage, and (iii) identifying and capturing new opportunities in the United States. We are very pleased with our progress in all of these areas,” said Wes Siemens, Global Helium’s president, “and we look forward to making several announcements on these fronts in the coming months.”
EMP Metals expands
Vancouver B.C.-based EMP Metals Corp. has acquired another 92,894 acres of Subsurface Crown Mineral Dispositions in Saskatchewan in the Tyvan Permit Area, approximately 50 miles south of Regina. These holdings complement the company’s holdings in the Mansur Permit area, where lithium has been successfully encountered.
“We are very pleased to add these contiguous property blocks to our lithium brine project. We are excited about the next phase of brine testing and analysis on our prospects in Saskatchewan,” said Rob Gamley, EMP Metals CEO.
SaskTel on Forbes Canada’s Best Employers 2022 List
SaskTel has made the Forbes Canada list of Canada’s Best Employers for 2022 for the fifth year in a row.
“It’s a privilege to work with the exceptional team at SaskTel, and an honour to be recognized by Forbes as one of Canada’s top employers for the fifth year in a row,” said Doug Burnett, SaskTel president and CEO. “We truly value our employees and recognize that they are vital to SaskTel’s overall success. Furthermore, this award is a testament of our commitment to teamwork, recognition and personal development.”
Forbes and Statista selected the Canada’s Best Employers 2022 through an independent survey applied to a vast sample of more than 10,000 Canadian employees working for companies with more than 500 employees in Canada.
Paper Excellence creates scholarship with SIIT
Richmond B.C.- based Paper Excellence has announced a partnership with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology, creating a $50,000 scholarship fund. The new fund will provide two $5,000 awards for students of Indigenous ancestry enrolled full-time in an SIIT trades and industrial diploma or apprenticeship level program at SIIT.