Swoop takes off in Regina
June 16 saw Canada’s low-fare airline, Swoop, arrive at Regina International Airport. The airline landed in Regina from Edmonton at 8.00 am Thursday, before departing for Winnipeg.
“We are thrilled to continue our summer network expansion here in Regina with two important inaugural flights,” said Bert van der Stege, head of commercial and finance at Swoop. “Today’s celebration reinforces Swoop’s commitment to enabling Canadians to travel more, and we’re proud to offer residents of Regina access to ultra-convenient and ultra-affordable flights to both Winnipeg and Edmonton.”
Earlier this week, Swoop commenced service to Saskatoon. Both cities will see service to Edmonton and Winnipeg now, and service to Toronto starts next week.
“We are thrilled to see Swoop Airlines expanding to Regina,” said Mayor Sandra Masters. “Having the addition of Swoop’s affordable air service is vital to the economic recovery and growth of tourism and hospitality in our city.”
Viterra opens new grain terminal at Biggar
Viterra held the grand opening of its new grain terminal at Biggar, Sask. on June 14. The new facility has capacity to store 34,000 metric tonnes and can load up to 156 railcars on its loop track.
“Our significant investment in this new grain elevator demonstrates our confidence that this area of the province will continue to play an important role in Canadian and global agriculture for many more years to come,” said Kyle Jeworski, Viterra’s CEO for North America about the opening. “We are proud to revitalize our presence through this facility, and of what it will mean to farmers, suppliers and other stakeholders in this province and in this community.”
Tourism Saskatoon rebrands and signs partnership with Saskatoon Tribal Council
Tourism Saskatoon announced its new name, brand and look – Discover Saskatoon – on June 15 at the Remai Modern, along with the signing of a new partnership agreement with the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC). The new brand was developed with local firm Rock & Bloom and incorporates Cree syllabics in its design.
Discover Saskatoon CEO Steph Clovechok and STC Tribal Chief Mark Arcand also signed an agreement on Wednesday that will commit Discover Saskatoon to “living in the spirit and intent of the Treaty, and honouring both the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”
Farmers Business Network starts construction on new fulfillment centre
Farmers Business Network (FBN) broke ground June 16 for its new 198,000 sq. ft. facility in Saskatoon. The new centre will be one of the largest agricultural input centres in the the country when it opens in fall 2022.
“This major new facility will help ensure FBN can deliver the inputs farmers expect at precise times during the year when they need them,” said Breen Neeser, FBN’s country manager for Canada. “This excellent location and workforce in Saskatoon are strong assets as we continue the expansion of our modern and reliable logistics network that helps farmers reduce uncertainty and drive profit potential.”
Located in Corman Park, the new facility will be constructed by York Realty and will serve the FBN network in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
“We are very happy to welcome the Farmers Business Network Canadian logistics hub to Saskatoon,” said Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark. “It strengthens our ability to be a major food production epicentre, helping meet the demands of a growing world. This demonstrates industry confidence in our city and in the expertise and talent we have here.”
FBN has over 900 personnel and principal offices in San Carlos, Calif., Chicago, Ill., Sioux Falls, S.D., a Canadian Headquarters in High River, Alta., and an Australian Headquarters in Perth, WA with warehouse and logistics, remote and field employees across the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Royal Helium has new targets, drilling starts in July
Saskatoon-based helium firm Royal Helium Ltd. announced June 14 that it has identified six high priority targets for drilling at its Val Marie site. An initial well has been permitted at Val Marie, and drilling will start July 10.
“The initial seismic program at Val Marie went exactly as planned. The data recovered from the new seismic shoot was of exceptionally high quality and the interpretation of this data by our partners at RPS Energy Services, along with the integration of the existing trade data that we acquired, clearly demonstrates the highly prospective nature of the Val Marie project area,” said Steve Halabura, Royal’s vice-president, exploration.
The Val Marie project is 13,000 hectares in size, located in southwest Saskatchewan.
Uranium Energy Corp. acquires UEX Corp.
Corpus Christi, Texas-based Uranium Energy Corp. (UEC) announced June 13 it has acquired Saskatoon’s UEX Corp. to create the largest diversified North America-focused uranium company.
“This opportunity provides entry into two of Canada’s most prospective uranium districts in Saskatchewan and Nunavut, and cements UEC’s position as not only a leading American uranium mining company but a North American one as well. We commend Roger Lemaitre and the UEX team for having assembled and advanced this highly prospective portfolio and look forward to working with their experienced and professional Canadian team. They will be of great benefit to UEC moving forward. Furthermore, the key projects in the UEX portfolio are already in joint venture partnerships with uranium producers, including Cameco and Orano, and we look forward to working with them as the projects continue development towards production,” said Amir Adnani, president and CEO of UEC.
According to both companies, UEC’s “strong balance sheet and liquidity provides UEX with the capital need to fund continued exploration and growth initiatives at its projects in the Athabasca basin and Nunavut,” and shareholders with “substantial exposure to production-ready uranium assets in the United States, complementing UEX’s current portfolio of development stage assets in Canada.”
“The combination of UEC and UEX brings together two very strong and complementary portfolios and, in addition to a significant premium, provides our shareholders with the opportunity to participate in the continued growth of UEC. UEX shareholders will gain substantial exposure to production-ready low-cost U.S. ISR (in situ recovery) mining assets, a substantial physical uranium portfolio, a strong balance sheet and access to capital. I look forward to seeing UEC’s management team continue to execute on their growth strategy and build upon the success we have already seen with UEX’s portfolio of assets,” said Roger Lemaitre, president and CEO of UEX.