Saskatchewan News

The world's biggest fertilizer producer Nutrien Ltd cut production on Tuesday, citing the impact of an 11-day-old strike in Canada's Pacific ports whose cost has now ballooned to an estimated C$5.5 billion ($4.2 billion).Some 7,500 dock workers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) walked off on July 1 after failing to agree a new wage deal with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).The union says the BCMEA is refusing to give a fair pay increase despite making billions of dollars in profits in recent years.

The Royal Canadian Navy's second and third Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) were officially named at Halifax Shipyard on Sunday.Named HMCS Margaret Brooke and HMCS Max Bernays in honor of two Canadians who served in the navy in the Second World War, the vessels are among six AOPS being delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.“This is a proud day for our team of over 2,100 shipbuilders. These two ships are visible signs of the success of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.

Canadian firm Westshore Terminals said Thursday it had executed a deal with BHP Canada Inc., a subsidiary of BHP Group, to provide port services to BHP’s proposed Jansen Potash Mine in Saskatchewan. The agreement is subject to approval by the Board of BHP and execution by BHP, after which the agreement would still be conditional on BHP making a final investment decision on Stage 1 of the Jansen Project. These decisions are entirely within the discretion of BHP, Westshore said  Thursday.If the Jansen Project does proceed…

Berne, Ind.-based portable sectional barge manufacturer Poseidon Barge said it has hired Jerome Lemanowicz as East Coast territory sales manager, to fill the position left by the transfer of Carl Piedmont from the Northeast to the West Coast.Located in New Jersey, Lemanowicz's territory includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C., Montreal, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova…

The Port of Vancouver USA received a shipment of wind turbine components on July 22 that included the longest wind turbine blades ever to enter the West Coast of the U.S. and transported across North America, to-date. The port received a total of nine wind turbines including blades, nacelles, generators, hubs, tower sections and other sub-components. Eight of Goldwind’s GW155/4.2 MW turbines arrived on the MV Star Kilimanjaro. There are four complete turbines featuring Goldwind’s 76-meter blades and four additional turbines of the same model with blades arriving on later shipments.

A latest research revealed that the upstream sector accounted for the bulk of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the global oil and gas industry in 2019, generating some high-value transactions during the process.According to GlobalData's theme report, ‘M&A in Oil and Gas – 2020’, the acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum by Occidental Petroleum in April 2019 for a purchase consideration of US$57bn was the highlight of oil and gas M&A activity last year, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.Ravindra Puranik, Oil & Gas Analyst at GlobalData, said: “In 2019, the upstream sector, more specifically the US shale plays, witnessed the highest deal activity in the oil and gas industry.

Canadian National Railway (CN) said it plans to invest more than $245 million in Saskatchewan in 2019 to expand and strengthen the company’s rail network across the province.“Following a record capital program in 2018, CN brought on 25% more qualified train conductors in Western Canada and added over 10% more active high horse power locomotives to its network. This year, CN is investing $35M more than last year to bring greater capacity to CN’s mainline to benefit all commodities,” said Doug Ryhorchuk, vice-president of CN’s Western Region.The Saskatchewan investments are part of CN’s 2019 record $3.9 billion capital investment focused on enabling growth from all commodity segments…

Weighing over 800 ton - roughly four times the weight of a blue whale -,  and spanning over 300 ft., the splitter vessel is the biggest load to ever be moved on Alberta's highways.On the evening of January 6th Mammoet began the transport for the giant splitter vessel. The vessel left Dacro Industries, where it was constructed, and began it’s 3 day transport journey from Edmonton to Fort Saskatchewan, AB.The splitter vessel is a key part of the process at Inter Pipeline’s Heartland Petrochemical Complex where propane will be converted into recyclable plastic pellets, known as polypropylene, which will then be used to make items such as computers, medical equipment and food storage containers.

The oilfield trucking provider Mullen Group has announced the closing of the acquisition of  hydro excavation company Canadian Hydrovac (CHL). CHL is a private company owned by Dan Shemanchuk which is based in Sherwood Park, Alberta. CHL is an industry leader in providing hydrovac services to the midstream, pipeline, construction and municipal sectors of western Canada. In addition to operating from its head office in the refinery complex of the greater Edmonton region and Alberta's Industrial Heartland, CHL has additional operating branches in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and Saskatchewan. The Company's workforce consists of approximately 80 skilled employees and its fleet consists of over 50 specialized pieces of equipment including: hydrovac units…

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority board of directors has re-elected Eugene Kwan as vice chair for a third term commencing March 25, 2018. Mr. Kwan was appointed to the board of directors by the federal minister of transport as recommended by the Port User Group Nominating Committee. Mr. Kwan is also a member of the Governance and Stakeholder Relations Committee and the Major Capital Projects Committee. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s board of directors is composed of 11 members: one federal appointee; one British Columbia provincial appointee; one appointee for the Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; one appointee representing the 16 municipalities bordering the port; and, seven federal appointees recommended by port users.

Authorities are building a new containment boom to fight an oil spill in a major western Canadian river, officials said on Saturday, after the spill breached a previous barrier and threatened the drinking water of several communities along the coast. The city of North Battleford, which draws its drinking water in part from the North Saskatchewan River, shut its supply intake on Friday and switched to using ground water, provincial officials said in a telephone conference with reporters. Some 1,572 barrels of heavy oil and diluent leaked from Husky Energy Inc's Saskatchewan Gathering System pipeline on Thursday, flowing into the river. The Calgary-based company has shut the line, stopping the leak, and has been working to contain the spill.

Canpotex Ltd, the potash export sales arm for Potash Corp of Saskatchewan, Mosaic Co and Agrium Inc, said on Friday it would not build a planned shipping terminal at Prince Rupert in British Columbia. Canpotex said the decision was based on economic and commercial considerations and that its export capacity in Vancouver, Saint John and Portland were sufficient. Potash Corp Chief Executive Jochen Tilk had said in January that the suspension of production at an eastern Canadian mine could lead Canpotex to shelve plans to build the terminal.

Portland is already the largest gateway on the U.S. West Coast for bulk mineral exports, and that gateway is about to get more efficient and diversified with the expansion of the Canpotex Limited (Canpotex) potash export facility at the Port of Portland's marine Terminal 5 in the Rivergate Industrial District. Canpotex, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Portland Bulk Terminals, L.L.C. (PBT), is investing up to $140 million in new equipment and infrastructure to improve the efficiency of its shiploading operations and the management of Canpotex’s specialty white potash products. A new shiploader, improved control system technology and an upgraded conveyance system will enable shorter turnaround times for Canpotex trains and ships at PBT.

Canadian uranium producer Cameco Corp and the United Steelworkers union, which represents 535 workers at the world's largest uranium mine and a nearby mill, have agreed to a tentative deal ending a nearly two-week lockout, both sides said on Friday. Shortly after the lockout began, the union said outstanding issues included pensions, benefits and compensation for working in a remote region. The previous contract expired on Dec. 31, 2013. Mike Pulak, a staff representative for United Steelworkers, said workers would begin returning to the McArthur River, Saskatchewan mine and Key Lake mill as early as Friday. There was "pressure exerted on all sides equally" to get a deal, Pulak said in a phone interview.

Canadian grain marketer CWB said on Thursday it will build a third grain elevator on the western Prairies, as the former Wheat Board pieces together a crop-handling network. Winnipeg-based CWB will build an elevator that can store 42,000 tonnes of grain near Pasqua, Saskatchewan. It expects the elevator, adjacent to a Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd line with the ability to load 134 rail cars, to open in January 2016. The elevator is the latest project to expand Western Canada's grain-handling capacity, including country elevators and port terminals, as Canadian farmers increase production. Richardson International Ltd, Cargill Ltd and Viterra have also announced building projects. Viterra said last week that it would build a grain terminal at Ste.

Bryan Hayes, Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie, on behalf of the Honorable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, announced today that the Government of Canada is investing in a harbor improvement project at Mamainse Harbor. The project consists of the refurbishment of the north breakwater. This work is planned to start in the late fall. Funding for this project is part of the Government of Canada’s investment of approximately $106 million in repair, construction, maintenance and dredging projects at small craft harbors across Canada. This includes $66 million in regular program funding and an additional $40 million over two years, as announced in Economic Action Plan 2014.

The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) appoints John Higginbotham as senior fellow. At CIGI, an independent, non-partisan think tank on international governance, Mr. Higginbotham will play a key role in leading CIGI’s global security project on Arctic governance. Mr. Higginbotham is also a senior distinguished fellow at Carleton University, where has he been working on the Arctic, China and the United States as well as a transportation studies initiative drawing on the strengths of Carleton’s Faculties of Business, Public Administration and Engineering.

Canadian grain marketer CWB said on Monday it has agreed to buy Great Sandhills Terminal Ltd, a farmer-owned 20,000-tonne grain handling facility in Leader, Saskatchewan, for $16.3 million. The deal, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, is expected to close by Sept. 1. It also includes a majority stake in a short-line railway in Saskatchewan. CWB did not release further financial details. CWB, which was previously known as the Canadian Wheat Board, has made several deals to piece together a grain-handling network in the past year as it moves toward operating outside of government control. Ottawa stripped the board of its western wheat and barley marketing monopoly in 2012 and agreed to guarantee CWB's borrowings until it is sold or develops a plan to be self-sustaining by 2016.

Maha Energy Inc. and Palliser Oil & Gas Corporation  are pleased to announce that they have entered into an amalgamation agreement pursuant to which Maha and Palliser will amalgamate to form a new corporation to be called "Maha Energy Inc.". Palliser has also closed a minor asset disposition with Maha and entered into two farmout arrangements with Maha. Pursuant to the Amalgamation, shareholders of Palliser will receive 0.1393 of a common share of New Maha for each common share of Palliser and shareholders of Maha will receive one New Maha Share for each common share of Maha. Based on the price of US$1.25 per Maha Share, being the price at which Maha recently raised US$10 million of gross proceeds in a private placement of Maha Shares…

EXMAR LPG has been awarded Statoil ASA’s time charter requirement for two environment-friendly 38,000 m³ (Midsize) LPG newbuildings intended for LPG trading within North West Europe. Both performing vessels are part of EXMAR LPG’s existing orderbook and are being built at Hanjin Subic Bay. The duration of each Time-Charter is for a period of minimum five years up to maximum 10 years basis delivery within 2016. EXMAR LPG has further extended with Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan the time charters of Libramont (38…

Meridian Ocean Services said it recovered the body of Canadian First Nations Elder Solomon Roberts from the icy waters of Otter Lake in northern Saskatchewan. After searching more than 450 acres underwater, Meridian, a provider of subsea inspection and support services using remote and autonomous underwater vehicles, helped return Elder Roberts, of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, to his family. In November, 66-year-old Elder Roberts, from the town of Grandmother’s Bay, fell through the ice on his snowmobile. Members of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band located Elder Roberts’ snowmobile but as temperatures dropped in the days after, thick ice quickly covered vast sections of the lake, hindering traditional search techniques.

Three Canadian grain handlers said this week that they will expand facilities to handle the country's crops, after a record-smashing harvest overwhelmed the transportation system. Viterra, owned by Glencore Xstrata PLC, said on Thursday it will spend C$100 million ($92 million) to boost grain shipping through Port Metro Vancouver, while CWB, formerly known as the Canadian Wheat Board, said it is building a second Western Canadian grain elevator. Global commodities trader Cargill Ltd said on Wednesday that it would expand an elevator site in Manitoba. The moves come as the country's grain handlers and railways have struggled to move a record harvest to port, causing a massive backlog.

extract greenhouse gases from the air, a U.N. report said on Sunday. solar or nuclear power was affordable and would shave only about 0.06 percentage point a year off world economic growth. Edenhofer, co-chair of a Berlin meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). "I'm not saying it's costless. I'm not saying climate policy is a free lunch. But it's a lunch worthwhile to buy," he said. The report, endorsed by governments, is meant as the main scientific guide for nations working on a U.N. late 2015 to rein in world greenhouse gas emissions that have hit repeated highs, led by China's industrial growth. warming. percent from 2010 levels by 2050, and then close to zero by 2100, to keep temperatures below 2C. Such cuts are far deeper than most governments are planning.