Regina has country’s highest crime rate

Baby steps have been taken but there is still a lot of work to be done.  This is not a stat that the city nor the province should be happy about and proves that more needs to be done.  Does this mean more patrols in high crime areas of the city?  Or what is the answer?  Fact is I don't think enough is being done by the police in the city to curb this high crime rate.  Is it time to make some changes at the top here or are we as taxpayers happy with this small progress?  You can probably guess how I feel on the subject but am of one voice.  I feel that more emphasis needs to be put on crime in this province.

Regina has country’s highest crime rate

BY JOE COUTURE, LEADER-POST JULY 21, 2011 1:03 PM

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Regina Police Chief Troy Hagen

Photograph by: Bryan Schlosser, Regina Leader-Post

REGINA -- Regina had the highest crime rate and the highest crime severity index ranking in Canada in 2010, according to a report released by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics on Thursday.

Although crime dropped by eight per cent from 2009 to 2010, bringing Regina’s crime rate to its lowest point in at least 20 years, the rate was still the highest in Canada among census metropolitan areas at 9,813 offences per 100,000 population. Kelowna was second at 9,548 and Saskatoon was third at 9,384.

Regina’s crime severity index, a measure introduced in 2009 that takes into account the seriousness of crimes, was also down eight per cent from 2009 to 2010. But, with an index of 131.4, it was higher than second-place Saskatoon at 128.1 and third-place Winnipeg at 122.3.

With 2010 included, Regina has been No. 1 for crime in the country for three consecutive years, Regina Police Chief Troy Hagen said at a media conference on Thursday.

But he said the numbers are not discouraging, because crime rates are falling in Regina faster than the national average. There is more work ahead, but progress has been steady, Hagen said.

Read more:http://www.leaderpost.com/Regina+country+highest+crime+rate/5138458/story.html#ixzz1Sm1F06IR

They Are Lining Up To Get A Spot At Terminal Outside Of Regina

I am told that there are a few more agreements being finalized and that the coming months will see more announcements for the new inter-model terminal outside of Regina. 

Yanke third major GTH tenant

 

 

LEADER-POST JULY 12, 2011

 

 

Yanke Group of Companies will be the third major tenant at the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) west of Regina, the Leader-Post has learned. A media advisory issued by the province Monday said that Highways and Infrastructure Minister Jim Reiter, who is minister responsible for the GTH, GTH chair Wayne Elhard and Yanke Group of Companies president Russel Marcoux will be speaking at "an official groundbreaking event" five km west of the city at 11: 30 a.m. today.

The location of the 'groundbreaking event' - to celebrate the "announcement of the Yanke Group of Companies' new partnership with the GTH" - will be opposite the Canadian Logistics Services (CLS) distribution centre, which officially opened in February.

A source said the Saskatoon-based trucking firm is establishing a container terminal at the GTH. The company will continue to remained headquartered in Saskatoon, the source said.

"Quite frankly, the GTH is going to be a paradigm shift for the trucking and transportation industry in Saskatchewan,'' he said.

Last month, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) officially started construction on its $50-million intermodal facility project, which will see the relocation of the CP container yards from its current location on Dewdney Avenue between Albert and Broad streets.

The new terminal facility will be located on a 300-acre site and handle about 250,000 container loadings per year, compared with the current 17-acre downtown site, which can handle about 45,000 container loadings annually.

The GTH's first major tenant, CLS opened the first phase of its 965,000-squarefoot, $350-million distribution centre in February. With the completion of CLS's 423,000-square-foot first phase, the remaining 500,000-square-foot second phase is expected to be completed by December. When fully operational, the CLS distribution centre will employ about 800 people, handle 76 million cases annually and 1,350 to 1,400 trucks per week for its client, Loblaw Companies.

In order to accommodate the additional traffic, the provincial Highways and Infrastructure ministry is spending in excess of $100 million on projects, including the West Regina Bypass on the Trans-Canada Highway, the Lewvan interchange and new highways connecting the Trans-Canada Highway with Highway 11.

The GTH is to serve as multi-modal transportation hub, including rail, truck and possibly air cargo facilities.

Read more:http://www.leaderpost.com/Yanke+third+major+tenant/5086907/story.html#ixzz1RuE3NBg3

Imagine That, Another Strike Notice In Saskatchewan!

Saskatchewan Government Insurance workers serve strike notice for Thursday

Topics : 

Saskatchewan Government Insurance ,Thursday.The Canadian Office , Professional Employees Union

Published on July 6, 2011

The Canadian Press  

REGINA — Some workers with Saskatchewan Government Insurance could be in a legal position to strike by Thursday.

The Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union served SGI with 48-hours strike notice Tuesday afternoon.

Wages are the key issue in the dispute.

Management has offered 5.5 per cent over three years while the union is asking for nearly 10 per cent over the same time frame.

Andrew Cartmell, president of SGI, says the corporation has a comprehensive plan in place to ensure customer needs are met in the event of job action.

Cartmell also says SGI remains committed to the collective bargaining process and is still hopeful of reaching a resolution.

SGI's network of motor licence issuers and independent brokers will continue assisting customers, he said, adding online services will remain available.

I Couldn't Say It Better Myself

A great place to do business

 

 

THE LEADER-POST JUNE 28, 2011

 

 

When Premier Brad Wall coaxed an apparently reluctant federal government to blocking Australian mining giant BHP Billiton's $38.6-billion hostile takeover bid for PotashCorp seven months ago, some feared it would deter outsiders from investing in Saskatchewan.

A couple of recent developments show that the province remains a very appealing place to do business - just ask the aforementioned BHP .

Far from pulling out of the province that said "no" to its bid to gobble up PotashCorp and its 25 per cent of global potash production capacity, BHP has confirmed it is pushing ahead with its Jansen potash mine near Lanigan and Humboldt. The $488 million for site preparation and equipment that BHP announced last week brings to $1.2 billion the company's total investment so far in the project. If all goes well, potash production could start in 2015, with the total cost of mine construction pegged at $12 billion.

The ongoing development affirms Wall's confidence that opposing the foreign takeover of a "strategic" Canadian resource like potash was a unique issue that would not impact future business investment. BHP has also kept its word that, win or lose on the PotashCorp takeover, it would proceed with the Lanigan project.

The province got more good news on its business prospects Monday when it was ranked "best in Canada" for oil and gas investment in the 2011 Global Petroleum Survey from the Fraser Institute. That survey also ranked Saskatchewan 11th best in the world out of 136 jurisdictions assessed.

Key to the province improving its rankings from last year's survey is offering investors "confidence in a stable, competitive royalty and regulatory structure."

Alberta, once the darling of the oil and gas sector, tinkered disastrously with its royalty rates a couple of years ago and is now ranked sixth in Canada and 51st worldwide as a place for the industry to invest.

More good investment news could soon be coming. At the recent ceremony for the Canadian Pacific Railway's new $50 million intermodal facility, part of the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) just west of Regina, Wall said the GTH was "a gamechanger" that would attract new businesses and jobs to the province. When the CPR facility is fully operational it will transfer up to 250,000 containers between trains and trucks a year - a huge expansion from the 45,000 it handles annually at the old freight yards it is vacating in downtown Regina.

Phase one of a million-square-foot distribution centre for Loblaws is operational and other companies are expected to soon announce investment in a facility providing rail and road links to the U.S., Mexico and - via Canadian ports - the world.

The BHP Billiton affair was a unique, one-off situation. Saskatchewan is very much "open for business".

more:http://www.leaderpost.com/business/great+place+business/5014685/story.html#ixzz1QbBbYYMQ

Speaking Of Innovation.....

BUSINESS

 

 

A little Prairie gold

 

Modest jewellery designer grows to $1.5M in sales

 

BY BRETT WILSON, FINANCIAL POST JUNE 28, 2011 11:03 AM

 

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Brett

Photograph by: Brett, Brett

Rachel Mielke, a Regina-based jewellery designer and owner of Hillberg & Berk, was the first deal I did in the den. Maybe it was her Saskatchewan roots, maybe it was her swagger — a combination of business savvy and self-belief — that made me say, "I'm in." Either way, I'm enormously glad I did. People don't often associate Saskatchewan with high fashion, but Rachel is changing that attitude as H&B establishes its name in the Canadian jewellery industry.

The deal Mielke's story is unique in that she made two pitches, not one. She entered the den with a strong presentation, but all five dragons had trouble coming to terms with her $1.5-million company valuation -($300,000 for 20% of the company.) The valuation was based on future projections, but she only had a year or two of revenue behind her. Accepting her valuation would take a big leap of faith. Her first pitch failed, but the producers were so impressed by the product and Mielke's entrepreneurial spirit that they asked her to pitch again -something that has not happened before or since. She came back with $800,000 -a much more reasonable valuation. I offered $200,000 for 30% and she reluctantly accepted.

Why I'm in Even though only six or seven minutes make it to air, the actual pitches can take between 20 and 90 minutes. During that time, the dragons have to figure out the business, the market, the skill and knowledge of the entrepreneur, and decide on a fair valuation -not an easy thing to do in a short time. I look at the numbers, but I also go by gut instinct.

Mielke had a lot of creativity and the quality of her product was unquestionable. She also knew her market, and wasn't afraid to respectfully go head-to-head with Kevin O'Leary, venture capitalist and fellow dragon, when he pressed her on the potential of the company. She clearly understood marketing and her business skill was obvious. Most entrepreneurs would kill to be half as well-rounded as she is. In the end, everything added up. She was young and untested, but something told me Mielke was worth my time and money. I told her on the show: "I'm willing to invest in you."

The real deal There were no surprises. The deal we made on air is the deal we signed. Although there was a bit of delay at the outset, she did hit her aggressive projections and has done so every year since.

Mielke's challenges "I started a company in Saskatchewan in an unlikely industry, and it hasn't been easy. Having no mentors, I had to learn everything from scratch. I made a lot of mistakes, but they taught me valuable lessons and got me where I am now. I still struggle with feeling like an outsider in Canada's fashion industry. Since my brand is not well known on either end of Canada, we have to work very hard to open doors."

Investing more than money Mielke also appreciates the time and advice I put into her business. "From the beginning, my philosophy has been about creating social change for women. I'm doing more than encouraging them to invest in beautiful, wearable jewellery -I'm encouraging them to believe in and invest in themselves. Brett has shown me that social opportunity not only has a place in business -it is the new movement in business. As my brand becomes more recognized, and our sales break records for many of the stores that carry it, I'm getting closer to realizing my dream of having a leading designer jewellery brand in Canada," Mielke says.

Outcomes and forecast Aside from business guidance, what I have been able to offer Mielke is a bigger platform to establish her brand. Her designs are now worn by some of the most beautiful and famous women in the world. In just three years, Mielke has taken her modest company from $100,000 in sales to upward of $1.5-million this year. And she's done it all from Regina.

W. Brett Wilson is one of Canada's most successful businessmen and innovative philanthropists. You can follow him at @wbrettwilson.

BOTTOM LINE

Company Hillberg & Berk

Website hillbergandberk.com

Founder Rachel Mielke

Measure of success Went from $100,000 in sales to $1.5-million in three years

Claim to fame H&B jewellery is worn by Carrie Underwood, Michelle Obama, Sarah McLachlan and Celine Dion

© Copyright (c) National Post

more:http://www.leaderpost.com/business/fp/little+Prairie+gold/5014428/story.html#ixzz1Qb7iVUDl

Labour Unrest In Saskatchewan

In my first real post to this blog I bring up the hot topic of labour unrest in Saskatchewan. There is a huge gap between labour and employer right now and with either side not willing to budge a whole lot. So here's my common sense take on the issue;

The problem is the public sector and government, which as a taxpayer, we are all involved whether we like it or not.  Do you lean left or right?  It does not matter because the issues will affect everyone in the province.  Ok, I think we can all agree that people who do their job well should get paid appropriately, that is not the problem here.  The problem in the past 50-60 years or so is that Saskatchewan has been a solid socialist province, the CCF/NDP has always been the governing party.  People in Saskatchewan, like anywhere else in the world, wanted more for themselves and their family.  Looking at other parts of the country and especially next door in Alberta made us envious. How can people who are separated by an invisible line live completely different lives like this?  Why was the grass always greener next door?  Well there are many reasons but the main reason is our socialist values, we kept voting in a party that was not business friendly and by having that position, business would not invest in the province which left little opportunity for our children.  We lost a couple generations of children who all moved to Alberta because, yes the grass was much, much greener over there.

So now back to the issue at hand.  Being a socialist stronghold also allowed the unions to become very powerful, not only in politics but in society in general.  We're talking well organized groups here, one's who tax their people to push their political agenda.  And what an agenda they have right now! We have a slightly right wing government that has done wonders for our province since they took over, people are coming home and staying, getting opportunity to create a successful livelihood in this great province.  But what is going on is the unions are losing their grip on power, the people have awoken and want everything that you can get in other areas of the country.  The unions are now fighting like hell to restore things, there is an election on the horizon and they are trying to make as much hay when the sun is shining.  The Teachers Union, I mean Federation is asking for a whopping 16% increase over three years, or 12% over one.  Now as a taxpayer this infuriates me to the utmost degree, here we have a profession that gets over 3 months of the year off work, while the rest of society is lucky to get 4 weeks, add in weekends and really?  Yes there are some that will do the extra curricular activities but then there is a lot who don't.  How about a bonus system for those that do?  That is common sense, people putting in extra hours get paid overtime, so why not the teachers? Also needed to be realized is that they are getting paid for working around 9 months of the year.  If they want higher pay how about working another two months like many teachers do all over the world?  Many countries are heading in this direction because there is just so much to learn and they have figured out in order to get ahead more education is needed.  The teachers need to be held accountable as well, but at the same extent so do the students and more importantly the parents who allow their kids to carry on and giving no respect to the teachers.

The 200lb gorilla in the room(and I will discuss this in length in following posts as it really affects us going forward) is pensions and benefits.  We are heading down a slippery slope here, for example the city of Regina has a shortfall in future pension and benefits of $200 million.  That's $200,000,000!!!  This is one city with a small number of unionized workers and this is the path our politicians and union have led us too.  Problem becomes, what are we going to do to fix it?  A city of 200,000 people would have to come up with another $1,000 a piece in order to take care of that tab.  And that is just where we sit today, what will that shortfall look like in 10 or 20 years?  Both sides are to blame but the majority has to fall onto the hands of the unions who put a huge amount of pressure on governments to give them what they want.  This is especially easy for the unions when the NDP have been in power most of the time.  The old saying about the squeaky wheel and grease really comes into play here.  There is no one group louder and more in your face than unions, or what I like to call them the Pro-Labour Movement.

The problem now is, how do we fix a system that is this broken?  Unions would say raise taxes on everyone but how is that fair to the non-unionized workforce, retired and everyone in between have to pay for someone else's better life while barely getting through themselves?  Should the taxpayer base continue this, and if so, how long will it be before this province becomes business unfriendly again and people and business begin to leave again?  This will happen and can happen sooner than one would think. We need to fix this problem and unfortunately labour is our for themselves for the most part and not for the betterment of society as a whole. Yes, in the past with poor pay and labour conditions they helped bring about change but so did employers and now the ball is in the unions court, will they concede that they are a very large part of this huge burden or will they continue on as they have and further drive our economy down?

Time is for change and the people of Saskatchewan spoke very loudly at the last election and they will again this fall.  It is time for the unions to take responsibility and make some serious concessions with respect to pension and benefit reform.  The people of this province voted for a more open market, a major shift, a new direction and it is time for Organized Labour to realize and accept this.  Yes, the change is in the wind, but we need everyone on board to make this province the best it can be.  So labour, what do you have to say?

Have a great rest of your day,

David