Mayor Harris: Wholesale Trade Increase - Preeceville's Main Street with the Mayor Garth Harris for August 20th, 2020 8:35 am

Working Draft for:

Preeceville's Main Street with the Mayor Garth Harris for August 20th, 2020 8:35 am

With GX94's Craig Wallebeck > see him @ http://www.gx94radio.com/craig-Wallebeck

This week we focus on: Wholesale Trade Increase

Highest Wholesale Trade Increase In Canada

Released on August 19, 2020

"The value of wholesale trade in Saskatchewan increased 3.8 per cent in June 2020 (compared to June 2019), which was the highest percentage increase compared to the other provinces, and well above the 2.4 per cent decline posted for Canada (seasonally adjusted).

“Saskatchewan’s wholesale trade figures have shown resiliency through the global COVID-19 pandemic,” Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said. “As a leading economic indicator, growth in this area at a time when most provinces are seeing a decrease on an annual basis shows that Saskatchewan is in a strong position for economic recovery.”

The largest year-over-year increase was in machinery, equipment and supplies.

In June 2020, the value of wholesale trade in Saskatchewan increased by 7.9 per cent from May 2020 (seasonally-adjusted).

Total wholesale trade in June was approximately $2.3 billion."

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For more information, contact:

Robin Speer, Trade and Export Development, Regina
Phone: 306-519-5006 Email: robin.speer@gov.sk.ca

Saskatchewan Invests $15 Million In Agtech

Released on August 13, 2020

The Government of Saskatchewan announced today it will provide $15 million to help develop new technologies in agriculture and position the province as a global leader in the agtech sector.

Through Innovation Saskatchewan, funds will be invested in a privately-managed fund targeted exclusively at agtech companies that require venture capital to develop past the startup phase and scale up their business operations and manufacturing.

“The proper support, combined with strong research in agricultural innovation and the success of agtech startups, can make Saskatchewan a global force in agtech,” Minister Responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan Tina Beaudry-Mellor said. “This investment will bring jobs and new growth to our province and equip farmers and producers with game-changing technology.”

This investment will accelerate the province’s economic recovery from COVID-19 and build upon a record year for venture capital investment in Saskatchewan. Deals worth $114 million were made in 2019, more than the previous five years combined, and most of those investments were made in Saskatchewan’s tech sector. Once a partner is found, the $15 million investment is expected to leverage millions more from private investors, complementing Innovation Saskatchewan’s existing programs which support agtech startups but are not designed to scale companies to full business capacity.

Innovation Saskatchewan will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) in the coming weeks to begin exploring fund options with the private sector.

“Saskatchewan is rising to the challenge of feeding a growing world population and innovation in agriculture technology plays an important role in meeting that growing demand,” Agriculture Minister David Marit said. “This investment will ensure producers have made-in-Saskatchewan technology that supports their efforts to grow high-quality, sustainable food.”

With global demand for food anticipated to rise 70 per cent by 2050, Innovation Saskatchewan is helping farmers gain a competitive edge to meet the future by building upon a significant and historic economic driver.

The agency’s new investment, combined with its Saskatchewan Advantage Innovation Fund, Saskatchewan Technology Startup Incentive and the $1 million Agtech Growth Fund (https://innovationsask.ca/news/saskatchewan-launches-1-million-agtech-growth-fund) announced in July, will work with the rest of the province’s agricultural infrastructure to help stimulate the provincial economy, add value to Saskatchewan’s agricultural products, and grow the technology sector – all important objectives in Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan 2020-30.

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For more information, contact:

Scott Brown, Innovation Saskatchewan
Phone: 306-787-0355 Email: scott.brown@gov.sk.ca

Details about the Agtech Growth Fund and application forms are available on the Innovation Saskatchewan website at: https://innovationsask.ca/research/agf.

The Agtech Growth Fund (AGF) is a research and development (R&D) funding program designed to accelerate the commercialization of game-changing technological innovations in the province’s agricultural sector.

Through AGF, Innovation Saskatchewan (IS) provides non-repayable grants to projects that address a specific industry challenge. To apply, please refer to the “Program Guidelines” downloadable below.

Areas of Focus

AGF will accept applications for R&D projects related to the following areas:

Digital Ag Software/Hardware (e.g., sensors, imagery, precision ag, data stewardship)
Smart Farm Equipment (e.g., robotics, machinery, automation)
Food Processing (enabling technologies)
Indoor Agriculture (enabling technologies)
Animal Health/Verification Technology
Supply Chain Technology (e.g., traceability)
Agricultural Marketplace/Fintech

Eligibility Criteria

All applications must meet the following criteria to be considered for funding:

Proposed by a group of active private sector partners that represent the project’s value chain (researchers, those involved in the production/supply process, and customer/end users).

Active partner: participating in the project either through cash and/or in-kind contribution, equity investment, and/or letter of intent to purchase.
Majority of the R&D activities must be conducted by Saskatchewan-based partners.
Priority is given to proposals that also have an academic partner from a Saskatchewan post-secondary or research institute.

Demonstrate how the technological innovation will solve a specific industry-wide challenge and benefit the agriculture sector as a whole, not just individual companies.
Technological solutions must be novel and innovative.
Demonstrate a feasible path to commercialization and how the benefits of the project will be sustained over the long-term.
Industry partners must provide 50% or more of the project’s budget. The amount requested from IS is no more than 30% of the proposed budget.

Intake Periods

Intakes for the AGF are held twice per fiscal year. To be considered for funding, prospective applicants must submit an EOI and complete the “Eligibility Questionnaire” before the intake deadline. Only selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals. Shortlist decisions made by IS’ internal selection committee are final.

In years where applicants exceed the available funding, only proposals determined to be most strategically aligned with the province’s R&D priorities will be invited to submit full proposals. The number of grants approved per year will be based on budget availability.

Below are important dates for each intake periods:

Intake Period 1:
April 30	Deadline for EOIs
May 31	All invites for full proposals sent
July 31	Deadline for full proposals
September 30	Funding decisions made

Intake Period 2:
September 30	Deadline for EOIs
October 31	All invites for full proposals sent
December 31	Deadline for full proposals
February 28	Funding decisions made

For more information, please contact Kevin Chung at kevin.chung@innovationsask.ca.

Important Documents

"All this in little Saskatchewan"

Events:

Preeceville & District Lions Club Chase the Ace - Minimum Jack-Pot is now at a $15,557.

Follow the Lions on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PreecevilleChaseTheAce/

The Town Newsletter for July/August has information about upcoming events.

Previous newsletters can be found on the Recreation page.

Non Events:

- Construction is well under way on the towns $5.1 Million Wastewater Project
Upgrades funded by the federal, provincial and municipal governments
Town of Preeceville news release - Issued May 20,2020

Click HERE to read the News Release

- Construction is also done on the new Coop Project. Opening soon. Paving upgrades done.