President's Message

Dear Members,

The last few months have been very busy times for exporters across Saskatchewan, with events really peaking in June with the Western Canadian Farm Progress Show as our premiere trading event in the Province. As in past years, we were invaded by hundreds of foreign buyers from as far away as Mongolia, China, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as our many good friends across the USA. The Farm Progress Show is truly one of Saskatchewan's annual "mega projects", and the economic impact of this event is huge and far reaching. Over the last few weeks my staff and I have also fanned out across the world at trade missions and shows in North East China (Jilin Province), France, Algiers, Tunis, and closer to home in Calgary and Ontario.

June was also "strategic planning month" at STEP with an important off-site retreat among our Board and senior management held at Wanuskewan Heritage Park, near Saskatoon. Our Board reviewed STEP's longer range vision and plans, including the continued expansion of other STEP services for members. The results of this planning exercise, although not immediate, will pay huge dividends in properly guiding the remarkable growth of STEP for many years to come. STEP is clearly embarked on a journey to enhance its value proposition in local, national and international markets with an aim to becoming even more financially sustainable. However the end result is always to enhance revenues to maximize services for our Saskatchewan-based exporting members.

Now that summer has arrived, our international travel at STEP is slowing down and it is time to concentrate on member visits and developing additional servicing plans for each of our STEP members as we do more traveling within the province. I personally have a busy schedule of member renewals and company tours set up over the next 6 weeks. I look forward to seeing as many members as possible in their own place of business. There is a whole new "tool box" of STEP services I am eager to share with our members, including:

·A tripling of our pool of nextrade finance lending funds in recent months;
·An exciting new course calendar of new nextrade training and other educational programs;
·A bold new business plan for "STEP International" – i.e. our plans to expand the number of consortium projects in Saskatchewan to help our members become more successful in bidding on international development projects;
·Added liaison and coordination capacity with our new International Strategic In-market Partner Offices in Dubai, Beijing, Santiago, Manila, Hong Kong and Beijing;
·Fine-tuning of your ongoing requests for market intelligence research projects customized to your unique needs in business; and
·Further customization of your trade development and international promotion needs, including some new "Mission in a Box" and "E-Marketing" services I would like to share with our members.

There is a lot we can talk about, and I do look forward to seeing you! Please do not hesitate to give me a call at either my Regina (787-1550) or Saskatoon (933-6552) offices or drop me an email at dbotting@saskatrade.sk.ca and I will come out and visit.

There is no place in the world as beautiful as Saskatchewan in the summer time. Enjoy the wonderful weather, the spectacular warm sunsets, and the best and most accessible fishing and golfing on the planet. No wonder we love to call Saskatchewan home!

Yours sincerely,
Dale Botting
President and CEO
Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership

STEP Luncheon and Annual General Meeting

September 19, 2007 at IPSCO Place in Regina

Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership is pleased to partner with Custom House for a Luncheon and  STEP's Annual General Meeting.  The event will feature keynotes by Ms. Andrea Mandel-Campbell, Leading Business Journalist and Author of "Why Mexicans Don’t Drink Molson:  Rescuing Canadian Companies From the Suds of Global Obscurity" and by Mr. Michael Levy, Financial Analyst with Custom House who will speak on the latest currency trends.  Click here for the Registration form.

Members on the Move!

STEP Members are in the news on a regular basis for various successes from expansions to new products and initiatives to various awards.  Here are some of the stories over the last few months.

If you have news you would like to share, email hswan@sasktrade.sk.ca.
 
Bank of Montreal has announced that it will build a new $1.4 million bank in downtown MooseJaw.  Construction will begin soon, and is expected to be completed in early 2008.
 
Canadian Green Fuels, which operates the province's only commercial scale biodiesel plant, opened its first biodiesel pump in Regina.
 
Congratulations to Doepker Industries on winning the Moose Jaw Business Excellence Award for Job Creation and Business of the Year. 
 
Saskatoon based Hinz Automation Inc. has been acquired by Rutter Inc. of St. John's, Newfoundland.  Rutter has 6 additional offices across western North America including Calgary, Vancouver, and Denver.
 
Congratulations to Great Excursions Company for winning a Saskatchewan Tourism Award of Excellence, the Gil Carduner Marketing Award. 
 
IPSCO Inc. announced that Svenskt Stal AB of Stockholm, Sweden has purchased the North American steelmaker.
 
Wendy Morris, President and CEO, is announced that there has been a change in the ownership of Morris Industries Ltd.  Casey Davis has taken over the ownership and management of Morris Industries Ltd. and Morris Sales & Service Ltd.
 
Peacock Industries has received a federal grant which will be used for the development of a business plan that will lead to the marketing of a mustard-based biodiesel fuel, as well as a mustard oil-based additive to enhance the performance of motor vehicle engines.
 
Prairie Berries of Keeler has planted the world's largest Saskatoon berry orchard this spring.  100,000 young trees have been planted on 120 Acres.
 
Marla Preston, General Manager of the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan was awarded the President's Award for the 13th consecutive year by Carlson Hotels Worldwide.
 
Innovatix, LLC, one of the nation's largest non-acute care group purchasing organizations, has awarded a contract to Saskatchewan-based Safety Bath Inc. designed to allow limited mobility patients to bathe safely, the company is certified to American National Standards Institute and Underwriters Laboratories standards.

Farm Show Wrap-up

Western Canada Farm Progress Show boosted a 9% increase in attendance over last year.  STEP's involvement in the show ranged from hosting a Saskatchewan reception, sponsoring the International Business Centre, organizing programs for incoming buyers and organizing seminars and networking events to connect buyers and sellers.  In addition, STEP arranged programs for 107 delegates from the following countries:  Russia, Iran, India, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, United States.  STEP estimates the value of sales generated for members from the incoming buyers at the show to exceed $30,000,000 based on feedback from members. Sales were mainly in agricultural equipment and pulses. 

Trade Training Expands into Saskatoon

Following a successful launch in the City of Regina, nextrade training is proud to announce the expansion of the FITTskills International Trade Training program into the City of Saskatoon. The first course, Global Entrepreneurship, will be held on August 16-17, 2007 in Saskatoon. Global Entrepreneurship will introduce you to the fundamentals of international trade.

nextrade training will also be holding further FITTskills courses in Regina in August. International Trade Finance will guide participants through the role that financing plays in international trade. This course will take you through complex ventures and will show you how to secure financing. The International Trade Finance course will be held on August 11-12, 2007 in Regina.

For further details please see the attached FITTskills Poster and Registration Form.

New Member Welcome

STEP would like to welcome the following companies that have joined.
 

STEP's 6th Annual Golf Tournament

Once again, another successful year at the Golf Course as STEP hosted their 6th Annual Golf Tournament. There were 52 golfers who braved the winds on June 7th, 2007.  To date, through the participation of STEP's Members we have raised over $4,500.00 for various Saskatchewan charities.  This year, the Children's Health and Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan will be receiving the proceeds from our tournament.  We would also like to thank all of our sponsors who generously donated prizes for each of our golf teams.  We are looking forward to next year!

Winning Team: From Left to Right
Gerald Adamson, Tom Kennedy, Jason Minvielle, Pam Bartoshewski

Have you had issues getting your business visitors to Canada?

In recent months, and with the influx of incoming business contacts that we work with due to the Western Canada Incoming Buyers Program and for events such as Western Canada Farm Progress Show, we have recognized some inconsistencies in how business visitor visas are processed and the time it takes for these visas to be issued.  As a result, we just want to remind our companies of the process involved and which countries require visas.  In addition, if incoming business visas are not approved or issued in a timely fashion, we would like to track this information, including the potential business lost as a result or the negative impact on your business, so we can look at ways of dealing with this issue.  If you have experienced inconsistencies and delays that have resulted in lost sales for your company, please report them to Lana Migneault, Trade Assistant for Asia-Africa at STEP.  Lana can be reached at 306-787-2194 or email:  lmigneault@sasktrade.sk.ca.

How does my foreign buyer obtain a Temporary Resident Visa (“TRV”)?

Temporary Resident Visas are not issued in Canada. Before traveling to Canada, the foreign buyer will require a Temporary Resident Visa, they must apply at the nearest Canadian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate that offers immigration and visa services.
To obtain a Temporary Resident Visa, the foreign buyer will generally be required to provide all of the following:

1. A completed Application Form
   Complete information on obtaining a Temporary Resident Visa, including a guide, document checklist, and application form is available at: Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The guide will assist the foreign buyer in deciding whether to apply for a single or multiple entry TRV.
   
   Please Note:  Applications will be returned if they are not properly completed, or if all of the necessary documents have not been submitted.
   
   A passport which will be valid for the duration of the foreign buyers stay and guarantees re-entry to the issuing country.
   
2. Company letter of support
   
3. Two recent passport size photos of the foreign buyer (and each family member accompanying them);the name and date of birth of the person should be written on the back of each photo. Instructions regarding the passport photos can be found in the application kit at Citizenship and Immigration Canada
   
4. Proof of temporary or permanent legal residence in the country of application, if applicable
   
5. Proof of funds
   
6. Application fee: Fees and methods of payment vary.  The foreign buyer should verify the acceptable methods of payment with the Canadian visa office before submitting their application. Canadian visa offices are located at the nearest Canadian Consulate, Embassy or High Commission.
   
7. Visa offices cannot accept fee payment receipts from banks in Canada nor are personal cheques acceptable methods of payment.
   

Visa Information for Visitors to Canada

For a list of countries whose citizens require a Visa to visit or Transit through Canada, click here. 

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