Cancarb
■ Tokai Corp. agreed to purchase Cancarb Industries for $190 million from TransCanada Pipelines in early 2014. The Japanese firm’s first foray into North American production of carbon black includes a major electrical generation plant.
■ Criterion Catalyst, an industrial chemical producer, was sold to Texas-based Porocel in late 2013. After years of downsizing by former owner Shell, the refining operation is the first in Canada for Porocel, which already has a national marketing wing.
Smaller manufacturers will note that the Palliser Economic Partnership is now lobbying to have the Trans-Canada Highway from Medicine Hat to Brooks designated as a high-load corridor. The reasoning behind this, it will allow local metal manufacturers better access to northern routes to the oilsands, and therefore be better able to bid on component assembly projects.
There were greenshoots in 2013, though perhaps not on the same level as the major industrial producers. Global engineering firms WSP and SNC-Lavelin arrived in the region 2013 through branch openings or acquisitions. Powerline Construction added metal working jobs and new firms.
Of special note, Victory Silica is nearing production at its frac sand finishing plant at Seven Persons, which will employ about 30 full time employees.
The refitted sand recycling plant will upgrade byproduct of nickel pit-mining in Manitoba into high- grade fracturing sand.
The first of 90,000-tonne initial load of raw material arrived in early 2014, with the plan to finish the sand processing closer to complicated unconventional oil and gas wells. Those wells, prevalent in central Alberta and southern Saskatchewan can require up to 30 railcars of sand each.
“We’ve heard from service companies that they will pump all our grades,” said Ken Murdock, the CEO of Victory Nickel subsidiary Victory Silica, which is also developing it’s minesite in Manitoba and shipping facilities in Minnesota.
“It will be nice to get it up and running then it’s off to build the next one.” ■
Methanex our communities ❚ our region ❚ our people 33 Methanex
Canadian Fertilizers Ltd.
Region stands tall in
specialty crops
Local economic developers say Medicine Hat is ripe to take advantage of niche food processing catering to the gluten-free dietary movement.
A enviable supply of peas, beans, mustard and lentils in southeastern Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan, combined with low operating costs and tax rates, could be a winning mix, says a fact sheet meant to market the region to investors.
“The overall objective is to bring the value added production here,” said Nicola Kondra, the associate director of the Economic Development Alliance of Southeastern Alberta.
“It’s more advantageous for the growers, there’s job creation for the region. Instead of shipping it out, having it processed elsewhere . . . hopefully we can leave it more in our region.”
The EDA is now working to build a “turn key” business plan to hand over to an established firm or producer co-op.
While elevator capacity is well established, the bigger economic boost comes from localized processing.
And the region stands tall when in comes to specialty and cash crops, such as peas, beans, and mustard. Local acreage has increased for the past 10 years, and Medicine Hat now sits behind only Winnipeg and Saskatoon in terms of pea, bean and lentil production. ■
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