Northern opportunities centrepiece of Business Expo 2003.

It's the perfect opportunity to increase your northern exposure.

The province's largest business-to-business trade show and seminar, Business Expo staged by the Saskatoon and District Chamber of Commerce, is slated for October 8th and 9th at Saskatchewan Place. This year's event will focus on the burgeoning business opportunities in the North, according to Chamber Executive Director Kent Smith-Windsor. While much of the business community's focus has been directed southward in the wake of free trade deals, one of the best growth and business opportunities of all may have been under our northern noses all along. Whether it's mining, forestry, tourism, transportation in Saskatchewan or the growth prospects in northern Alberta and the North West Territories, the time for a northern perspective has arrived.

With that in mind, the Saskatoon Chamber has turned its attention to exploring those opportunities, providing a two-day trade show and series of speakers and seminars designed to provide businesspeople throughout the province with a firsthand look at the potential of the North.

According to Smith-Windsor, there are two primary reasons for shining the spotlight on the north.

"We still have not tapped the full potential of the North," he offers as a reminder to the business community that northern growth prospects, such as the recent diamond exploration play and the rapid growth in forestry, can be a boon to local businesses. "And maybe we in Saskatoon have taken our gateway (to the North) position for granted."

To aid businesspeople looking to enhance their knowledge of the North and its potential, the Saskatoon Chamber has slated a series of seminars and keynote presentations through the two-day event. "People will have the opportunity to do some learning and to take in the show at the same time," Smith-Windsor says, noting that other Chambers of Commerce from the north half of the province will also be on hand. Keynote presentations will be delivered at noon each day while educational seminars are set for each afternoon. These sessions, adds Smith-Windsor, will focus on the North and, more particularly, exploring business opportunities in the region. One example of the exploding business prospects is Alberta's oil sands development at Fort McMurray.

Billions are being invested in this mega-project, a target market identified by the Saskatoon Chamber and other business groups looking to expand our linkages with the northern Alberta boomtown. Given its proximity to northwest Saskatchewan and recent discussions over the possibility of a new highway between Fort McMurray and northwest Saskatchewan, the region is rapidly gaining interest among Saskatoon business leaders. Edmonton historically has enjoyed a virtual monopoly in supplying the oil sands industry. Saskatoon is now poised to become the principal secondary supplier, turning our years of experience in supplying northern Saskatchewan industry to this new market opportunity.

Equally important is the rapid growth of Saskatchewan's forestry sector. With more than half the province's land covered by forest, we have only begun to tap the potential of this vast renewable resource. Evidence of that growth is seen in the commitment of firms such as Weyerheauser, an international powerhouse that has invested more than a billion dollars in the development of Saskatchewan's forestry sector. Add to that pulp and saw mills at Meadow Lake and more recently the arrival of another major British Columbia player that is leading a joint venture in a $400 million oriented strand board plant near Meadow Lake.

In addition to the energy and forestry sectors, Saskatchewan's longstanding role as a leader in mining--from the world's biggest uranium operations to the arrival of 30 firms in Saskatchewan's emerging diamond play--underscores the importance of the North. Literally hundreds of Saskatoon workers and dozens of companies provide services and supplies to these northern projects, strengthening Saskatoon's role as the province's largest city and principal commercial centre.

As Saskatchewan's largest B2B trade show and exposition, The Business Expo, will reinforce the importance of turning an eye northward, reminding Saskatoon and Saskatchewan business people that the North has presented significant commercial opportunities in the past and will continue to do so for years to come. Last year approximately 3,000 business people attended the show, listening to expert presenters and meeting representatives of more than 150 firms exhibiting their wares on the show floor.