麻豆传媒

Weyburn was named one of the top 10 places to be in Saskatchewan in the latest issue of Alberta Venture magazine.

Ten cities considered to be the province's economic and business startup hot spots were discussed by the Alberta business magazine in its April edition. The other cities were Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Meadow Lake, Lloydminster, North Battleford, Swift Current, Regina, Moose Jaw and Estevan.

"When I opened this up it was just sheer pride, is what I felt," said Mayor Debra Button. "It reinforces to me that we, as a city and as a council, are on the right track, that we are making headway not just in Saskatchewan, but certainly in the nation. We have a beautiful community and we know it, and it's just (using) the ability to showcase it around the rest of the world.

"Maybe it will spin off on some extra tourism this summer, or maybe it will spin off into a new (business). Who knows, the sky's the limit."

"We're happy to see we're included in this. I think the population increase is very encouraging," said Chamber of Commerce manager Jeff Richards, referring to Weyburn's eight-per-cent increase in population since 2001, which now stands at 10,288 according to the article.

"The average household income (of $68,000) is certainly encouraging as well, as it's higher than cities like Moose Jaw," added Richards.

Weyburn's inclusion on the list is "obviously due to the hard work of our business community and the success we're having down here," said the Chamber manager. "Clearly some of this is due to the recent increase in oil activity in and around Weyburn, and we're looking forward to being on the list for many years to come."

Alberta Venture explained Weyburn is not only a major urban centre in the southeast, but is also a centre for agriculture and energy. It mentioned the Weyburn Inland Terminal as part of that agricultural centre and its efforts. The Bakken and Weyburn oilfields are also solidifying the city's growing reputation as an energy centre.

"Where production once stalled at 25 per cent of the original oil available in the reservoir, the commercial life of the Weyburn oilfield has been extended by about 25 years," the magazine said, "Thanks to enhanced recovery using high-pressured CO2 sequestered from the Great Plains Synfuels Plant in North Dakota."

"Largely, we're not a one industry town. We're not just natural resources like oil and gas. We've also got a strong agricultural sector. We've also got a strong professional sector," Richards said. "We're home to the regional college, we're home to the health region, we're home to the school division. So you start to see those white-collar jobs. It provides a lot more stability than hinging your entire economy on one commodity or one product."

Many new businesses in the area are fueled by the oil and gas sectors, but the general economic slowdown has led to a decrease in construction projects, Alberta Venture said. Weyburn saw a dip in the value of its building projects in 2009 down almost $20 million from the previous boom year where residents saw a new building constructed every four days.

But that is not a "cause for alarm," as the city negotiated the expansion of its boundaries with the RM of Weyburn last year to give the city room to expand.