FACILITYCalgary, a compilation of news items & commentary of interest to people who have a real estate, infrastructure, construction, oil & gas or general interest in Calgary, brought to you weekly by MaxComm Communications, keeping you up to date on issues affecting 'business in Calgary'.
FRESH TODAY - Monday, April 7, 2008
+ crude oil prices @6:30AM, MDT as quoted by bloomberg.com - Nymex Crude Future US$107.20/barrel, Dated Brent Spot US$105.65/barrel, WTI Cushing Spot (Friday close) US$106.23/barrel; prices rose last week & continue an upward trend on expectations of lower US inventories, weaker dollar; OPEC maintain the view supplies are adequate & anticipate no change to output projections
+ Federal Reserve expected to institute some form of further interest rate cut this week in anticipation of economic data confirming recession or near- recession reality . .stay tuned
+ First Calgary Petroleums Ltd. leadership under fire from dissident shareholder group - showdown tomorrow at AGM . . stay tuned
+ Microsoft threatening proxy fight for control of Yahoo! Inc.; Yahoo insists US$44 billion bid must be increased . .
+ NHL regular season is over, playoffs set to start, Calgary Flames are in it . . GO FLAMES!
+ Olympic torch extinguished by pro-Tibet protestors as it made its way through France
+ SHELL Houston Open played at Redstone Golf Club was won by Johnson Wagner who shot a 16-under- par 272; it was Wagner's first PGA TOUR victory and earned him a berth in The Masters & 1st prize money of US$1,008,000
+ Husky Energy Inc. completed organization of 2 JV's with BP; 50/50 partnerships whereby Husky contributes & operates its Sunrise oil sands project & BP contributes & operates its Toledo refinery
+ JUNO Awards held in Calgary for the first time
+ Key Energy Services Inc. acquired Western Drilling for US$51 million
+ Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. raised US$4 billion in new equity capital to quell liquidity concerns
+ Pemberton Energy Ltd. closed $1,740,000 equity financing
+ Questerre Energy Corp. made a significant natural gas discovery in Quebec
+ RBC says Ontario economy on the cusp of a recession
+ TD Bank Financial Group completed acquisition of Commerce Bancorp
+ TransAlta Corp. joining with Alstom SA to use new carbon capture technology for coal fired power plants
+ TransCanada Corporation sub agreed to acquire KeySpan-Ravenswood LLC, operator of 2,480 megawatt Ravenswood Generating Facility, Queens, New York for US$2.8 billion
+ UBS reported a US$19 billion write-down
+ U.S. recession watch: Labor Department reported a surprisingly large drop of 80,000 in March nonfarm employment, while unemployment is up to 5.1%; National Association of Realtors reported February sales were down 23.8% from a year earlier; Fed chief Ben Bernanke's comments about possibility of a recession pushed Wall Street into a downturn Wednesday; Washington Mutual Inc.,getting US$5 billion capital infusion to counter US$3.1 billion in subprime mortgage related write-downs & losses
+ Yoho Resources Inc. agreed to acquire Vision 2000 Exploration Ltd.
SHAKERS + Movers on the Move
+ Arif Shivji, CFO @ PetroGlobe Inc. resigned
+ Bob Ellard to Mgr. Campus Development & Expansion @ University of Calgary
+ Bob Wonish to COO @ ECCO Energy Corporation
+ Blake Hutcheson, Pres. @ CB Richard Ellis resigned
+ David Field QC to Partner @ Gowlings
+ David Weinkauf to VP Development & Leasing @ Centron Group of Companies
+ Dr. William Tilleman , Chairman @ Alberta Energy and Utilities Board resigned
+ Gilles Blouin to Sr. Consultant @ New Millennium Capital Corp.
+ Monique Leroux to Pres. & CEO @ Desjardins Group
+ Naseem Bashir to Pres. @ A.D. Williams Engineering
+ Stefan Ciotlos to Pres. @ CB Richard Ellis
+ Thomas Ferguson QC to Counsel @ Fasken Martineau
+ Trevor Lee to VP Operations & Development BC @ OPUS Building Canada Inc.
SAVE THE DATE:
Business Events, Functions etc.
Apr. 7-8; 3rd Annual Real Esate Insight Information Conference, St. Andrews Club & Confernce Centre, Toronto; info/registration: http://www.insightinfo.com
Apr. 8; Mortgage Loans Association Luncheon; Guest Speaker Cody Clayton, VP Marketing, Remington Development Corp. - Quarry Park, Sheraton Eau Claire Suites, Calgary; info/registe: mlaa-clgy@shaw.ca
Apr. 14; 2008 Western Business Outlook Briefing , The Conference Board of Canada; Calgary TELUS Convention Centre; info/register: http://www.conferenceboard.ca
Apr. 15; 2008 Edmonton Real Estate Forum, Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton; John Frederickson, Managing Dir, Colliers Edmonton, Chairman; info/registration: http://www.mmpiwest.com/realestateforumsw est/edm onton/
Apr. 17; NAIOPalgary/ SIOR April Breakfast Notice - ProLogis, Global and Growing; Calgary Petroleum Club, info/registration: http://www.naiopcalgary.com/events/
Apr. 29; 14th Annual Vancouver Real Estate Forum; Hyatt Regency Hotel, Vancouver, info/registration: http://www.mmpiwest.com/realestateforumsw est/vanc ouver/
Apr. 29-30; Buildex Edmonton; Shaw Conference Center, Edmonton, info/registration: http://www.buildexedmonton.com/
May 8; Turning Points Non-Gala Dinner, The Westin, Calgary, in aid of the Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter; info/tickets: http://www.calgarywomensshelter.com
June 10 - 12; Global Petroleum Show, Stampede Park, Calgary, info/register: http://www.petroleumshow.com/globalpetroleum/page. cfm/Link=12/t=m/goSection=8
July 7-9 ; 34th G8 Summit, Tokyo, Japan
SAVE THE DATE:
Annual & Special Meetings
Apr. 8;
First Calgary Petroleums Ltd.; Annual & Special Meeting of Shareholders, Calgary
The Dominion Atlantic Railway Company; Annual Meeting, Calgary
Apr. 10; Nav Canada, Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Moncton
Apr. 11; Laurentian Bank of Canada , Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Montreal
Apr. 16;
Co-Operators Life Insurance Company, Annual & Special Meeting of Policyholders & Shareholders, Guelph, Ontario
Co-Operators General Insurance Company, Annual & Special Meeting of Policyholders & Shareholders, Guelph, Ontario
Apr. 22;
Canadian National Railway Company, Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Chicago
Encana Corporation, Annual and Special Meeting, Toronto
TransAlta Corporation, Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders, Edmonton
April 24; Tanganyika Oil Company Ltd. , Annual General Meeting, Calgary
April 29; Calgary Chamber of Commerce , Annual General Meeting, Calgary
April 30; Emera Incorporated, Annual General Meeting, Halifax
May 5
Enbridge Income Fund, Annual Meeting of Unitholders, Calgary
W&T Offshore, Inc. , Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Houston
Enerplus Resources Fund, Annual General and Special Meeting , Calgary
May 9; Dominion Resources Inc., Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois
May 22; First Capital Realty Inc., Annual General Meeting, Toronto
SAVE THE DATE:
2008 Charity & Industry Golf Tournaments
May 29-30, 9th Annual AMBA/MLAA Spring Golf Classic, Mortgage Loans Association of Alberta (Edmonton Chapter) & the Alberta Mortgage Brokers' Assn., Industry Night and Golf Tournament; proceeds to Habitat for Humanity, The Links, Spruce Grove; info/registration: james.robertson@firstnational.ca
June 9; Global Petroleum Show Charity Golf Tournament in support of the Werklund Foundation; Valley Ridge Golf Course, Calgary; info/register: http://www.petroleumshow.com/globalpetroleum/page. cfm/Link=39/t=m/goSection=22
June 12; 6th Annual Coast Hotels & Resorts Golf Classic , Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club, Coquitlam, BC; in support of Coast Athletic Assistance Program; info/resiter: m.hope@coasthotels.com
July 14; 8th Annual Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta Charity Golf Classic, Silvertip Resort, Canmore; Lawson Projects is the Presenting Sponsor; info/registration: lorne@lawsonprojects.com or colleen@rmhsouthernalberta.org
note: if you are sponsoring / supporting a charity tournament in the Calgary area in 2008 we are happy to list them early here; just send your tournament data and contact information to: research@maxcomm.ca
INFRASTRUCTURE News / P3 / Go Green
+ PLANDFLEX CORPORATION will develop and or acquire commercial and institutional properties: Public Private Partnerships (P3), development for governments, NGOs, school boards, hospital boards, municipalities etc., build-to-suit developments for strong credit tenants location focus is smaller & major communities in Western Canada. Inquiries and/or property offerings to:
PLANDFLEX CORPORATION
Attn: Mark Kolke, President
Suite 1000, 888 - 3rd Street SW
Calgary, AB T2P 5C5
Phone: 403-444-6939
e-mail: mark.kolke@maxcomm.ca
Calgary Office Space For Lease
office leasing services
for leasing/purchasing assistance, contact: Mark Kolke
Mark Kolke lists properties For Judicial Sale on behalf of lenders engaged in foreclosure actions to realize on security for recovery of defaulted mortgage loans. He operates this website to aid in the marketing of these properties and to host the listings of other agents marketing properties offered by way of Judicial Sale
"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." - Charles Dickens
"If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things." - Henry Miller
"It has never been, and never will be easy work! But the road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination." - Marion Zimmer Bradley
"A snowdrift is a beautiful thing - if it doesn't lie across the path you have to shovel or block the road that leads to your destination." - Hal Borland
"Booksellers are the most valuable destination for the lonely, given the numbers of books that were written because authors couldn't find anyone to talk to." - Alain de Botton
"We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost's familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road / the one less traveled by / offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth." - Rachel Carson
"The road leading to a goal does not separate you from the destination; it is essentially a part of it." - Charles de Lint
"My destination is not a place or places or many places - it is a province of peace, a state of mind, of being found and found out and where we are is right here right now and nothing else matters anywhere close to this anywhere in life in any place (mind you, everything's nicer in Maui)." - Mark Kolke
"When the ducks are walking, you know it is too windy to be playing golf." - Dave Stockton
"The difference between a sand trap and water hazard is the difference between a car crash and an airplaine crash. You have a chance of recovering from a car crash." - Bobby Jones
MaxComm Communications - Writing Services
Innovative strategies, inspiring work plans and cutting- edge initiatives; we are writers, editors and business communicators who help you frame your message right the first time, on time.
www.frameyourmessage.com is our website - featuring information on services, writer credentials - writing, speaking, coaching -
We have established a presence in Houston, Los Angeles and Maui - staffing up in each market with well credentialed writers in those markets with subject area expertise and availability. Our work is 99% English content for audiences in Canada, US, UK, Australia:
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Mark Kolke writes a daily column (posted at http://markmusing.com ) Musings, after his morning walk. To subscribe (free) to receive his daily musings, write to mark@markmusing.com Musings are e-mailed daily to subscribers and are posted/archived on his blog http://markismusing.blogspot.com & on his Musing site:
+ our objective is to feature information and links to articles which provide insights, ideas and services to help our readers access useful resources to help employees at all levels build on their skills.
+ the Toastmasters program offers an opportunity to improve professional skills; public speaking, leadership training, confidence building - a great way to give your career a boost as you climb the ladder. Toastmasters International - 210,000 members in 90 countries; 65 Toastmasters clubs in Calgary. Toastmasters offer a supportive environment, networking opportunities & a proven program to help people overcome their worst fear - public speaking.
+ Singles and Friends Toastmasters, offers a 'singles only' format - opportunity for socializing & speaking; meets every Wed. @ 7 PM. Info: http://singlesnfriends.freetoasthost.info next meeting April 2
+ MVP Advanced Toastmasters Club, meets @ 7 PM, 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month @ Fluor facility in south Calgary; a club for experienced Toastmasters wishing to hone their skills in a place where the bar is set high; contact club President for further info: Mark.Kolke@frameyourmessage.com or Gerda.Timm@Fluor.com .. next meeting April 10, 7PM http://mvpadvanced.freetoasthost.net
FACILITYCalgary, a MaxComm Communications publication, e-published every Monday. Subscription is free. To subscribe, write to: facilitycalgary@maxcomm.ca
+ three cheers for the little guys; it seems the Asset Backed Commercial Paper 'solution' has new players at the table because small investors get an equal vote along with institutional investors notwithstanding the great disparity in their investment amounts; the little guys are more than squeaky wheels, they are articulate, fair-minded & holding some feet to the fire which should, if nothing else, provide some education for everyone as to how this mess got out of control . . stay tuned
+ Calgarians & culture - it's a strange notion, but there is some evidence the Junos were a success (while I enjoy Russell Peters comedy, I fail to understand why Jebb Fink from Calgary was not chosen to host the event] & now that playoff hockey (that's the time of year when 'between periods' means time to move the lawn sprinkler) is upon us, the Red Mile will get a workout . .
+ I find the U.S. recession watch (+ ours in Ontario) as a curious mess of bumbling regulators & government folk being misinterpreted by journalists who simply don't get it; case in point, stocks are up this morning on hype about Washington Mutual getting US$5 billion in new capital - while I find their write-offs of US$3.1 billion because of their lending practices the scary thing because those chickens haven't all come home to roost yet; sooner, as opposed to later, one of these large U.S. or European institutions will fail to find rescue capital - then we'll see dominoes tumble with great opportunities for bargain hunters. Meanwhile, Ontario will continue to bleed in a slow leak . .
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