FACILITYCalgary; compilation of news items & commentary of interest to people who have a real estate, infrastructure, construction, oil & gas or general interest in Calgary published weekly by MaxComm Communications.
FRESH TODAY - June 30, 2008
+ BCE takeover deal, now ratified by the Supreme Court of Canada faces new hurdles as new lender syndicate seek to lower the price . . stay tuned
+ Calgary Tower celebrates 40th anniversary
+ Canada Day holiday tomorrow
+ crude oil futures @ 6:15AM, MDT as quoted by Bloomberg.com ; Nymex Crude Future US$142.62/barrel, Dated Brent Spot US$142.62/barrel, WTI Cushing Spot US$140.21(Friday close) /barrel ; oil prices continued to rise last week despite Saudi pledge to increase output; OPEC President says oil will climb to US$170/barrel by end of 2008, citing the dollar's decline & political conflicts + speculation is driving prices on speculation the dispute over Iran's nuclear program may disrupt supply from OPEC's second- largest producer
+ Dominion transferring its natural gas drilling rights on approximately 205,000 Appalachian Basin net acres to Antero Resources for US$552 million
+ SandRidge Energy Inc. entered into an agreement with Occidental Petroleum Corporation to build & operate a CO2 extraction plant , CO2 compression & asssociated CO2 transportation pipelines in West Texas; to be treating 1.0 Bcf per day of high CO2 gas by year-end 2011
+ Kenny Perry shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday to win the PGA's 50th Anniversary Buick Open, played at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, Grand Blanc, Michigan to wing $900,000
+ Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board released a draft Directive entitled Tailings Performance Criteria & Requirements for Oil Sands Mining Schemes, which develops new industry-wide criteria for managing oil sands tailings; The draft Directive can be found at www.ercb.ca
+ Crew Energy Inc. agreed to a $298 million takeover of Gentry Resources Ltd.
+ ENMAX Green Power Inc. acquired Kettles Hill Wind Energy Inc. for $163 million
+ Enmax Corp. dropped its takeover bid for Cordero Energy Inc.
+ Grey Wolf Inc. rejected the $2.19 billion takeover offer of Precision Drilling Trust . . stay tuned
+ new federal laws & regulations dealing with money laundering & anti-terrorist financing went into effect June 23rd, 2008 requiring real estate agents & brokers to collect & verify more personal information from buyers & sellers. Real estate agents must also now track the source of funds received during the course of a real estate transaction, such as the deposit. The regulations will be enforced by the federal agency known as the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, or FINTRAC. Real estate agents are now required to ask for proof of the identity of all buyers or sellers involved in a Canadian real estate transaction. If the client is a corporation, that information must include corporate documentation, & names of the corporation directors. They must also ascertain if a third party is involved in the transaction. http://www.crea.ca/public/news_stats/news_releases. htm
+ Occidental Petroleum acquired Enerplus Resources' 15% stake in the Joslyn oil sands project for $500 million
+ REALEX Properties Corp. agreed to acquire the Cora Group Portfolio, $141.8 million
+ Schlumberger acquired Staag Imaging LP
+ SHAWCOR Ltd. acquired Flexpipe Systems Inc. for $130 million
+ Southern Pacific Resource Corp. & Rochester Energy Corp. agreed to combine, will operate as Southern Pacific
+ Talisman Energy Inc. announced it will invest up to $300 million in Iraq
+ TD Bank Financial Group agreed to acquire the Asset Based Lending business of ABN AMRO Bank NV Canada Branch
+ the U.S. Federal Reserve left its key short-term interest rate unchanged at 2%, marking the first time in the nine months that it did not cut rates
+ U.S./Europe recession watch: U.S. employers cut jobs in June for 6th consecutive month, while manufacturing contracted at a faster pace; Taylor Wimpey Plc, reeling from the worst U.K. housing slump in 30 years, taking a US$1.3 billion write down & plans to raise cash from investors after falling home sales depleted capital; inflation in Europe accelerated more than economists forecast in June, eroding consumers' spending power, adding to pressure on the European Central Bank to increase borrowing costs even as economic growth cools
+ Westside Energy Corporation & Crusader Energy agreed to combine; will operate as Crusader Energy Group Inc.
+ Railpower Technologies Corp. closed $20 million equity financing
+ Regal Energy Ltd. closed $5,500,000 equity financing
+ Starwood Energy Group Global LLC closed US$ 433 million private equity financing for its Starwood Energy Infrastructure Fund LP
FINANCINGS IN PROGRESS
+ Antrim Energy Inc. has gone to market to raise $50,003,000 in equity
+ Enhanced Oil Resources Inc. has gone to market to raise $30 million in equity
+ First Capital Realty Inc. has gone to market to raise $37.8 million in new equity
+ NGS Energy LP has gone to market to raise US$310 million in debt financing
+ Pemberton Energy Ltd. engaged agents to raise equity funds for its upcoming exploration programs
+ Realex Properties Corp. has gone to market to raise $32.2 million in new equity
SAVE THE DATE:
Business Events, Functions etc.
July 4 - 13; Calgary Stampede, Stampede Park, Calgary; info/tickets: http://www.calgarystampede.com
July 7-9 ; 34th G8 Summit, Tokyo, Japan
Aug. 10-14; Enercom's 13th Annual Oil & Gas Conference, Denver; info/registration: http://www.theoilandgasconference.com
Sept. 26; 5th Annual Meaning of Life Luncheon - Laugh a litle, Live a Lot! with Brent Butt; in Support of Hospice Calgary, Hyatt Regency, Calgary; info/tickets: tracy.aylesworth@hospicecalgary.com
Oct. 1-2; National Design-Build Conference, King Edward Hotel, Toronto; info/registration: www.cdbi.org/events/index.html
Oct. 22; Calgary Real Estate Forum; TELUS Convention Centre, Calgary; info/registration: http://www.mmpiwest.com/realestateforumswest/calg ary/
Oct. 23; Calgary Real Estate Leasing Conference; TELUS Convention Centre, Calgary; info/registration: http://www.mmpiwest.com/realestateforumswest/calg ary/
Nov. 24 - 25; P3 2008, CCPPP National Conference & Awards, Toronto Hilton, Toronto; info/registration:
ACE Aviation Holdings Inc., Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Montreal
Pacific Energy Resources Ltd. , Annual General Meeting, Long Beach, CA
July 18; CanArgo Energy Corporation, Annual Meeting of Stockholders, New York
Aug. 13 - 16; Toastmasters' Annual International Convention, Telus Convention Centre, Calgary; info/registration http://www.toastmasters.org/2008convention
SAVE THE DATE:
2008 Charity & Industry Golf Tournaments
July 2; 6th Annual Calgary Chamber of Commerce/TELUS Play with the Presidents Golf Classic, Heritage Pointe Golf Club, DeWinton; sponsorships still available. Contact Ron Peters at 750-0400 or rpeters@calgarychamber.com
July 14; 8th Annual Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta Charity Golf Classic, Silvertip Resort, Sponsor; info/registration: lorne@lawsonprojects.com or colleen@rmhsouthernalberta.org
July 29; Second Annual Terry Ruttan Memorial Golf Tournament, supporting the Calgary YWCA; Country Hills Golf Club, Calgary; info/registration: KristaLee@nortruck.com
August 15; University of Lethbridge Alumni Association - Calgary Chapter 7th Annual Alumni & Friends Golf Tournament, Shaw-nee Slopes, Calgary; info/registration: kfilbert@shaw.ca
Sept. 3; Mortgage Loans Association of Alberta, Calgary Chapter, 2008 Annual Golf Tournament. Inglewood Golf & Curling Club; info/registration: kheron@montrosecalgary.com
Sept. 10; 3rd Annual Dragon Around the Course Golf Classic, in support of Langdon School Council Society; Speargrass Golf Course, Carseland; info/registration: srotar1u@telus.net
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
+ Edmonton will be home to the world's first industrial scale facility to produce biofuels from municipal solid waste. The City has signed a 25-year agreement with GreenField Ethanol, Canada's largest ethanol producer and Enerkem, a leading biofuels technology company. The $70 million biofuels facility will initially produce 36 million litres of biofuels per year and reduce Alberta's carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint by more than 6 million tonnes over the next 25 years - the equivalent of removing 12,000 cars off the road every year. The City of Edmonton and the Government of Alberta through the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI) are contributing $20 million to the facility. The City of Edmonton will also contribute $50 million to a related processing facility & research facility. AERI's total contribution to all the components is $29 million.
+ the Government of Alberta provided $50-million to the Capital Region River Valley Park development; www.rivervalley.ab.ca
Put it off and you'll never be finished!
Procrastination is a pox on productivity or, an untapped poorly managed resource - which is it for you?
MaxComm Communications presents a new series of seminars well suited to conference programs, sales meetings or training sessions:
Keynote presentation 'Put it off and you'll never be finished'
Warm up act 'Getting ready to not be ready'
Interactive Work shop: 'Being prepared to be unprepared'
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
"Measuring programming progress by lines of code is like measuring aircraft building progress by weight." - Bill Gates
"Picture the prince, such as most of them are today: a man ignorant of the law, well-nigh an enemy to his people's advantage, while intent on his personal convenience, a dedicated voluptuary, a hater of learning, freedom and truth, without a thought for the interests of his country, and measuring everything in terms of his own profit and desires." - Desiderius Erasmus
"I am afraid to show you who I really am, because if I show you who I really am, you might not like it--and that's all I got." - Sabrina Ward Harrison
"When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere." - François de la Rochefoucauld
"You never find yourself until you face the truth" - Pearl Bailey
"Ninety percent of the world's woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to ourselves." - Sydney Harris
"Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig." - Marcus Aurelius
"Measuring self - to the climber that must be a 'number of summits', to the baker his count of loaves, to a miner his tally of tons loaded, to the child his grades in school, to the gunslinger notches on a belt or a bedpost, but what does a mattress maker measure? He would measure so many springs - in his work and in his life." - Mark Kolke
"The fundamental problem with golf is that every so often, no matter how lacking you may be in the essential virtues required of a steady player, the odds are that one day you will hit the ball straight, hard, and out of sight. This is the essential frustration of this excruciating sport. For when you've done it once, you make the fundamental error of asking yourself why you can't do this all the time. The answer to this question is simple: the first time was a fluke." -Colin Bowles
"You don't know what pressure is until you've played for five dollars a hole with only two in your pocket." - Lee Trevino
"I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them." - Harry Tofcano
"Golf is twenty percent mechanics and technique. The other eighty percent is philosophy, humor, tragedy, romance, melodrama, companionship, camaraderie, cussedness, and conversation." - Grantland Rice
"Mulligan: invented by an Irishman who wanted to hit one more twenty yard grounder." - Jim Bishop
"There are three ways of learning golf: by study, which is the most wearisome; by imitation, which is the most fallacious; and by experience, which is the most bitter." - Robert Browning
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:
oil & gas, energy
environment
education
real estate, development, residential & commercial
+ 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; 70+ Toastmasters clubs in Calgary. Toastmasters offer a supportive environment, networking opportunities & a proven program to help people overcome their worst fear - public speaking. http://www.toastmasters.org/websiteApps/
+ 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 VP Membership, Shelley.Musfelt@fluor.com - next meeting July 24, 7PM; http://mvpadvanced.freetoasthost.net
FACILITYCalgary, a MaxComm Communications publication, e-published every Monday. Subscription is free. To subscribe, write to: facilitycalgary@maxcomm.ca
+ Green Shift was to be the Federal Liberals rallying cry as Stephane Dion was set to criss-cross the country dazzling Canadians with his carbon tax plan (looks like a good copy of BC's plan) only to suffer the embarrassment that someone else owns the name 'Green Shift' who is taking legal action to stop the Liberals from using it . . some times shifting just happens...
+ politicians in the U.S. are funny to watch; while decrying wars over oil, whining about their dependence on OPEC oil & the debate over finding new energy sources, it seems perverse that they would say to their largest trading partner, 'hey, we don't want your oil Alberta' just because the science of getting oilsand extraction perfected takes time; it seems they want to trade more with their enemies than with their friends
+ no FACILITYCalgary next week; regular production of FACILITYCalgary will resume on July 14th
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