February 2017 | Business View Magazine

220 221 grown domestically but then shipped off to other countries to be processed. So, Moose Jaw is betting that the ag-processing industry will be the region’s next economic driver and it’s doing whatever it can to attract those types of operations. The first thing the City did was find some land that could be zoned industrial. So, it an- nexed some 3,600 acres just east of town for an industrial park which will cater to all types of enterprises, but focus, mainly, on the ag-val- ue-added sector. “We have access to everything that’s required,” touts City Manager, Matt Noble. “We’re close to rail; we’re situated on the Tran- sCanada Highway; we are in proximity to Re- gina, the capital, with its international airport; we have the ability to provide an ample water supply; the area is in proximity to our wastewa- Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan ter treatment plants, so the handling of effluent as a commodity adds even more value.We also have access to natural gas and a power supply – everything that’s required for industrial devel- opment.” And then the City landed its first tenant. After a year of negotiations, Moose Jaw now has a contract in place with a German investment group that plans to set up Canadian Protein Innovation, a $100 million, green pea process- ing plant on 100 acres of the new industrial park. “Their business model is to move closer to where the crops are and build in that competi- tive advantage,” Thorn explains. “And we know, from working with site selectors, there are certain things that are required and Moose Jaw was absolutely perfect for what they needed. They need water and the ability to treat water and our City’s wastewater treatment plant has extra capacity to manage industrial operations. So, that will be an anchor tenant with construc- tion to start in June.”“It’s about job creation,” AT A GLANCE Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan WHAT: A city of 35,000 WHERE: South-central Saskatchewan on the Moose Jaw River WEBSITE: www.moosejaw.ca