Released on November 1, 1999
A multi-million dollar expansion at Saskatoon's Innovation Place will createdozens of new jobs.
Construction will begin immediately on a new $7 million agricultural research
and science centre. It's needed because existing tenants need more space and
more tenants want to move in.
"With this building, SOCO continues to invest in 'innovative infrastructure'
that will allow companies to develop new products and create jobs for knowledge
workers. This expansion will create 70 jobs during the construction phase and
another 150 high quality jobs once the facility opens next year," Northern
Affairs Minister Keith Goulet said, speaking on behalf of Economic and Co-
operative Development Minister Janice MacKinnon.
Minister Goulet took part in a 'virtual ground breaking' ceremony to mark the
start of construction. It featured a computer animation of the shovel turning
the sod and a virtual tour of the new building.
The research building will house office, laboratory and greenhouse facilities
to meet the needs of the agricultural research and science sector. It will
allow some existing Innovation Place tenants to expand their operations and
attract new businesses to Innovation Place. This will bring the total number of
buildings at Innovation Place to 17 and the total square footage to over one
million square feet.
The Saskatchewan Opportunities Corporation (SOCO) will construct and own the
building as part of the Innovation Place complex of research facilities; space
is then leased to tenants on a cost-recovery basis.
Two thousand people work at Innovation Place and the research park has an
economic impact of $200 million annually on the provincial economy.
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For more information contact:
Irene Rau
Director, Corporate Affairs
SOCO
Phone: (306) 787-8576
Doug Tastad
VP of Research Parks Division
SOCO
Phone: (306) 933-7464