Much of the province's high-tech activity is in the city of Saskatoon -- where old economy industries combine with the new. "Unofficially, we call ourselves one of Canada's most dynamic science cities," says Dale Botting, CEO of the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA Inc.) But Botting notes that the city's appeal extends much further -- from manufacturing to value-added food processing, agri-biotechnology to information technology.
      Many of the world's leading industrial companies, including Hitachi, Corning Cable Systems and CNH Global, have set up plants in Saskatoon. Manufacturers here benefit from low corporate tax and utility rates, and a highly competitive distribution system. This city is also recognized as one of the top agricultural biotechnology centers in the world, largely because of its exceptional infrastructure and the cooperation that exists both within the industry and with all levels of government.
      "Our science cluster has historically been dominated by agri-biotech for the last 15 to 20 years, and we're now one of the top five agri-biotech clusters globally. On top of that, we have Canada's biggest science project under construction, the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron project -- which opens Saskatoon up to an even larger scientific and applied research community," says Botting.
      This city offers a critical mass of private companies and research facilities in one spot; rental space at competitive rates, custom-designed for agri-biotech; and a 100 percent federal tax deduction for all qualified current and capital R&D expenditures. It also has the lowest corporate income tax rate in Western Canada for manufacturers and processors, a 7 percent provincial investment tax credit on purchases of equipment used in manufacturing and processing; and a highly skilled, well-educated and productive work force.
      Mitchell's Gourmet Foods, the most technologically advanced hog processing plant in Canada, commenced a $27.7 million expansion project to construct a state-of-the-art wiener and sausage plant. Standard Machine, one of North America's premier gear manufacturers, invested $4.2 million in a facility expansion. Centennial Food expanded to Saskatoon from Calgary with a new $22 million facility, and Hitachi Canadian Industries' Saskatoon plant will become North America's service center for H25 power generators. Other recent expansions pointing to Saskatoon's appeal as a site location: WaveCom Electronics Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of electronic communications products for the cable and telecom markets, expanded its production facility here; Corning Cable Systems, previously Seicor Corp., completed a 30,000-sq.-ft. (2,790-sq.-m.) expansion of its cable manufacturing plant with an investment value of $1.9 million; Cover-All Building Systems unveiled a $6.5 million operation expansion, and Alberta Garment Manufacturing (AGM) Co. held its grand opening in the city. With an average employee tenure of 11 years, Saskatoon was the perfect choice for its expansion, said AGM president Uwe Schiffke.