Monthly Archives: February 2017

A Crescent Point production operation.

The Conference Board of Canada is predicting Saskatchewans economy will be back in the black in 2017.

Thats good news for Minister of Energy and Resources Dustin Duncan.

These are positive signs, said Duncan. But we still are trying to find a way to fill basically $1.2 billion in resource revenue evaporated in a couple of years, so its not going to be overnight that those numbers return to where they were.

The report from the Ottawa-based not-for-profit think tank forecasts Saskatchewans gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2017 at 0.9 per cent, as the oil industry turns around.

The oil rebound will most help Alberta, which is projected to have the strongest growth among the provinces at 2.8 per cent 0.4 per cent due to continued rebuilding in Fort McMurray.

Albertas economy has been more heavily impacted by the oil decline, though: Its GDP dropped four per cent in 2015; Saskatchewans dropped 1.4 per cent.

Although GDP numbers for 2016 are not yet available, last years CBOC winter report projected Saskatchewans GDP would grow 0.7 per cent, while Albertas would shrink 1.1 per cent.

Oil will not be a godsend for years to come, according to Marie-Christine Bernard, associate director of the CBOC Provincial Forecast.

We expect more subdued economic growth next year as oil prices are not expected to increase very much, Bernard said in a statement.

But Duncan foresees good things to come, as he said several companies have already made major investment announcements, including Crescent Point Energy, which will spend 80 per cent of its $1.1-billion capital investment in this province.

But he remains concerned about a federally imposed carbon tax.

We are largely a resource-based economy, and a carbon-intense economy, so were still concerned about that, he said.

CBOC predicts Saskatchewan will still be challenged by global prices of potash and uranium.

Duncan said the government will continue to work to try to expand markets and increase sales of both potash and uranium.

CBOC reports a net 1,804 jobs will be created this year, but it will not be enough to prop up disposable income. Further, the struggling retail sector will not find relief as a result, since household spending will be modest.

Duncan said Saskatchewans retail and manufacturing jobs have led the country.

Saskatchewans projected growth outranks only Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. The latter economy is the only one expected to shrink, with unemployment projected to rise to 15.5 per cent.

Manitoba can expect 1.9-per-cent growth, with strong manufacturing, transportation and insurance sectors.

amartin@postmedia.com

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Economic growth projected for Saskatchewan in 2017 | Regina ... - Regina Leader-Post

Shirley Vickers, President & CEO, BC Innovation Council.

image credit: Submitted

The BC Innovation Council (BCIC) was in Castlegar last week as part of their Regional Innovation Opportunities tour encouraging local companies and individuals to delve into the innovation and technology sector.

According to BCIC the initiative is intended to bring business and local tech companies together and spark further innovation and job growth in our regional economies.

The instructional and networking event promoted the idea that communities and businesses in the Interior can join in the new job economy through technology and innovation. Representatives from several companies from Kamloops were on hand to share how their companies had grown through introducing innovation and technology aspects to their businesses.

You can do the same type of thing in small towns like Castlegar, Nelson and Trail, said Castlegar Councillor Arry Dhillon, who attended the event.

The group was given examples of some challenges that large corporations are trying to overcome and encouraged that solutions could come from anywhere.

The point of the event was to spark discussion around innovation and how that can be brought into regions like ours, explained Dhillon. He thinks the ideas presented are a step in the right direction as we see resource-based economies faltering and tech-based sectors driving the future.

The tour is visiting seven cities with stops in Terrace, Kelowna and Nanaimo still to come in the next few weeks. BCIC is a Crown Agency of the Province of British Columbia. Locally BCIC is one of the funding partners for the Kootenay Association of Science and Technology.

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Event promotes innovation and technology expansion - News - Castlegar News

The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, said that the Federal Government would redirect its energy to harness natural resources to bridge technology gaps in the country.

The Chief Secretary to the Minister, Mr Taye Akinyemi, in a statement quoted on Friday in Abuja, quoted Onu as saying making the remark when he received the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Jigawa State,Hajiya Rabi Eshaq.

According to him, the ministry will utilise natural resources to enable diversification of the economy to yield better results.

The minister called for synergy between the Federal Government and the state governors to convert natural resources of the country to diversify the economy, create jobs and wealth for all.

Onu said that the ministry would intensify efforts to move Nigeria from a resource-based to a knowledge and innovation-driven economy.

He pledged to support science and technology initiatives in the in the country for national development.

He said that the ministry would assist education institutions by distributing science equipment to secondary and tertiary institutions to encourage students to embrace science and technology early in life.

Onu said that the ministry would continue to strive to ensure that the country produced most of its technology needs locally.

The commissioner had told the minister that the aim of her was to establish a better relationship between the ministry and her state in the area of science and technology.

This is with a view to expanding the scope of science and technology in Jigawa state,Eshaqsaid.

More here:

Science and Technology: Minister says FG will harness natural ... - Pulse Nigeria

Fresh off a visit to Europe to discuss global hot spots with G-20 partners, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is now attending to another important relationship simmering much closer to home.

His meetings this week with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and his cabinet, alongside U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, spanned a broad agenda from border security to law enforcement to trade. The latter has certainly galvanized public sentiments on both sides of the border. Feisty rhetoric of walls, tariffs and win-lose trade deals risk driving a wedge in the bilateral relationship.

Tillerson was tapped to be Americas top diplomat in large part for his acumen working with foreign governments to advance strategic interests and establish long-term commercial ties experience honed while heading one of the worlds largest energy companies. Those same skills will be needed as the U.S. reevaluates its trade relations with Mexico.

Change of some sort is likely and implementing it is bound to be complex. While discussions will necessarily drill down to the brass tacks, it is important to keep in mind a top line message that the U.S. and Mexico have and will continue to gain from their interconnected economies.

Fittingly, Tillersons former industry epitomizes the type of deep economic integration between the U.S. and Mexico that businesses in both countries are keen to preserve. If youre searching for common ground to defend economic openness in a future trade agreement, look no further than the mutual gains from the U.S. and Mexicos interconnected energy trade.

Energy is indelibly an industry based on trade. The free movement of labor, equipment, and commodities allow for resources in one country to be put to productive use in another.

This interaction is firmly embedded between the U.S. and Mexico. Every day, Mexico exports roughly 688,000 barrels of crude oil to the U.S. The U.S., meanwhile, sends a similar volume of refined petroleum products to Mexico each day. Approximately half of Mexicos gasoline imports come from the U.S.

The linkages are further entrenched when it comes to natural gas. The U.S. exports about 3 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of natural gas to Mexico. These flows are mainly one-way from the U.S. to Mexico, but absent a southern outlet, the glut of supply would put downward pressure on U.S. natural gas prices and hurt domestic producers.

The industry that goes into Mexican bi-lateral energy trade is also a major source of jobs in the U.S. In Texas, the nations top hydrocarbon-producing state, the oil and gas industry is responsible for nearly two million jobs, according to data from the American Petroleum Institute. In Pennsylvania, the second largest natural gas-producing state, the industry accounts for almost 340,000 jobs.

But its future planning that reveals just how tightly interdependent the U.S. and Mexico are on the energy front.

Mexico is banking on the sustained boom in U.S. shale gas production for its energy infrastructure expansions. Over the past five years, natural gas pipeline capacity between the U.S. and Mexico has nearly doubled from approximately 3.7 bcf/d in 2011 to 7.2 bcf/d in 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency. That capacity is expected to again double by 2018 to more than 14 bcf/d.

In turn, Mexico is expanding its domestic pipeline network to accommodate greater U.S. natural gas based on its energy ministrys current five-year plan. Some 3,300 miles of new gas pipelines are planned or under construction in Mexico, mainly to support its power sector.

Likewise, U.S. companies have placed long-term bets on developing natural resources in Mexico. U.S. oil majors ExxonMobil and Chevron were among the international investors who paid large sums in December to lease acreage in Mexicos deepwater portion of the Gulf of Mexico. Those investments came despite the sustained slump in oil prices that has tightened budgets across the entire global energy industry.

Their long-term commitments are capitalizing on Mexicos historic reforms to liberalize its energy industry and other key sectors of its economy. Mexicos national hydrocarbons agency is currently finalizing rules to auction off unconventional gas blocks, a process that could garner interest from similar mid-sized operators that unleashed the shale revolution in the U.S. Whether deepwater or onshore, the ability to develop energy resources cost-efficiently depends partially on the competitive pricing of goods and services that are traded across the border.

The energy industry is uniquely dependent on trade. Investments must be made where the resources are located. Goods and services must then flow to develop them. In this regard, the energy supplies and demands of the U.S. and Mexico have benefitted each other enormously. But the same principles of open economies for efficient resource management can be also applied to any number of industries.

Revisions to U.S.-Mexico trade relations will necessarily veer towards the technical if and when they arise. Potential negotiations would be well-served if they are underpinned from the start by visions of integration and opportunities rather than deficits and losses. The energy industry is an obvious pillar for future economic cooperation.

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Energy as a Model for US-Mexico Economic Partnership - RealClearEnergy

February 24, 2017

The Government of Myanmar and WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) announced today a comprehensive plan to protect the country's diverse fisheries and marine lifeincluding dolphins, sea turtles, and other speciesand other marine resources.

The plan titled "Marine Spatial Planning for Myanmar: Strategic Advice for Securing a Sustainable Ocean Economy" was unveiled at this week's World Ocean Summit in Bali, Indonesia. Sponsored by The Economist, the event (Feb. 22-24) provides marine experts and decision-makers with a forum for examining and promoting sustainable uses of the oceans and marine resources.

The new marine spatial planning strategy was produced by Myanmar's Department of Fisheries, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, with technical guidance from WCS, University of Exeter and Pyoe Pin (a program that provides assistance to democratic and accountable governance). The strategy's central goal is to provide decision-makers with a reliable road map for ocean space management and to create the conditions needed for economic and ecological sustainability and prosperity.

"The Union of the Republic of Myanmar is focused on balancing natural resource use across all production sectors, while providing investment opportunities, and economic prosperity for its people. We believe this strategy provides us with a robust structure through which to develop this goal and our ocean economy," said U Hla Kyaw, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (Department of Fisheries). "Our aim is to work with public and private partners to bring this vision to life for the people of Myanmar."

"The Pyoe Pin program has been working to support different key actors to work together to create a model of good governance across Myanmar's coastal states and regions, such that the enabling conditions for co-managing marine fisheries resources now exists," said U Aung Kyaw Thein, Strategic Advisor to Pyoe Pin. "Adopting area based management will ensure that our fisheries and marine resources are secure, and also drive upward flows of economic and social benefits to small-scale fishers."

As mainland Southeast Asia's largest country, Myanmar boasts a vast marine region covering some 486,000 square kilometers, most of which is currently unprotected. The country's extensive coastal areas provide vital habitats for species such as the finless porpoise, several species of sea turtle, and the dugong (a relative of the manatee).

The waters of Myanmar also contribute significantly to the country's economy and provide livelihoods for an estimated 1.4 million inshore and offshore fishers. Local and commercial fisheries also provide protein for millions, but illegal fishing has decimated local fish populations and could put the country's food security at risk if not regulated. The country's sovereign waters are also being explored for coastal development (tourism, ports) opportunities and gas reserves.

"Myanmar is a country undergoing great change as its engagement with the international community increases," said Martin Callow, Advisor to WCS's Myanmar Marine Conservation Program. "At the same time, the country's irreplaceable marine heritage is at risk from this new spirit of openness. The new marine spatial planning strategy fills an urgent need to understand current and future marine resource use and how these activities can be combined into a coordinated plan for a sustainable ocean economy."

"Our new National Coastal and Marine Resources Management Committee is fully supportive of this marine spatial planning strategy and, this committee, chaired by the Vice President and supported by respective coastal Chief Ministers, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC), the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, and the Navy, look forward to working with partners to enable the development of our sustainable ocean economy", said U Khin Maung Yi, Permanent Secretary of MONREC.

The strategy is a multi-faceted initiative featuring a number of programs focused on: building consensus and developing capacity; developing institutional arrangements; and strengthening data knowledge on marine life, resources, and the scale and scope of various extractive activities such as gas exploration and commercial fishing.

Myanmar representatives and scientific collaborators also announced the publication of a supporting documentthe "Myanmar Marine Biodiversity Atlas"which will provide natural resource managers with a foundation of spatial data for directing management strategies. Specifically, the atlas contains a comprehensive overview of the country's marine environment, it oceanographic characteristics, and the distribution of its abundant marine life. The atlas and strategy will be used in tandem to devise strategic approaches to support sustainable fisheries, and to establish a balance between marine conservation and marine protected area creation with ocean-based industries.

"It has been a great privilege to develop with partners a resource that can be used in future marine spatial planning activities", said Dr. Matthew Witt from the University of Exeter's Environment and Sustainability Institute. "We hope the atlas will help guide discussions and decision support around sustainable use of Myanmar's coastal and offshore environments, upon which many are dependent for food, employment and biodiversity services"

"We commend the Government of Myanmar for taking the first crucial steps needed to protect its marine resources for future generations with this new strategy," said Jason Patlis, Executive Director for WCS's Marine Conservation Program. "As evidenced in this first-ever marine atlas, Myanmar's waters play a critical role for the health of the global ocean, and the Government's efforts will benefit not only its own citizens, but the region and the world."

Explore further: How China is poised for marine fisheries reform

More information: myanmarbiodiversity.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2015MSP-web2.pdf

As global fish stocks continue sinking to alarmingly low levels, a joint study by marine fisheries experts from within and outside of China concluded that the country's most recent fisheries conservation plan can achieve ...

The proposed establishment of a new Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Myeik archipelago has received enthusiastic support by participants in a workshop held recently in Myanmar's Tanintharyi region.

The designation of Meinmahala Kyun as a Wetland of International Importance protects the last wildlife refuge in the Irrawaddy delta, which once supported the largest area of estuary mangroves in mainland Southeast Asia

Fishers in Central Africa often cover hundreds of miles in very basic boats without engines searching for food to feed their families and make a living, a new study shows.

For the first time, Smithsonian researchers and collaborators have designed a marine reserve network to protect species threatened by overfishing while boosting fishing yields on nearby fishing grounds, resolving a long-standing ...

As ocean conditions continue to change, putting ocean ecosystems and the communities that rely upon them at risk, today, NOAA took a first step in providing regional fisheries managers and stakeholders with information they ...

Bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new tool to identify interactions between RNA and DNA molecules. The tool, called MARGI (Mapping RNA Genome Interactions), is the first technology that's ...

Small "bubbles" frequently form on membranes of cells and are taken up into their interior. The process involves EHD proteins - a focus of research by Prof. Oliver Daumke of the MDC. He and his team have now shed light on ...

Scientists from The University of Western Australia have identified a tiny mutation in plants that can influence how well a plant recovers from stressful conditions, and ultimately impact a plant's survival.

The first skirmish was fought last week in what could be a long war over a revolutionary patent on gene-editing technology, with colossal amounts of money at stake.

The last Neanderthal died 40,000 years ago, but much of their genome lives on, in bits and pieces, through modern humans. The impact of Neanderthals' genetic contribution has been uncertain: Do these snippets affect our genome's ...

Nearly 10 years after a "doomsday" seed vault opened on an Arctic island, some 50,000 new samples from seed collections around the world have been deposited in the world's largest repository built to safeguard against wars ...

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Government of Myanmar unveils new plan to protect marine wildlife and resources - Phys.Org