Saskatchewan does need more oil companies with actual head offices here and refineries so we benefit the most from oil in the province. As is, even when a good find happens here, the money is going back to Calgary, or Winnipeg. For Bakken and the large amount of better quality (ie not low end north sask oil/tar sands) Regina is the logical choice for companies. Regina already has some energy companies, is in close proximity and is actually a pretty similar sized city, with a decent sized university that specializes in petroleum programs. Saskatoon and its potash company have little to offer most oil companies.

Regina, almost the same size, with a bigger down town, and a few corporate headquarters of its own, would be the logical choice as close by head quarters for Bakken. Calgary will be the actual head quarters. And Calgary is close to all the traditional oil reserves, hence existing companies controlling a lot of oil stuff. Same way a huge Potash deposit in Lumsden wouldn’t cause Potash corp to relocate to Regina. Saskatoon is not an oil centre, never was, never will be. White collar jobs will be in Calgary, maybe some middle management in Regina.

So Northstar, in summary

“The high paying white collar jobs will be here in Saskatoon though.” w.r.t. Bakken is the dumbest comment I have seen on this blog.

There will be a higher blue collar consentration for these projects in Regina and Estevan because of the close proximity to the oil. They will make good money as the infrastructure starts and oil starts being produced. The high paying white collar jobs will be here in Saskatoon though.

200+ posts. I think that’s a record Norm

Yes Saskatoon is near potash (so’s Moose Jaboom) and headquarters both potash and uranium. Oil may help provincial taxes, but actually likely draws young labour and skilled people AWAY from Saskatoon, as high paying jobs become available down in Estevan. I have friends from south Sask, and if high paying jobs and an expanding metropolitan culture develop in Estevan, they may move back home. Even if not home, Saskatoon generally has lower wages, oil wages in south Sask, 4 hours away, may be more enticing than waiting for our meat packing plant to slowly shut down.

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You are dead wrong. The Bakken oil is oil sandwiched in rock not oil shale. You drill a well and light oil comes out from the layers. There is no “cooking” or “treatment” procedure needed as with the oil sands of Alberta or the oil shale of Colorado. The Bakken wells represent much easier than the sands. With horizontal drilling it isn’t that hard to get at. The profits margins from Bakken wells are much higher than for tar sands.

Saskatoon has more violent crime than anywhere else in Canada. Would be one of the USA’s most violent cities. Very few other cities have even close to the same problems. Crime is definitely due to socioeconomic factors. Doesn’t mean that it can’t affect other people in Saskatoon. And shot gun death? Didn’t some drunk guy in Saskatchewan just accidentally kill his wife with a shot gun? And some 15 year old kid bring a hand gun to his Saskatchewan school?

The Alberta is worse argument doesn’t hold water, it isn’t. Has less violent crime, fewer murders and fewer sexual assaults. It sucks that Ryan saw one of these happen, but we have more. The chance something bad happens to you is worse here.

Perhaps the solution is to try to integrate “those people” into the rest of the community rather than keeping them at a safe distance.

I laid my eyes on a long term development plan that the city has produced. I’ve never been real high on Riversdale but the plan, f it ever becomes a reality would turn Riversdale into one of the highest priced areas in town. Some people think its location makes it perfect for gentrification. Calls for lots of river view high rises and other cool stuff.

Better buy in before it’s too late.

split the money between our population and we can all retire in these so called better provinces multi millionares and never have to be ashamed of where we live or work again lol.

“The top 10 high-crime cities in the Maclean’s list are led by Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg in a near tie at between 146.3 and 144.6 per cent above the national average.” I didn’t say a negative thing, a 3 rd party observer rated us poorly on objective scale

The organized crime may just increase the density of scum per rental property. Or upgrade to a nice cheap condo conversion, laundering the illegit coin in the subsequent sale.

And William “I talk about boosting this province not bashing it”. Here’s one of our boosters. Doesn’t matter that we lead Canada in violent crime. Doesn’t matter that our oil is less accessible, lower quality and no where near Saskatoon. Doesn’t matter that China realizing we dye our white potash to look red (rumour I heard) would drop our prices and a swing in Uranium or Potash down (Saskatoon’s only 2 real commodities) would be a kick in the nards, or that grain prices, while high, still require a successful, frost free, droubt free harvest…

It’s all about “positive” comments. So let’s all say positive things and forget that our “boom” is tenuous and that we all think that with huge increases in housing inventory, increasing further with a whack load of condo conversions coming on line, and LOWER demand. If we ignore our problems and don’t tell others about them, maybe they’ll spend too much on a speculator trying to get out at the peak, and assume the over inflated price is justified. That way, Will can sell his houses and stop “boosting” our province.

As for the prostitutes there will always be escort agencies, drug dealers hell they live in all neighborhoods some live in mansions and would snub our areas.

Want to get rid of drug crime legalise all drugs and tax them but thats a different story.

Stop saskatchewan bashing now Ive had enough.!!

Lastly William, I know why you commented on Riversdale, because you have rental property there, YOU ARE JUST A SLUMLORD!!!!!!!

What most of the people on here have been suggesting is that 1) the current boom in potash & crops is wonderful, but prices that go up can also come down and 2) if Saskatchewan’s oil was plentiful and easy to get at, we’d already have an oil industry: the fact that we don’t suggests that it might not be quite so cheap and easy to get at.