By Joel van der Veen

REGINA — Murad Al-Katib’s career has taken him around the world, but at the same time he’s always stayed close to his roots.

Al-Katib, 44, is the president and founder of AGT Food and Ingredients, which distributes lentils, chickpeas and other pulse crops to more than 120 countries around the world.

“We’re in the business of feeding the world,” said Al-Katib, who was born and raised in Davidson.

He maintains close connections in the area, saying it plays a very important role in his business, which posted $2.1-billion in revenue last year.

Al-Katib made headlines this spring when he was announced as one of four recipients of the Business for Peace award.

The awards were presented in a ceremony at the City Hall in Oslo, Norway on May 16.

He was the first Canadian to receive the award, which places him in highly prestigious company, alongside other honourees like Sir Richard Branson and Elon Musk.

He was nominated by the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, whose CEO, Darla Lindbjerg, also attended the ceremony.

During the dinner, Al-Katib found himself hobnobbing with global leaders like Haakon, crown prince of Norway, and former Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. (The latter was responsible for chairing the Brundtland Commission and its pioneering 1987 report on sustainable development.)

The citation recognized contributions made by Al-Katib and his company to sustainable agriculture and to providing food for millions affected by the Syrian refugee crisis.

AGT is a major partner with the United Nations World Food Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Though their efforts, more than 4.5 million parcels of essential food items were distributed to refugee families, equivalent to roughly 700 million meals.

Al-Katib said these projects are evidence of how companies can effectively address the issues facing society as a whole.

“Business leaders doing their business in a socially responsible way is what will contribute to advancing society,” he said.

“Entrepreneurs will be the ones who will solve problems like clean drinking water, pollution and food security . . . It’s not going to be governments.”

To read the full story, please see the May 29 edition of The Davidson Leader. To subscribe, contact The Davidson Leader.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — A recycling facility in Davidson was the target of two break-ins in a span of just over two weeks.

According to a press release issued by the Craik RCMP detachment, the SARCAN facility at the north end of town was entered in the early morning hours of April 30.

The building was entered again 16 days later on the morning of May 16.

Both times, police said, the culprit or culprits stole the contents of the tip jar, the proceeds from which are divided among employees.

Debbie Vicente, who manages the Davidson facility, said she was unable to comment on the incidents due to corporate policy.

The SARCAN facility has been in operation locally since 1988 and is operated by Interlake Human Resources.

Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to contact Craik RCMP at 306-734-5200 or Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — A new bylaw to license businesses in town will be on the table at Davidson’s next council meeting.

The bylaw would target businesses that aren’t currently paying commercial property tax in town, such as home-based and online operations.

During their regular meeting on Tuesday, councillors discussed some of the bylaws in use in other towns.

Mayor Tyler Alexander said a bylaw would bring in revenue while also enabling the town to track such businesses for promotional purposes.

“I agree personally that we should do something,” said the mayor, suggesting that a bylaw could be enacted by council soon to take effect at the start of next year.

Alexander expressed approval for the bylaw currently in effect in Outlook, where fees for business licenses generally range between $50 and $150 per year.

Administrator Gary Edom agreed to prepare a draft of a bylaw for council’s approval at the June meeting.

The subject of an updated business license bylaw has been discussed by council on and off over the past couple of years.

Bylaw 352, “The Licensing Bylaw,” was passed by council in April 1981, under Mayor Milan Puckett and administrator Bud Larson.

The bylaw officially remains on the books, although it has not been enforced in decades and is now outdated. Edom said it is due to be repealed.

The licensing bylaw required tradespeople, businessmen and operators to register and pay a license fee in order to carry on business within the town.

It makes provision for a license inspector to carry out enforcement, and sets out fees for everything from ambulances ($1 per year) to piano tuners ($10).

For our full report from town council, please see the May 22 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Members of Unifor stopped by Greg Brkich’s office recently with a message for the Arm River MLA.

About 25 union members gathered on the sidewalk on Washington Avenue during the noon hour on May 4 to protest a recent bill on Crown corporations.

Bill 40, passed in the provincial legislature on April 26, sets a definition for privatization, allowing up to 49 per cent of a Crown corporation, such as SaskTel or SGI, to be sold.

Lorne Hill, chief steward for Unifor Local 3 in Moose Jaw, said the bill amounts to breaking up assets that belong to the people of Saskatchewan.

“This current provincial government has no mandate to put our assets up for sale,” Hill said.

The Unifor members, all SaskTel employees, were in Davidson on May 4 for a provincial meeting. They marched to the MLA’s office during their lunch break.

They carried signs and cheered during Hill’s speech, responding to his criticism of Sask Party MLAs with calls of “Shame!” and “Liars!”

Brkich’s office was closed for the noon hour, and the protest drew few onlookers, but those gathered were not discouraged.

“Whether Greg was here or not today,” said Hill, “we want all members of the Legislative Assembly to know our stance on this issue.”

He accused the government of “risking the assets of future generations,” adding that SaskTel has paid off $500 million in dividends to the province over the last decade.

“That is tax dollars that people don’t have to pay out of their pockets,” said Hill, explaining that the protesters want to promote unity and not division. “We want to support everybody, we want to protect what is rightfully theirs.”

The NDP has also criticized the bill, with opposition leader Trent Wotherspoon calling it “an incredible bertrayal of Saskatchewan people.”

Greg Brkich spoke to the Leader in the bill’s defense on Wednesday, arguing that it would strengthen, not weaken, the Crowns by protecting 51 per cent of them from privatization.

He characterized the bill as “housekeeping” in case an opportunity for partnership comes along.

In the case of SaskTel, he said, partnerships could make the company more competitive by connecting them with new technology.

He also said the bill could bring new investment dollars, giving the example of pension plans.

“There’s lots of Saskatchewan investment money that’s flowing out to entities in other provinces,” he said.

Brkich dismissed opposition criticism of the bill: “The world’s always coming to an end . . . That’s their role, to try to light as many fires as they can at that end.”

He also recalled that former NDP premier Roy Romanow had talked about looking for potential partners for SaskTel, back in 2000.

A news release from Unifor pointed to Manitoba as an example, arguing that the privatization of the provincial telecom MTS led to higher phone bills there.

“It could mean a decrease, too,” Brkich countered in response. “It very well could be cheaper rates and better coverage, with more investment coming in.”

Unifor represents around 3,300 SaskTel employees, including technicians, account and service representatives, and clerical and administrative staff.