ON THE MOVE

Etruscan pours African gold bar
Tue. Mar 4 - 6:42 AM

ETRUSCAN Resources Inc., a Halifax-based junior mining company, says the first gold was poured this week at its 90 per cent-owned Youga mine, located in Burkina Faso, West Africa. A gold bar of approximately 100 ounces was poured from the smelting of concentrate. Ore has been processed intermittently at the mine since mid-February, with commercial production slated to begin in April. Etruscan president Gerald McConnell said the first gold pour at Youga is a major milestone on Etruscan’s path to becoming a mid-tier gold producer and should produce strong cash flow for the company. The company’s next gold producer will be located in Ivory Coast where a feasibility study will be completed this summer, with production to follow in 2010, said Mr. McConnell in a release.

•Lt.-Gov. Mayann E. Francis will honour a Dartmouth engineering firm today for its resourcefulness in the construction of a water treatment plant near Bridgewater. To deal with a tricky environmental situation that required the plant to meet one of the highest standards ever established for municipal wastewater treatment in Nova Scotia, the Dartmouth-based Terrain Group selected an innovative Canadian technology that cleans water by drawing it through a membrane filled with microscopic pores. The tiny holes are just big enough to let water molecules pass through, but small enough to exclude suspended solids and bacteria. Now in operation for a year, the effort earns the company the 2008 Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for Excellence in Engineering. Terrain president Stephen Wallace said the company is already using the technology to provide wastewater treatment for a resort community under construction outside Louisbourg.

•Colin MacLean, formerly vice-president at Nova Scotia Community College, will become president and CEO of the Waterfront Development Corporation Limited (WDCL) on April 21. The agency is a provincial crown corporation responsible for planning, co-ordinating, promoting and developing properties, events and activities on the waterfront of Halifax and Lunenburg. Mr. MacLean’s most recent position was with NSCC as vice-president of People and Planning, where he was responsible for strategic planning, legal affairs, human resources, student services, applied research and international education.

•Kay Crinean, founder and first executive director of NovaKnowledge, and Paul Kent, former senior vice-president of Aliant and chief executive officer of xwave, have been appointed to the board of Maritime Tidal Energy Corporation, a Halifax-based ocean resources company with a particular interest in the electric power potential of Bay of Fundy tides.

•The Radisson Suite Hotel in Halifax was recognized recently with the chain’s 2007 President’s Award. The downtown all-suites hotel is managed by Pacrim Hospitality Services Inc. of Halifax. Hotel manager Bill Harrison said the operation has been “a star” in the chain since it opened in 1996. The President’s Award is presented annually to the top performing of the 200 hotels in the Radisson system.

•Dan Jennings has joined Deloitte and Touche’s Atlantic financial advisory practice as a vice-president of corporate finance. He will be the company’s lead financial advisory practitioner in the region and have technical responsibility for business valuation services throughout Atlantic Canada.

•Tony Charles, a professor of management science and environmental studies at Saint Mary’s University, has been elected president of the International Institute for Fisheries Economics and Trade, a forum for discussing and networking on a broad range of issues related to natural resources and how people and oceans connect together. Mr. Charles is a Pew Fellow in marine conservation and specializes in the interdisciplinary analysis of fisheries, aquiculture and coastal issues. He is the author of a wide range of publications.

On the Move is a weekly column highlighting hirings and promotion of area businesspeople. It also acknowledges professional and corporate awards of national or regional importance. Send announcements to On the Move, P.O. Box 610, Halifax, N.S., B3J 2T2 or e-mail them to business@herald.ca.