Reaching east, Far East

The recent "Team Canada" trade mission to the Phillipines, Korea and Thailand included a couple of Alberta Aboriginal representatives, Edmonton Catholic Schools superintendent Terry Fortin and Sawridge Water Ltd. President Walter Twinn were on the 13-day junket designed to increase trade and investment links with the three emerging Asian countries. Energy, agriculture and food, education and training, building products, forestry, telecommunications and tourism were promoted by the Alberta companies who traveled with Premier Ralph Klein, who said: "In recent years, economic growth has been very rapid in all three of these countries, with demand for imported goods and services rising just as rapidly." In the Philippines, for example, Alberta businesses signed agreements worth more than $56 million.