SASKENERGY PROVIDES SECOND FUNDING INSTALLMENT TO T-REX CENTRE

Deputy Premier and Crown Investments Corporation Minister Dwain

Lingenfelter today announced that SaskEnergy provided $120,000 to the

T-Rex Centre in Eastend as the first of two funding installments in a

five-year, $300,000 financial commitment. This centre will become a

world class facility, attracting and sustaining more than 34,000

visitors annually, with an economic impact of approximately $3

million.



"This funding will be used to help equip the SaskEnergy Demo Lab,"

Lingenfelter said. "The lab will provide demonstrations to the

general public, school groups and special tours. Visitors will be

able to get their hands dirty by experiencing some of the basic

activities that the field and science staff conduct in the core lab

environment."



Funds from these installments will also be used to develop new

educational materials. Some of these materials will be used in

conjunction with the T-Rex Centre's extension program, which allows

visitors to participate in archaeological digs this summer through the

Eastend Fossil Research Station. This activity is expected to be

popular as the busy tourism season approaches.



Roadwork and excavation of the T-Rex Centre began several weeks

ago and organizers intend for the centre to be operational by the

summer tourism season in the year 2000. The centre will become

the newest stop on the Dinosaur Trail, which encourages people

from around the world to view first-hand the fossils found in

southwest Alberta and the northern American states.



The T-Rex Centre will be the home of Scotty, the Tyrannosaurus

Rex which was excavated in 1994, and is one of only a dozen

nearly complete skeletons in the world. This centre will also

serve as a research facility and it will be a base from which

visitors can begin their own excursions to other attractions in

the area.



"Initiatives that link together youth and education have always

been a high priority for SaskEnergy," Lingenfelter said. "That's

why we've committed to the T-Rex Centre and we encourage support

from other businesses to help bring this project to fruition."



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For more information, contact:



Ron Podbielski

Acting Director

Corporate Affairs

Regina

Phone: (306) 777-9432