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2006 news releasesSaskTel Sells BWI to Private Sector Founding PartnersMarch 3, 2006 SaskTel today announced that the founders of Business Watch International (BWI) will purchase SaskTel's shares in BWI for $574,000. At present, SaskTel Investment Inc. owns 95.5% of BWI and with this sale will fully divest of its interest in BWI. "From SaskTel's perspective, we are pleased to have supported a private sector company in the development of a product that has become a valuable tool in aiding law enforcement and contributing to crime reduction," Robert Watson SaskTel President and CEO said. "We will continue to support BWI in their business plans by housing BWI's computer infrastructure within our world-class data center, with leading-edge encryption and firewall technologies to ensure the security of information." "Without SaskTel's investment, BWI would never have achieved its successes to date and many pawnshops and used goods enterprises would still be using a paper-based recording system instead of an internet-based online reporting system," Dion McArthur, BWI President and CEO said. Prior to BWI's service, which was developed through the support of SaskTel, the majority of policing agencies were left to monitor the transactions involving used goods through a paper-based recording system. With BWI's solution, pawnshops and used goods enterprises register their transactions into an Internet-based program. Policing agencies may then instantaneously access this transaction data for investigation purposes. Over the past six years, BWI has demonstrated benefits to the public through improved identification and recovery of stolen property. Used property dealers benefit from having a system that increases the efficiency of operating their businesses. Pawnshops and other second-hand property dealers that are already required to report their transactions also have a more efficient system for reporting to the police, processing transactions, managing their inventory and generating reports. About SaskTel SaskTel employs over 3,800 people in communities throughout Saskatchewan and is the leading full service communications provider in the province. It offers competitive voice, data, internet, entertainment and multimedia services, web hosting, text and messaging services over a state-of-the-art digital network. The Corporation also provides cellular and wireless data services, security monitoring services, directory services, in-room communications services to the healthcare sector through Hospitality Network, telecommunications consulting service through SaskTel International and national communications services through Navigata Communications. Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com . About Business Watch International Inc. Business Watch International (BWI) is a Canadian company dedicated to providing computer applications to serve property owners, pawn and secondhand stores, and police agencies in their efforts to work together towards a safer community. BWI's systems are designed to enable the pawn and used goods businesses to fulfill their property registration obligations to the police. In July 2002, BWI incorporated a subsidiary company in the United States called Business Watch International [ USA ] Inc. For more information, please contact : Michelle Englot |
