Minnesota-headquartered Northern Oil and Gas cited “the meaningful opportunities we see in Canada” as it announced a $350-million stake in privately held Alberta producer Parallax. (The Logic)

Talking point: It’s the first move into Canada by Northern, a publicly traded U.S. shale oil company, and just the latest sign of growing foreign enthusiasm after years of divestment in Western Canada’s energy patch. Northern’s buy-in follows global giant Shell’s blockbuster acquisition last month of one of the country’s largest natural gas producers. Foreign investors and producers are looking at Canada again as the federal Liberal government advances plans to boost the country’s oil and gas exports.