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Places to Work
Canada’s Technology Triangle (CTT) Ranks High in Mid-Sized Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs)
Waterloo Region - Waterloo Region, Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo with a combined population over 500, 000 and known around the world as CTT, was ranked high among mid-sized metropolitan areas in the Conference Board of Canada’s first ever report, “City Magnets: Benchmarking the Attractiveness of Canada’s CMAs”.
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Waterloo Growing Company
ARISE Technologies Corporation Announces Signing of Silicon Wafer Supply Agreement
WATERLOO - ARISE Technologies Corporation announced that its wholly owned subsidiary ARISE Technologies Deutschland GmbH (ARISE Germany), has entered into a silicon wafer supply agreement with Sino-American Silicon Products Inc. (SAS) of Taiwan.
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Transfer of Control
W.C Wood changes ownership
Guelph - After 77 years of family ownership, Guelph-based W.C. Wood Company has sold its operations to Red Diamond Capital a subsidiary of Mitsubishi (Japan).
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Consumer Prosumer
Study: Cross-border shopping and the loonie 2007
Statscan - Whether measured by the number of same-day auto trips across the US border or the average amount spent on these trips or online shopping, the recent increases in cross-border shopping have been minimal relative to retail sales, according to a study released today in the Canadian Economic Observer.
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Labour and Productivity
Labour productivity, hourly compensation and unit labour cost Third quarter 2007
The labour productivity of Canadian businesses rose 0.2% in the third quarter, the same growth rate as that recorded in the previous quarter. This pace remains below that of the first three months of 2007, which saw growth of 0.6%.
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New Contracts for Waterloo
DALSA Announces Significant New Orders in Core Businesses
Waterloo - DALSA Corporation, an international leader in high performance digital imaging and semiconductors, announced that it has received significant new contracts in its Digital Imaging and Semiconductor business units. The majority of the orders, which cover key end markets such as flat panel display and MEMS, are expected to be delivered during 2008.
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Paper Making Realignment
Domtar to reduce paper making capacity
MONTREAL - Domtar announced today that it will close its Port Edwards, Wisconsin mill as well as reorganize production at its Dryden, Ontario facility. These measures will result in a permanent reduction of Domtar's annual production capacity by approximately 342,000 tons.
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Manufacturing Global Market
Auto companies still struggle with a move to Central and Eastern Europe
Toronto — Moving to Central and Eastern Europe remains a major challenge for automotive companies, especially if little experience in cross-border M&A exists. According to part four of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) Eastern Influx: Automotive manufacturing in Central and Eastern Europe it’s crucial to devise and execute a solid forward plan and to leverage local expert advice in order to create a heightened understanding of the different behaviours, practices, and risks in these regions.
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Winter Getaway
Canadian Travelers Flock to Barcelo Hotels & Resorts in the Caribbean & Mexico
Tour Operator Sales Hit a Record High for 2007
TORONTO - Barcelo Hotels & Resorts reports that Canada is the number one feeder market for its 32 all-inclusive hotels in Mexico and the Caribbean. During 2007 a record number of vacation packages were sold throughout Canadian markets to Barcelo's selection of upscale and Premium branded hotels.
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Education
UOIT and Trent University pioneer multi-institutional graduate program delivery
Groundbreaking technology eliminates geographical barriers, bringing students together in one virtual classroom
OSHAWA, Ont. — The University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and Trent University demonstrated how they are redefining graduate education in Canada by removing geographical barriers and bringing students together in one virtual classroom through the use of innovative technology.
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Climate Change
World Bank Launches Forest Carbon Fund.
"The World Bank on Tuesday launched plans for a [target size] $300 million fund to fend off global warming by preserving forests...
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Unions Pension Funds
Steelworkers applaud passage of Nova Scotia pension reform
HALIFAX - The United Steelworkers (USW) has applauded Wednesday's passing of a bill in the Nova Scotia legislature that requires companies to ensure pension plans are fully funded when plants are closed.
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Climate Change
World Bank Chief Says Climate Action Can Work For Development
“Actions to lower greenhouse gas emissions can ‘both protect the global environment and enable developing countries to grow their economies for the benefit of their people,’ World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick said in Bali on Wednesday.…
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Media Shift
CTV Strikes iTunes Canada Deal
- Deal sees Canada's top-ranked original comedies and dramas from CTV now available on iTunes -
- CTV's The Comedy Network and MTV become first Canadian specialties with iTunes content
TORONTO - As announced yesterday, hit programming from CTV and its specialty channels The Comedy Network and MTV are now available from the iTunes Store in Canada
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Media Shift
Apple Announces Hit Television Programming Now Available on the iTunes Store in Canada
Programs from Canada’s Top Networks, US Favorites & NHL Now Available on iTunes
CUPERTINO, California—Apple announced that hit television programming from Canada’s top networks, US broadcasters and the National Hockey League (NHL) is now available for CAN$1.99 per episode.
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Energy - New Plant
BioOil to fuel industrial sector
Missouri, USA is set to become home to a commercial industrial plant that will produce liquid biofuel from wood residues. The end product, known as “BioOil”, is an industrial fuel expected to be sold to commercial users as it is a price-competitive replacement for heating oils that are widely used in industrial boilers and furnaces.
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Healthcare - Pandemic
Influenza pandemic could cost Canadian economy $9 billion
Over half of Canadian critical industry workers may not show up to work during a flu pandemic
TORONTO - Immediate action to ensure employee health and safety during an influenza pandemic is critical, according to a national survey. Results show that 54 per cent of critical industry workers would be uncomfortable going to work if several people in their city or town were diagnosed with pandemic influenza.
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Survey of Manufacturing
Manufacturing sales edged up 0.1% in October, basically holding steady after decreasing in five of the six previous months.
Sales of manufactured goods increased $38 million, reaching $50.2 billion from $50.1 billion in September.
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Education - Post High School
Course that Aims to Ease Transition to University a Success
Guelph - A growing number of students are looking for information and support in making the transition from high school to university, based on the participation in a first-ever University of Guelph course.
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Rental Market Report
DEMAND HIGHER FOR RENTAL UNITS IN KITCHENER AND GUELPH
TORONTO - Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation released its Fall 2007 Rental Market Report for the Kitchener and Guelph CMAs today. Highlights of the 2007 Rental Market Report for these CMAs are as follows:
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Politics - Economy
Tory to McGuinty: Stop killing jobs and passing the buck
Tory says McGuinty continues to show no urgency or concern about economy
QUEEN'S PARK - Progressive Conservative Party Leader John Tory today said Dalton McGuinty's "don't worry, be happy" approach to the economy is going to lead to more broken promises.
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Global Economy
Corporate Earnings Will Slacken and Market Volatility Will Rise, Global Investors Believe
ORINDA, Calif. - Corporate earnings in the US, Europe, and Japan will weaken and stock market volatility will increase, according to a majority of investment professionals surveyed in New York, London, Melbourne, and Tokyo by AXA Rosenberg in October and November.
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Communication
Shift to E-mail in Business Makes Crafting Meaningful Messages More Important
TORONTO - As professionals with overflowing inboxes may attest, people are doing more typing than talking when communicating on the job. Results from a recent OfficeTeam survey bear this out: Nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of executives prefer to receive e-mail over other forms of communication, up from 34 per cent a decade ago.
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Education
Canadians going to school in increasing numbers to learn, and earn, more
TORONTO - Enrolment in postsecondary education continues to rise, as job prospects and earning advantages increase for graduates. This was one of many findings contained in a major report released by education ministers and Statistics Canada.
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Competition
Competition Bureau validates CGA position on public practice rights
OTTAWA - The Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA-Canada) welcomes the Competition Bureau Study on the Professions. The findings in the report recognize the importance of self regulation; a significant privilege accorded to the professions in Canada.
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Mobile Content
Amika Mobile Signs India Partnership With Binary Semantics to Sell Enterprise Product
OTTAWA - Amika Mobile, the pioneer in the delivery of key mobile content to any mobile phone, announces that it has signed a partnership agreement with Binary Semantics for distribution of the Amika Mobility Server(TM) - Enterprise Edition in India.
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BIO Terrorism
UW hosts forum on predicting and responding to pandemics and bioterrorism
TORONTO and Waterloo - Ontario public health officials and researchers from three North American universities will explore how mathematics and computer science can help predict and respond to a pandemic or bioterrorism.
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Merger
Deloitte & Touche LLP and Mintz & Partners LLP Agree to Merge
TORONTO - Accounting and professional services firms Deloitte and Mintz & Partners have reached an agreement to join forces. It is expected that the firms will be in business together in January 2008.
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Tourism - World of Disney
Canadian Families Selected to Share Their Dreams During Disney Parks Star-Studded Spectacular Annual Christmas Day Parade on CBC
Stars scheduled to appear in Emmy Award-winning special include Jessica Simpson, Miley Cyrus, Patti LaBelle, Josh Groban, cast from "High School Musical 2," favourites from "Dancing with the Stars," The Jonas Bros., Menudo, Katharine McPhee, Harlem Gospel Choir, and more!
TORONTO, ON -- This winter, Canadian families will share their Disney dreams during CBC’s broadcast of the annual "Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade" on December 25.
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Layoffs Offset
Closure and investments at Arcelor Mittal in Contrecoeur
Optimism and caution on the part of Steelworkers
MONTREAL - The Arcelor Mittal company has just announced its intention of building a beam mill at Contrecoeur at a cost of $380 million and, at the same time, of closing the hot mill on January 31 and the cold mill on February 29. "We are pleased to see that the 450 layoffs that have been announced, which is considerable given that there are 1000 workers in this plant, could be partially offset by the building of another plant which would employ 200 workers by 2010.
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Human Resource
Change Jobs the leading Business Change Management and IT Project Jobs Job Board has re-launched
UK - Change Jobs is proud to announce the re-launch of their new and improved job board. Due to popular demand the new improved site will now focus on both Business Change Management and IT Project Jobs.
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Health Care Consumers
Three-quarters of Canadians want integrated health resource
Manulife Financial launches Health Service Navigator(TM) to help Canadians become proactive health care consumers
WATERLOO - In a survey for Manulife Financial, a decisive 74 per cent of Canadians who responded said they would be interested in an integrated, reliable service that provides information and assistance on the variety of health care services available and how to access them.
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Green Energy Project
Sludge plant is real gas
By Bob Downing
Akron, Ohio - ''Taking our brown and turning it into green'' was the way Akron Water Pollution Control Administrator Brian Gresser described a new facility that turns the city's sewage sludge into electricity.
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Consumer Energy
Ontario should get smart, follow Hydro Quebec decision to abandon time-of-use meters, electricity coalition says
TORONTO - The Ontario government would be doing consumers a favour if it were to follow the example of Hydro Quebec and abandon its plan to install so-called smart meters in all homes in the province, says the Ontario Electricity Coalition.