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for Friday, August 18, 2006
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July August 2006 |
European patent laws a 'competitive disadvantage'
By Anthony Fletcher
The EU has been urged to subsidise patent applications for young innovative companies in order to ensure that Europe's biotech and agricultural sectors remain competitive.
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June 2006
May 2006
March April 2006
January February 2006
November December 2005
October 2005
September 2005
July August 2005
June 2005
May 2005
March April 2005
January February 2005 |
Japan sees biodiesel boost with new fuel standards
By Ikuko Kao
TOKYO Reuters - Japan, the world's third-largest oil consumer, will set out nationwide biodiesel standards this year in an effort to kick-start demand, but will not force refiners to sell it, government officials said on Thursday. Lagging international moves to use more biofuel to battle soaring crude oil prices and help ease global warming, Japan hopes the law -- allowing about 5 percent of fatty acid-derived fuel in diesel -- will spur more sales of green fuels made from renewable sources such as soybeans and sugar.
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Spending on research and development in the higher education sector
Expenditure on research and development in higher education institutions in Canada increased from $8.1 billion in 2003/2004 to $9.0 billion in 2004/2005 (an increase of 10.5%).
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Bruce Power enters next phase of long-term site planning
TIVERTON - Bruce Power has filed an application with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to prepare a site for the potential construction of new reactors at its Bruce County facility.
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July 2006 Construction Union Wage Rate Index
The Construction Union Wage Rate Index (including supplements) for Canada remained unchanged in July compared to 137.1 (1992=100) in June. The composite index increased 1.4% compared with the July 2005 index (135.2).
Ontario park visitors pay more to get less, MNR report shows
TORONTO - Provincial park visitors in Ontario pay a higher percentage of overall park costs than park visitors in any comparable Canadian province or U.S. state, an internal report of the Ministry of Natural Resources reveals. The report, obtained by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union through Freedom of Information, shows that Ontario provincial parks recover 79 per cent of their costs from park visitors. In Alberta, that number is 12 per cent.
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June 2006 Travel between Canada and other countries
Two more travel records were broken in June, one for outbound travel by Canadians and the other for inbound travel from the United States. Record numbers of Canadians travelled to overseas nations, while the number of same-day car travellers from the United States was the lowest since record keeping started in 1972.
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Canada's international transactions in securities
June 2006Previous releaseFor a 17th consecutive month, Canadian investors continued their heavy acquisitions of foreign securities, purchasing $4.0 billion in June. Meanwhile, foreign purchases of Canadian securities declined substantially from $5.9 billion in May to a nominal $343 million in June.
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Health Authorities Urging Personal Protection as West Nile Virus Confirmed in Three Additional Birds
Waterloo Region - Curt Monk, Manager of Health Protection, confirmed that three (3) additional birds – all crows - found in Waterloo Region on Monday, August 14th, have tested positive for West Nile Virus. News of the three additional positive birds follows quickly upon the confirmation of the first positive birds found in Waterloo Region earlier this week
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Buzz Hargrove Re-elected To A New Term As CAW President
VANCOUVER - To boisterous cheers and a standing ovation from hundreds of CAW Constitutional Convention delegates today CAW president Buzz Hargrove was acclaimed to a new term as president of the 265,000 member union.
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CAW Delegates Approve Emergency Resolution on Middle East Crisis
VANCOUVER - Delegates to the CAW's 8th Constitutional Convention overwhelmingly approved today an emergency resolution on the Middle East that outlines a detailed response to the crisis. After a spirited debate on the convention floor, delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of the resolution. It recognizes "all civilians in the region have the right to personal security and to live in peace and that the terrorizing of civilian populations to further political ends is unacceptable."
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Sensor monitors temperature in real time while athlete is exercising; technology could lead to a product that saves lives.
Fayetteville, AR - Biological engineering students at the University of Arkansas have developed a wireless biosensor that can accurately record and monitor a football player's body temperature in real time while the player is active. The prototype designed by students in the College of Engineering contributes to research into a commercial product that could prevent death due to heat stroke.
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UW joins Abu Dhabi international energy research network
WATERLOO -- The University of Waterloo will be the only Canadian partner in an international research network launched recently in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which seeks to develop alternative technologies for advanced energy and environmental solutions.
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Ontario Power Generation Reports 2006 Second Quarter Financial Results
TORONTO - Ontario Power Generation Inc. ("OPG" or the "Company") reported August 17 its financial and operating results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2006. Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2006 was $143 million compared to net income of $63 million for the same period in 2005.
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Thursday August 17, 2006
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ARISE Announces CFO
WATERLOO REGION - ARISE Technologies Corporation (TSX-V: APV) is pleased to announce that Bruce West has been appointed Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice-President of Business Processes of ARISE. Mr. West brings to this role 25 years of business experience in a range of financial, operating and senior executive roles.
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Business Conditions Survey: Traveller accommodation industries - Third quarter 2006
After indicating some optimism since the beginning of the year, Canadian hotel operators were relatively less optimistic for the third quarter 2006, with lower expectations of anticipated room nights booked, occupancy rates and the number of business travellers compared to the last quarter. On the other hand, respondents to the survey still expect daily room rates to increase.
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Maplesoft(TM) Introduces Interactive Edition of the Mathematics Survival Kit; Maple-Based E-Book is the Essential Companion to Any College or High School Math Course
WATERLOO - Maplesoft(TM), the leading provider of high-performance software tools for engineering, science and mathematics, announced today the publication of "The Mathematics Survival Kit: Maple(TM) Edition." The e-book, which is based on Maple, the most powerful and intuitive tool for solving complex mathematical problems, taps the power of interactive technology to provide a much more valuable resource for college and high school students than a print-only textbook
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June 2006 Monthly Survey of Manufacturing
Manufacturing shipments increased 1.9% to $51.4 billion in June, the highest level since January 2006. And while the trend for manufacturing is positive, shipments have been consistently in the $50 billion to $52 billion a month range for the last two years. The manufacturing sector has managed to maintain this level of shipments despite of the challenges of a rising Canadian dollar and increased global competition. Over the second quarter, shipments were down 0.4% from the first quarter but up 0.6% compared to the same period in 2005. Controlling for price fluctuations, total shipments increased by 0.7% in June.
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U of G's Vineland Research Station Celebrates 100 Years
The University of Guelph’s Vineland research station, which has provided the world with more than 150 new varieties of fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants, is holding an open house to celebrate its 100th anniversary August 26.
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Oil and gas extraction industry: Volume and value of marketable production 2005
Crude oil and equivalent production declined 2.0% in 2005, primarily on lower output from the conventional sector (-3.0%). Production in the non-conventional sector edged down 0.5%, as a result of unplanned interruptions in synthetic crude oil production. On the other hand, natural gas marketable production rose by 1.9% in 2005.
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CFOs Value Communication Skills, But Few Firms Provide Training, Survey Shows
TORONTO - Communication skills have grown in importance for accounting and finance professionals, but workers may be on their own when it comes to developing this expertise, a new survey shows.
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Challenger Withdraws From Race to Become CAW President
VANCOUVER - A challenger to CAW president Buzz Hargrove has withdrawn from the race to become the next president of the 265,000 member union.
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Livestock estimates As of July 1, 2006
Canada's cattle herd has plunged by 810,000 head, a near record decline for a single year, following the reopening of the American border to live animals, according to the annual Livestock Survey of 10,000 producers. Most of these animals were exported to the United States.
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Commentary: A Global Warming Fund Could Succeed Where Kyoto Failed
Jagdish Bhagwati, university professor of economics and law at Columbia University and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, argues in The Financial Times that “getting global warming on the radar screen is only half the game, however. The other half has to be the design of policies to address it effectively. The centerpiece of world action has been the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the Framework Convention on Climate Change. But while it embodied national obligations on carbon dioxide emission reductions and has now been ratified and approved by more than 160 countries, the US has not done so. The fatal flaw in the Kyoto protocol is that it left India and China out of the emission-reduction obligations. Both are major polluters; India still way behind but China closing in on the US.
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GLOBAL HEALTH INITIATIVE URGES LARGE BUSINESSES TO HELP SMALLER ONES TO STEP UP THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS
A proven new approach whereby large companies help smaller ones in their supply chain tackle HIV/AIDS at the workplace could help save millions of lives in Africa alone
Geneva, Switzerland – In a major step to help businesses across Africa to scale up their response to the global HIV/AIDS threat, the Global Health Initiative (GHI) of the World Economic Forum today launches a set of guidelines – based on a new proven approach – aimed at enabling small and medium size companies (SMEs) to implement HIV/AIDS workplace programmes.
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IPA SBRB Study Finds Energy, Fuel Expenses Greatest Issue Impacting Small Business; Cost of Materials Second Biggest Issue
International Profit Associates Small Business Research Board Study Indicates Most Small Businesses Unprepared for Disaster; Opinions Split on Plan for Minimum Wage, Estate Tax Laws
Buffalo Grove, IL - Rising energy and fuel costs have gone from simply being expenses that were “passed along” to the single greatest issue impacting small businesses, according to the International Profit Associates Small Business Research Board ( IPA SBRB ).
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Bell Rings in Video
Toronto - Bell Canada is now offering video ringtones to its customers, the first of this kind of service to be available in Canada. For $4 each, customers can download a video ringtone at www.bell.ca/ringtones, then program their compatible cell phone to play a music video when a call comes in, rather than just a simple audio ringtone.
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Canadians Positive About Economy
Toronto, ON: According to Kubas Consultants' 2006 Major Market Retail Report (MMRR), about half of Canadians (49 per cent) feel the economy is getting better, a 10-point jump from last year, and the strongest results in five years.
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Wednesday August 16, 2006
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Arise investigating manufacturing facility in Germany
WATERLOO REGION - ARISE is pleased to announce that it has signed a Letter of Intent with the Industrial Investment Council (IIC) of Germany to explore the possibility of establishing a photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturing facility in eastern Germany. The IIC is assisting ARISE with potential site selection, developing strategic partnerships, accessing German federal and state investment incentive programs and reviewing possible local financing options;
also,
the Corporation announced August 15 its financial results for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2006. As a result of closing a major financing during the quarter, ARISE significantly improved its cash and working capital positions. As at June 30, 2006, the Company had positive working capital of $936,384 compared to a working capital deficit of $2,402,217 at December 31, 2005.
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Retail Council of Canada's 2006 Back-to-School Consumer Trends Consumer Confidence Positive Going into Fall Season
TORONTO - Ranked as the second-busiest season behind the Holiday Season, back-to-school is a key period for both shoppers and retailers, marked by new merchandise and brisk shopping traffic across the country.
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| Canadian Internet Use Survey 2005
Two-thirds of adult Canadians surfed the Internet in 2005, and those living in larger cities were much more likely to have done so than those in rural areas and small towns, according to the new Canadian Internet Use Survey.
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Entrepreneur Week (E-Week) is Coming! Mark your calendar: Sept 29th-Oct 6th, 2006
E-Week creates a unique opportunity in Waterloo Region for entrepreneurs of tomorrow to form rich connections with mentors, professional service firms, investors, government and business organizations.
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All Parties Support Improved Fiscal Sustainability for Municipalities
OTTAWA - All three parties at Queen's Park agree that Ontario municipalities are struggling to finance their responsibilities and that the current system fails to serve the best interests of Ontarians. Premier McGuinty committed to a joint review of how municipal services are financed and delivered in Ontario at the 2006 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa on August 14.
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Canadians' confidence in economy shaken: survey Concern with future may lead consumers to defer major purchases
TORONTO - While Canadians continue to be relatively upbeat about the current state of the Canadian economy, their assessments of its future performance slumped significantly in August. All three indices in TNS Canadian Facts' Consumer Confidence Index dropped in the wake of four weeks of turmoil in the Middle East and bad news about oil prices.
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BUILDING BENCH STRENGTH: CIO Survey Shows Popular Leadership Training Techniques
TORONTO - Are successful leaders born or made? Many
companies are banking on the latter. Sixty-six per cent of chief information
officers (CIOs) polled recently said they are actively preparing information
technology (IT) staff for leadership roles at their companies. Commonly cited
tactics include management training (33 per cent), mentoring programs (30 per
cent) and soft-skills training (19 per cent).
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Canada's second-annual celebrity power list unveiled
Two fresh faces - Avril Lavigne and Brendan Fraser - make Canadian
Business magazine's ranking of the most powerful Canucks in Hollywood
TORONTO - For the second year in a row, Canadian Business magazine reveals its annual Celebrity Power List, a ranking of Canadian entertainers who demonstrate serious clout in La-La land. Movement on the list-always a healthy sign-indicates Canada continues to produce serious talent. There are even two fresh faces: Avril Lavigne (No. 7) and Brendan Fraser (No. 10).
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Canada’s Venture Capital Industry More Active in Second Quarter 2006
Investment Activity Remain Below 2005 Levels
Toronto – Investment activity in the Canadian venture capital market increased to $496 million in Q2 2006, up 34% from the $371 million recorded in the year’s first quarter, according to Canada’s Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA) and research partner Thomson Financial (formerly Thomson Macdonald).
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Open Text Allows Earlier Offer for Hummingbird to Lapse in Favour of Arrangement with Hummingbird
WATERLOO - Open Text(TM) Corporation, a leading provider of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) software, today announced that it has allowed the earlier offer by its wholly-owned subsidiary to acquire shares of Hummingbird at a price of US$27.75 per share to lapse in accordance with its terms.
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World Bank: China's economy growth to slow but hit 10.4 percent this year
“China's (sizzling) economy is slowing but should still expand by 10.4 percent this year, the World Bank said Tuesday, as newly released statistics suggested measures to prevent runaway growth might be taking effect,” reports Associated Press.
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New motor vehicle sales
June 2006Previous releaseSagging demand for trucks drove new motor vehicle sales down for a third consecutive month in June. Sales slipped by 0.6% in June after edging down by 0.8% in May and 1.0% in April. Consumers drove 134,734 new vehicles off dealers' lots in June, 770 fewer vehicles than in the previous month. Sales in the second quarter of 2006 weakened slightly, edging down 1.1%, partially offsetting the 2.0% increase recorded in the first quarter.
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Tuesday August 15, 2006
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Provincial-municipal fiscal and service delivery review
The McGuinty government has made it a priority to work in partnership
with the municipal sector. To build on that progress, the province has invited
its municipal partners to undertake a wide-ranging review of the
provincial-municipal relationship. The Association of Municipalities of
Ontario (AMO) has agreed to join in this initiative to allow the province and
the municipal sector to improve the delivery and funding of services for
Ontarians.
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Alternative Energy Sources to Build Ethanol Plant in Iowa
KANSAS CITY, Mo.- Alternative Energy Sources Inc., a Kansas City-based company, today announced plans to build a 110-million-gallon ethanol plant in Boone County, Iowa, between Ogden and Beaver in the central part of the state.
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U.S. Automakers Closing Quality Gap; Dell Bounces Back After Service Slide; ASQ Quarterly Report Shows Quality Increase in Manufacturing Durables
MILWAUKEE - Despite rising vehicle costs and gas prices, consumers are giving the auto industry its highest perceived quality rating in a decade, according to the Quarterly Quality Report, released today by the American Society for Quality (ASQ). The personal computer category also experienced significant gains in perceived quality, primarily due to improved service levels.
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The Home Depot Announces Second Quarter 2006 Results
Sales of $26.0 billion - Net Earnings of $1.86 billion, Earnings per share of $0.90; $0.93 excluding one-time tax charge
ATLANTA - The Home Depot(R), the world's largest home improvement retailer, today reported second quarter net earnings of $1.86 billion, or 90 cents per diluted share, up 9.8 percent compared to the same period in fiscal 2005.
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Cyberplex Announces Second Quarter Financial Results for 2006
TORONTO - Cyberplex Inc. announced on August 14 the financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2006. Revenue for the three month period ended June 30, 2006 was $1.29 million up from the $1.22 million generated in the previous quarter and lower than the $1.86 million recorded during the same period a year ago. The loss before amortization and interest income for the quarter was $54,000 compared to a $131,000 operating loss recorded in the previous quarter and the $55,000 of operating income generated during the same period a year earlier.
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Canada: The WTO Rules on Genetically Modified Organisms
A recent World Trade Organization (WTO) interim ruling on the regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), EC-Measures Affecting the Approval and Marketing of Biotech Products, will be of significant interest to companies operating in the food and agricultural sectors.
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Wise use of biotechnology critical to sustainable future
As the Earth approaches its carrying capacity for human activity, we must adopt more sustainable ways to generate, distribute and consume resources. Considering the magnitude of the challenges we face, we should use all tools that can contribute to our long-term sustainability.
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Structured Job Orientation Leads to Loyal, Motivated Staff, Says Prof
Organizations that offer structured and well-planned orientation programs for new employees are more likely to have motivated, satisfied and committed workers, according to a new study by a University of Guelph professor.
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Toronto Hosts World's Largest Ever AIDS Conference
An article in The Irish Examiner writes that "[t]he Canadian city of
Toronto is hosting the world's largest ever conference on Aids this week,
with some 24,000 people due to attend."
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Steelworkers want open dialogue with latest Inco suitor
TORONTO - Leaders of the United Steelworkers (USW) in
Canada have reviewed the latest bid to acquire Inco Ltd. by Brazilian-based
Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) and say the union remains committed to
principles adopted last December when a merger between Inco and Falconbridge
was first proposed.
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Monday August 14, 2006
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Spending on industrial research and development
Spending on industrial research and development (R&D) will edge up this year, according to reported intentions. Canadian companies will spend an estimated $14.9 billion on R&D, up 1.3% from the preliminary figure for 2005. Manufacturers will spend an estimated $8.3 billion, up 2.2% from 2005, compared with just under $6.0 billion in the services sector, which would be virtually unchanged.
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Housing activity in Ontario will settle
TORONTO- High house prices, rising mortgage rates and an aging population point to a softening demand for homes in Ontario. Housing activity will moderate in the months and years ahead, according to the third quarter CMHC Housing Market Outlook - Canada Edition released August 11.
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Hydro One announces second quarter net income
TORONTO- Hydro One Inc. released its second quarter results with net income of $251 million and revenues of $2,238 million for the six months ended June 30, 2006.
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New Plant Breeding Program Will Focus on Native Species
More Canadian-grown flowers may soon be sprouting in local greenhouses, thanks to a new breeding program for native species being developed at the University of Guelph.
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Private radio broadcasting
2005Previous releaseAirtime sales by private radio broadcasters jumped by 8.7% in 2005, to $1.3 billion, the largest annual increase since 1988. In 2005, the industry also achieved its highest profits in recent history. For each dollar of revenue, private radio stations recorded profits of 20.6 cents, before interest and taxes. Comparatively, profits had been 17.7 cents on average since the start of the current decade, and 6.6 cents during the previous decade.
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Housing starts will slow in 2007
OTTAWA - Housing starts will register another strong year in 2006, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's (CMHC) third quarter Housing Market Outlook, Canada Edition report. Starts will reach 227,900 units in 2006, before decreasing to 209,100 units next year. Although residential construction will ease, 2007 will mark the sixth consecutive year in which housing starts exceed 200,000 units.
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