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Video

How engineers learn from evolution

Insects and animals have evolved some amazing skills -- but, as Robert Full notes, many animals are actually over-engineered. The trick is to copy only what's necessary.

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Energy Education

David Suzuki to speak at World Wind Energy Conference 2008 to convene in Kingston, Ontario

Conference will deliver an international, national and local perspective on renewable power policy and climate change

Kingston - Next week, the World Wind Energy Conference 2008 will take place in Kingston, Ontario. Confirmed keynote speakers will include Dr. David Suzuki, Dr. Hermann Scheer, and Ontario Ministers

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Health Care

Director of Laurier’s Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Centre delivers public lecture on Parkinson’s disease

WATERLOO – Director of the Laurier Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Centre (MDRC) Dr. Quincy Almeida will discuss the battle against Parkinson’s disease in a public lecture at Wilfrid Laurier University on Sunday, June 22 at 5:30 p.m.

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Andy

Children’s Museum secures Warhol exhibition

Kitchener, ON – The Children’s Museum of Waterloo Region is thrilled to be announcing plans for an exhibition featuring the work Andy Warhol.

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New Orders

BIOREM announces $500,000 in new industrial orders

GUELPH, ON - BIOREM Inc. is pleased to announce the receipt of two new industrial orders in the United States totaling nearly $500,000. These Order Bookings represent a growing segment of BIOREM's business in non-municipal markets.

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Morning Column

How Leaders Lose Their Voice
By Ron Crossland

Communication is at the heart of every interaction between a leader and a constituency. Business, political, social, and religious leaders all understand the power of communication – many are moderate in this skill set, but some excel. And leadership research is clear – the better you are as a communicator, the more your leadership ability can move others to action.

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International Recognition

Canada's Bernard James wins Natural Gas Vehicle World Champion Award in Brazil

Former Government of Canada Chief of Transportation Technology recognized for leadership and innovation in alternative fuel vehicles

Ottawa - Canada's Bernard James was one of four recipients of the NGV World Champion Award at the biennial International Association of Natural Gas Vehicles Conference held recently in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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Ratified

Women's Shelter Workers Ratify New Agreement, Ending Lock-out

KITCHENER - The 49 locked-out workers at Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region (formerly Anselma House in Kitchener and Haven House in Cambridge) have voted unanimously in favour of a new three-year collective agreement.

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Climate Change Plan

GLOBAL BUSINESS LEADERS DELIVER PRACTICAL CLIMATE CHANGE PLAN TO G8 LEADERS

Call for both long-term and practical medium-term targets, “such as the aspiration to at least halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050”

New public-private agenda for a combined top-down/bottom-up approach to reducing global emissions

Tokyo, Japan - Detailed climate change recommendations to the Group of Eight leaders, backed by an influential group of CEOs from many of the world’s largest companies, were delivered today to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan, who will host the G8’s annual summit next month in Hokkaido, Japan.

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Media Health Care

Breakdown: Canada's mental health crisis

TORONTO - No one is safe from mental illness; it strikes without regard for age, gender, or social status. And even though one in four Canadians suffer from a mental illness, it remains a stigma, shrouded in misconceptions.

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Global Economy

China Weathering Global Slump Better Than Expected, World Bank Says As It Raises GDP Forecast

“China's economy is weathering the global slowdown better than expected, the World Bank said Thursday as it raised its growth forecast for the Asian giant to 9.8 percent from 9.4 percent.

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City Suit

Former Kawartha Lakes works director Wayne Hancock vindicated on corruption charges; proceeds with suit against the City of Kawartha Lakes

TORONTO - Wayne Hancock, the former Director of Public Works for the City of Kawartha Lakes, has been discharged on criminal charges of corruption following a lengthy preliminary inquiry in which 45 witnesses were called to testify. Justice Karen Johnston, who presided at the hearing, concluded that there was a complete absence of evidence against Hancock on the charges before her.

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Book Review and sum

Generation Y — We’re Here, We’re Peers ... Get Used to It

Longing for Mentoring Opportunities, Gen Y Engages Senior Management Directly

“I’ll never forget what one CEO said about the risk of investing in a focused training initiative for his company. Someone asked him, ‘What if you train everyone and they all leave?’ He responded, ‘What if we don’t train them and they all stay?”
—Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

NEW YORK — “Millenials,” “Echo Boomers,” “Gen Yers”—The demographic bred to take on the world, and raised with the tools to do it, this group is already making waves with their new rules. They are strong, talented, organized, and don’t like the word, “No.” They also know that they don’t have to work for you.

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Commuter Challenge

Waterloo Region ranks first among communities in Ontario

During the 9th annual Waterloo Region Commuter Challenge held June 1 -7, 2008, commuters in Waterloo Region found their own solution to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, rising gas prices and getting more active by taking transit, biking, walking and carpooling to work instead of driving alone.

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Long Term Health Care

CAW Encouraged by Sharkey Report, But Minimum Standards Still an Issue

TORONTO - The CAW welcomed the long-awaited Shirlee Sharkey report and its call for additional support to improve the quality of care in long-term care homes, but the union is very disappointed the report fails to call for the reinstatement of minimum staffing standards.

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Strategy Development

The Seven Sins of Strategy
By Rich Horwath

There comes a time in both our professional and personal lives when we must make a stand. Through all the swirling complexity, change and challenges we face, we must at some point assert ourselves and set our bar of standards.

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Tourism Contest

'Spin to Win' your stay this summer with Choice Hotels

TORONTO - Canadians who choose to travel at home this summer from June 20 to July 29 will have the opportunity to 'Win their Stay' or thousands of other great prizes at more than 270 Choice hotels nationwide.

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Climate Change

100 CEOS OFFER CLIMATE RECOMMENDATIONS TO G8 LEADERS: MOST COMPREHENSIVE GUIDANCE YET ON POST-KYOTO ARCHITECTURE

Professor Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman and Founder of the World Economic Forum, today delivers CEO recommendations on climate to Prime Minister Fukuda of Japan ahead of G8 summit

100 international CEOs now endorse climate statement urging action

Endorsing companies represent at least 10% of global equities market

Tokyo, Japan, 20 June 2008 - Professor Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman and Founder of the World Economic Forum, presented a detailed statement to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan on how best to manage climate change after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012

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Healthy Drinking

3 Simple Steps to Avoid Drowning in Liquid Calories
By Dr. Leslie Van Romer and Dr. Narinder Duggal

For all the counting, measuring, weighing, fussing and fretting most Americans do to watch calories, we often allow liquid calories to sneak in. Almost one-quarter of the calories Americans consume come from beverages. Shockingly, sodas and other sweet drinks are the single largest calorie contributors to the American diet and to America's ballooning waistline.

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On the Job

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Survey: CFOs Cite Heavy Workloads as Greatest Workplace Concern

MONTREAL - Today's accounting and finance professionals are used to having a lot on their plates, but a new survey shows that growing to-do lists could be taking their toll.

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Seeking Comments

OSFI Rule Changes Reflect Observations Made During ABCP Disruption

OTTAWA - The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is seeking comments on a draft advisory on the capital treatment of securitization exposures for Canadian Federally Regulated Entities (FREs).

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Appointment

Avison Young Names Mark E. Rose Chief Executive Officer

TORONTO - Commercial real estate leader Avison Young announced the appointment of Mark E. Rose to the newly created position of Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Rose most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Grubb & Ellis Company and previously, as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Americas with Jones Lang LaSalle.

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Home Care Workers

Strike may be only option for Fergus Home Care workers

Strike votes to be conducted across province after negotiations meet impasse

TORONTO - Contract bargaining between members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1 Canada and the Red Cross have broken down after weeks of negotiation.

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Video

Picturing excess

TED - Artist Chris Jordan shows us an arresting view of what Western culture looks like. His supersized images picture some almost unimaginable statistics -- like the astonishing number of paper cups we use every single day.

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Ratings

Open Text's Records Management Solutions Rated "Strong Positive" in Leading Analyst Firm Report

Highest Possible Rating Among Vendors in Comprehensive Report

CHICAGO - Open Text(TM) Corporation, a global leader in enterprise content management (ECM), announced that it has received the highest rating possible, a "Strong Positive," in analyst firm Gartner's 2008 "MarketScope for Records Management," report published on May 20, 2008 and authored by Kenneth Chin.

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Wholesale trade

Wholesale sales rose for the second consecutive month in April

Statscan The rise came largely as a result of increased demand in the personal and household goods and the machinery and electronic equipment sectors.

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Fundraising

Canada Post to Issue Fundraiser Stamp for Mental Health, Launches the Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health

OTTAWA - Moya Greene, President of Canada Post, announced the formation of the Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health. The Foundation, which will be administered by an independent board of experts in the area of mental health, will receive funds raised by Canada Post and its employees, as well as by others, and direct the money to where it will do the most good for those directly affected by mental illness.

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A View by Others

CJPME greatly disheartened by Canada's Amnesty International Citation

MONTREAL - On May 28, 2008 Canadian media reported that Canada had been singled out among Western nations for recent lapses in issues concerning fair trail, freedom of expression, fighting torture and social inequality. As one of its core policy pillars, CJPME affirms the importance of international law and human rights.

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Womans Conference

You’ve heard the buzz!

Waterloo Region - Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, will be giving the keynote address on September 18, 2008 at the Inspiring Women TM professional development event presented by the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre and TD Canada Trust.

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R&D and P&R

Cancer Stem Cell Consortium and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for International Collaboration to Advance

SAN DIEGO – Stem Cell researchers were invited to attend a conference by the Honorable Tony Clement, Canadian Minister of Health, Dr. Alan Trounson, President of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Robert N. Klein, Chairman of the Governing Board of CIRM and Dr. Martin Godbout, CEO of Genome Canada and Chairman of the Board of the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium, to announce an international collaboration on cancer stem cell research

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Media

Canadian entertainment and media remains solid and profitable

Real cash flow will come from digital and mobile

Toronto — All segments of the Canadian entertainment and media marketplace will remain vibrant with steady revenues over the next five years, according to the latest PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Global Entertainment Media Outlook: 2008 – 2012.

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National Search

Laurier conducts a national search for paintings by artist Woldemar Neufeld to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth

WATERLOO – Wilfrid Laurier University will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of artist Woldemar Neufeld in 2009, and is conducting a national search for his paintings.

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Environment

Ocean temperatures and sea level increases 50 percent higher than previously estimated

Biopact - New research suggests that ocean temperature and associated sea level increases between 1961 and 2003 were 50 percent larger than estimated in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. The results are reported in the June 19 edition of the journal Nature.

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Award Recognition

Oakville Town Clerk honoured with Prestige Award

MISSISSAUGA - Cathie Best, Clerk for the Town of Oakville, was the recipient of the 2008 Prestige Award presented June 10th, by AMCTO (the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario) at its 70th Annual Meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

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Health Care

Nurses say Ontario's pesticide ban doesn't go far enough to protect the public's health

TORONTO - Ontario's nurses are dismayed that the province's ban on pesticides, passed in the Legislature, doesn't go far enough to protect public health.

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Appointment

Shad Valley International announces new Chairperson, welcomes former Group President, Health Care of MDS Inc., John Morrison

WATERLOO - Shad Valley, an enrichment program targeted at youth grades 10, 11, and 12 with a focus on science, technology, engineering and entrepreneurship, announced that John Morrison has been named as Chair of the Board of Directors. Mr. Morrison replaces outgoing Chair, Edmée Métivier, who served for a successful term.

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Consumer Price Index

Consumer prices rose 2.2% in May compared with May 2007, up from the 1.7% increase reported in April

Statscan - A main contributor to the rise were the increases drivers faced in gasoline prices. The 0.5 percentage point acceleration in the all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI) was the sharpest since September 2007.

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Manufacturing & Free Trade

Canadian Manufacturers Say Impact of NAFTA is Positive

Yet companies struggle to compete globally as high cost of production remains industry's Achilles heel

TORONTO - The majority of Canadian manufacturers responding to a new Deloitte survey paint a positive picture of their experiences with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Yet they struggle to remain competitive globally as the lack of competitiveness of production activity in Canada remains the industry's Achilles heel.

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Health Care

World Better Equipped To Fight Flu Pandemic – UN

“World readiness for an influenza pandemic has improved after an ‘extraordinary global response’ to the bird flu threat of recent years, the top UN official dealing with the disease said on Tuesday.

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Environment

AirSprint Goes Green

TORONTO - Judson Macor, CEO of AirSprint Inc., Canada's leader in fractional aircraft sales, announced today that the company has developed a program to offset estimated generation of carbon dioxide for all of its corporate activities in partnership with TerraPass, a provider of offset programs to the private aviation industry.

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Collaboration

Advanced Social Networking Platform Heralds New Era for Government & Industry Collaboration

OTTAWA - This June a new type of communications platform for government and industry relations was launched at the annual Lac Carling event at Niagara-on-the-Lake, which continues to be a landmark event in bringing together three levels of government to advance dialogue on citizen-centric service delivery.

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Finding Out Stuff

The Beacon Group launches enhanced 360 degree feedback tool

TORONTO - The use of sophisticated, customized 360 feedback survey tools is playing an ever-increasing role within organizations as they strive to attract higher quality talent.

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Letter to the Editor

On Bill C-61

I know two things about bill C-61. I will never again purchase any movies or dvd's, music or anything to do with the entertainment industry in this country again.

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Virtual Infrastructure

Canada's Bernard James wins Natural Gas Vehicle World Champion Award in Brazil

Former Government of Canada Chief of Transportation Technology recognized for leadership and innovation in alternative fuel vehicles

Ottawa - Canada's Bernard James was one of four recipients of the NGV World Champion Award at the biennial International Association of Natural Gas Vehicles Conference held recently in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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Communications

Infosat Communications launches Advanced Guaranteed Satellite Services

CALGARY - Infosat Communications Inc., Canada's leading satellite service provider and integrator, today announced the launch of its Advanced Guaranteed Services (AGS). AGS is a guaranteed bandwidth service that provides clients the ability to control and monitor their own networks.

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Momentum Measure

Annual monitoring report highlights ongoing momentum in downtown Kitchener

KITCHENER - The 2007 Downtown Trends and Indicators report, released at Monday's meeting of the city's finance and corporate services committee, shows that continued momentum in development in the core is spurring residents to live, work, learn and play in downtown Kitchener.

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Scholarships

Miller Thomson Foundation Awards Scholarships Totalling $200,000 to Graduating High School Students Across Canada

Since 1995 $2.15 million has been awarded to 2,150 students

TORONTO - The Miller Thomson Foundation's National Scholarship Program is awarding $1,000 academic scholarships to 200 Canadian students, bringing its total contribution to $2.15 million in scholarship awards to 2,150 graduating high-school students since 1995.

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Not Fair Market Value

Virtek Responds To StockerYale's Intention to Make an Unsolicited Offer

WATERLOO - The Board of Directors of Virtek Vision International Inc. affirmed that it continues to believe that the recently announced proposals by StockerYale, Inc. to acquire Virtek do not represent fair value to Virtek's shareholders, considering the inherent value of Virtek's assets.

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Economy

Canadian economy will struggle alongside the U.S. in 2008/09

- Canadian real GDP to post 1.0% gain in 2008, underperforming U.S. growth of 1.4%.
- Multitude of shocks hitting the U.S. economy leaves forecasters divided on the 2009 outlook.
- TD Economics is more aligned with pessimistic camp on U.S. outlook, expecting meager 1.2% growth in 2009.
- Canadian forecasters are in greater agreement with 2009 predictions. Most project reasonably solid domestic performances, so differences in forecasts are generally contained to that portion of the economy directly exposed to the United States - credit tightening and export demand.
- Canadian economy should post modest 1.8% recovery in 2009, giving Canada the upper hand relative to the U.S. economic performance.

TORONTO - A report published today by TD Economics states the Canadian economy is already showing signs of distress from the U.S. economic downturn, and will continue to feel its affect throughout 2008 and 2009. Specifically, Canada has direct exposure to the U.S. housing fiasco via the spillover of tightened credit conditions, and faces collateral damage to the export sector from a stagnating U.S. economy. Fortunately, this is occurring in an otherwise healthy domestic demand environment.

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Health Care Dementia

HIGHER LIGHTING LEVELS MAY BE A DEFENSE AGAINST DEMENTIA, NEW STUDY FINDS

Silver Spring, MD: Do higher lighting levels have the ability to counteract dementia? Yes, seems to be the answer, according to the results of a five-year Dutch study reported in the June 11, 2008 issue JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Quarterly Reports

ATS reports fourth quarter fiscal 2008 results

CAMBRIDGE - ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. reported its financial results for the three and 12 months ended March 31, 2008 - and announced that it has completed a number of further steps to strengthen the organization and restore profitability.

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Human Resources

IT Talent Gap Persists

Finding Skilled Technology Professionals Equally or More Challenging Compared to 12 Months Ago, Survey Shows

TORONTO - Even in the current economy, "It's hard to find good help" is an adage to which many information technology (IT) managers can relate. In a new survey, 69 per cent of Canadian chief information officers (CIOs) polled said it is equally or more challenging to find skilled candidates for IT jobs than it was last year.

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Governace and Compliance

Boardsuite launches free governance and compliance solution for Canadian business

New tool promises to change the way Canadian SME and Not-for-Profit boards operate

TORONTO – BoardSuite announced the availability of the first free governance and compliance solution created specifically to enable good governance and regulatory compliance for corporate boards of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) and Not for Profit (NFP) organizations.

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Mining

Revenues soaring but with costs eating into margins, is this as good as it gets for many miners?

Toronto — While the revenues of the top 40 mining companies grew by 32% in 2007, costs increased by 38% with the result of reduced margins, says a report release by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), ‘Mine – As good as it gets?’.

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Immigration

PERSPECTIVES DIALOGUE ... the interactive monthly series

“The promotion of social citizenship and increased newcomer civic engagement as an antidote to our flawed democracy”

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Report: IT and Finance

IT Takes Two to Tango

Deloitte reports benefits of alignment between IT and business: reduced costs, improved operations and clear performance metrics

TORONTO - A Deloitte report released reveals that IT departments in Canada's financial services industry need a stronger, more strategic voice at the decision-making table to be considered true partners to the business.

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Travel Cost

Despite Higher Travel Costs, Summer Getaways are Still in the Plans for a Majority of Families

Survey Finds Even with Rising Gas Prices, Majority of Summer Vacation Trips will be 500+ Miles

MINNEAPOLIS - A recent survey(*) conducted by Zoomerang(TM) reveals that, despite higher travel costs this summer, a majority of families are planning on or still considering taking their annual family trip. Forty-one percent of those surveyed say they plan on taking a vacation with their family this summer and another 28 percent are undecided, but still considering it.

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Retail Expansion

Apple’s First Retail Store in Australia Opens in Sydney on Thursday, 19 June

SYDNEY, Australia Apple’s first retail store in Australia will open on George Street in Sydney on Thursday, 19 June at 5:00 p.m. Located in the heart of the city’s shopping district, the Apple Store® Sydney features two floors dedicated to Macs and iPods and a third floor entirely dedicated to service, including the world’s largest Genius Bar for free advice and personal training through Apple’s popular One to One membership.

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Air Canada

Flight attendants pay the price for Air Canada turbulence

TORONTO - Flight attendants represented by the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) are reeling over today's announcement of massive layoffs by their employer.

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Tourism Survey

Will long weekends replace vacations? Findings of a CROP-ORHRI survey

MONTREAL - According to a CROP survey conducted for the Ordre des CRHA et CRIA du Québec (ORHRI) in May, close to half of Quebec workers (42%) believe the practice of taking long weekends instead of entire weeks of vacation is becoming more widespread in organizations.

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Study - World Food Prices

Several factors influence world food prices

Netherlands - A complex of factors underlies the current, high food prices. The effects of speculation around food crops should not be overestimated nor should the influence of biofuels on world food prices.

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Technology

DALSA Chooses Sohonet Solutions As Workflow Partner

Los Angeles, CA - DALSA announced it is formalizing its already close relationship with Sohonet Solutions, the new production services division of Sohonet™. Sohonet Solutions will function as the preferred partner to manage the data workflow generated by the new generation of DALSA cameras.

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Education

Canadian math team to train at Laurier for international Olympiad

WATERLOO — Six of the brightest math minds from high schools across Canada will be at Laurier June 27 to July 9 to attend the Canadian Mathematical Society summer training camp for the 49th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

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Health Care

Healthy Aging? Not Just the Stuff of Dreams

While Canadians struggle to go green, one thing’s certain: as a society we’re going grey. In fact, we’re on the cusp of a historical first in Canada – in two decades almost a quarter of us will be “old”.

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Global Trade

HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, SWEDEN LEAD FIRST GLOBAL ENABLING TRADE REPORT

The Enabling Trade Index captures the free flow of goods over borders and to destination

Norway, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand complete the top 10 list

Geneva, Switzerland - East Asian economies - Hong Kong and Singapore - occupy the top two positions in the Enabling Trade Index ranking, followed by Sweden and Norway, according to The Global Enabling Trade Report 2008, released today by the World Economic Forum. Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand complete the top 10 list.

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Tourism

"Airport Competitiveness a Key Link in the Tourism Value Chain"

Cost competitiveness, air access and border facilitation are three key areas, CAC tells House of Commons Committee

OTTAWA - "Canada's airports are a key part of Canada's tourism value chain - a part that must be competitive in order for Canada to be competitive in the tourism business," Canadian Airports Council President and CEO Jim Facette told members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology.

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Transportation - Pilots

Air Canada capacity reduction impact on pilots unclear

No firm decisions from Air Canada on route reductions, fleet make-up, which influence pilot requirements

TORONTO - The association representing Air Canada's pilots says it is unclear how the recent announcement of capacity reductions and layoffs will affect pilots at the airline.

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Copyrights

Copyright bill strikes discordant note with Canadian musicians, consumer groups
By: Nestor E. Arellano

Canadian artists have added their voices to the protests against Bill C-61, the controversial proposed amendment to the Copyright Act that some say mirrors a harsh "locks and lawsuits" American-style approach to copyright.

Canadian artists as well as other consumers will be singing the blues, while big businesses reap mega profits if Bill C-61 – the proposed amendment to the Copyright Act – is passed into law, say local musicians and consumer rights advocates.

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Food Prices

Canadians adjusting to food, gas prices, poll finds

Majority say they are paying more for food, plan to change shopping and eating habits

WINNIPEG - Buffeted by continuing increases in gas and energy prices, Canadians are also preparing to change their eating habits and how they shop for food, according to an Investors Group poll.

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Language Skills

Language Skills Propel Canadians Up Corporate Ladder

Multilingual Canadians enjoy more career options, accelerated promotion and salary increases

TORONTO - Searching for a way to climb further and faster up the corporate ladder? Try learning another language. Bilingual and multilingual Canadians enjoy a greater range of career options, build stronger relationships with colleagues and clients, and benefit from accelerated promotions and salary increases compared to their unilingual counterparts, according to a recent poll commissioned by Berlitz Canada and conducted by Harris/Decima.

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Air Canada Lays Off 2000

CAW Aims to Soften Blow on Workers After Devastating Layoff Announcement

TORONTO - Devastated by Air Canada's announcement yesterday that it will cut 2000 jobs from its Canadian operations by the end of 2008, CAW officials are committed to mitigate the impact on these job cuts on members. 400 CAW members will be impacted by these job cuts across the country.

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Book Launch

New book to be launched at CIGI explores emerging citizen participation in global decision-making

Waterloo – On Thursday, June 19, the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) will launch Critical Mass: The Emergence of Global Civil Society, a new book released by CIGI and Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

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Education

UW honours 25-year employees

Waterloo - Thirty-four people who came to work at UW in 1983 will be honoured tonight for their 25 years of service. Among them: the university photographer, a faculty member who’s about to become an acting dean, the director of finance, the head of central stores, and people whose day-to-day work keeps the university going in departments from the library to civil engineering.

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Philanthropy at Work

KidsAbility Alumnus Celebrated with Carol Shantz Bursary Award

Waterloo - Determination and perseverance were celebrated June 16, 2008 for a local young woman who has overcome great obstacles in her journey to achieve her dreams at one of our prestigious universities; the University of Waterloo.

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Boldly Go

COM DEV Announces Micro-Satellite Capability Spacecraft will offer solutions to safety, security and surveillance needs

CAMBRIDGE - COM DEV International Ltd., a leading manufacturer of space hardware subsystems, today announced that it has formally commenced a $7M internally funded program to develop an advanced micro-satellite platform and associated micro-sat mission capability.

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Buy Local

Ontario Independent Meat Processors join Homegrown Ontario(TM)

GUELPH - Homegrown Ontario(TM) is pleased to welcome Ontario Independent Meat Processors (OIMP) to the program. Homegrown Ontario is a brand that launched in June 2007 to help consumers clearly identify meat products from Ontario.

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Biotechnology

Guelph-Waterloo Region looking to attract investment and talent at global biotechnology conference

Guelph-Waterloo Region - Guelph and Waterloo Region business, academic and industry partners are collaborating as they head south to attend the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) convention in San Diego this week. BIO is North America’s largest biotechnology conference and exhibition with more than 25,000 global attendees from 2,100 leading companies.

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Water Quality

EPA Proposes Commercial and Recreational Vessel Discharge Permits

Recreational Vessels less than 79 feet in length permit would be covered by default

Washington, DC – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing two general permits under the Clean Water Act that will cover discharges incidental to normal operation of commercial and recreational vessels.

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Education - Waterloo Region

Waterloo Catholic District School Board Trustees Close Two Keep One.

Waterloo Catholic District School Board Trustees tonight voted to close St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School and Notre Dame Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener and to build a new 400 pupil place school on Pebblecreek Drive in Kitchener’s Grand River South area.

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Financing Strategy

ATS Automation signs new credit agreement to improve financial flexibility.

CAMBRIDGE - ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. announced it has signed a new primary credit agreement with The Bank of Nova Scotia.
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Environment

Powerful ideas

Ontario - What do universities, hospitals and civic centres all have in common? The Clean Air Alliance says they are all excellent candidates for small scale combined heat and power (CHP) plants.

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Festival

UPTOWN COUNTRY IN URBAN UPTOWN

Waterloo - FREE! Rain or Shine! UpTown Country – live performances by five great country music artists, featuring Jamie Warren. Jamie is kicking off his new cd from our stage! Saturday, June 21, 2008.

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Mountain Bike Racing

Chicopee Amped Mountain Bike Race Series – Event #2 Results

Kittchener - Thursday June 12th was the second of the nine event Amped XC Mountain Bike Race Series at Chicopee. Chicopee mountain bike members and the general biking public are invited to take part in this XC race series running throughout the summer.

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Environment

Canadian Government to be challenged in court for failing to uphold federal climate change law

Lawyers will argue in court that Kyoto commitment broken

TORONTO - Canada will be the first country ever to be brought to court for its failure to comply with domestic law and meet its international commitments to combat global warming.

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Energy

Darlington nuclear announcement is major milestone

Safety and performance record make OPG excellent choice to lead new build

TORONTO - The selection of Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to operate two new units on the Darlington site is good news for Durham Region, for the nuclear industry, for the company and for Ontario, President and CEO Jim Hankinson said following June 16, 2008 announcement by the Ontario government.

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Building Equity

RBC completes acquisition of RBTT Deal creates new Caribbean banking leader

PORT OF SPAIN/TORONTO - Royal Bank of Canada announced it has completed its acquisition of the RBTT Financial Group (RBTT) for a purchase price of approximately TT$13.7 billion (US$2.2 billion).

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Impact - High Cost of Fuel

Air Canada reduces fall and winter capacity in response to record price of fuel

MONTREAL - In response to record high fuel prices, Air Canada announced a reduction in capacity which will impact fleet and staffing levels effective with the implementation of its fall and winter schedule.

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Ontario Beaches

WASAGA BEACH AWARDED HIGHEST INTERNATIONAL STATUS BIGGEST AMONG THE BEST STILL FLYING THE BLUE FLAG

FLAG-RAISING CEREMONY TODAY TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2008, 10:00 a.m.

Wasaga Beach - The world's longest freshwater beach will, once again, assure the safety of upwards of 1.5 million visitors this summer with North America?s most stringent standards of recreational water quality, environmental management and services, having been awarded international Blue Flag certification for the 2nd consecutive year.

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Corporate Catch

DALSA Welcomes New Board Member

Waterloo - DALSA Corporation announced that Dr. Adel Sedra has joined its Board of Directors effective immediately.

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Entre-Vacation

Attention entrepreneurs: this summer, give your Blackberry a vacation!

"While it's understandable that entrepreneurs naturally feel responsible for their businesses, families and in some cases for their employees, it often has a toll on their physical and mental health,"

Toronto – As the longest day of the year approaches, Desjardins Financial Security's National Health Survey results show that more entrepreneurs should turn off their blackberries and make relaxation a priority this summer for the sake of their physical and mental health.

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Morning Column

Success Rolls Uphill: 4 Steps to Manage Your Boss
By Joe Takash

Conventional business communication has been always been defined from the top down. There are limitless books, seminars and online resources on top down management you can access any time.

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Lifestyle

Canadian delegation will attend Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) conference in Colorado

Colorado - A contingent of Canadians, each involved in the LOHAS sector, is attending the 12th LOHAS conference in Denver/Boulder Colorado (June 18-21st, 2008).

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Global Recognition

Sun Life Financial Senior Vice-President Gary Comerford receives 2008 President's Award from Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce

Award honours contribution to fostering trade between India and Canada.

TORONTO - Sun Life Financial Inc. announced June 16, 2008 that Gary Comerford, Senior Vice-President, International, was honoured with the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC)'s 2008 President's Award for his role in strengthening the trade relationship between Canada and India.

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Energy - Smart Grid

Hydro One Leverages Smart Grid for Multiple Customer and Business Applications

Company assembled a team comprised of Trilliant, Motorola, Capgemini, and General Electric to develop its smart meter vision

TORONTO - Hydro One announced that, together with Hydro One Brampton, it was poised to meet the half million mark in installing smart meters for its customers across the province.

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Reporting Tools

Interfacing's EPC Leverages IBM Cognos Business Intelligence to Bridge Processes to Performance

New partnership integrates Interfacing's Process Management framework with Cognos' Performance Management and Business Intelligence Solution

MONTREAL and BOSTON - Interfacing Technologies Corporation has announced a partnership agreement with Cognos, an IBM company and world leader in business intelligence and performance management solutions, that will integrate IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) and Performance Management with Interfacing's Enterprise Process Center(R) (EPC) business process management (BPM) suite as the new EPC Performance Module .

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Education

Quality Canadian Educational Programming at Risk

Educational broadcasters speak out on proposed CTF funding changes

TORONTO - A Key recommendation contained in the June 5, 2008 CRTC report on the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) will jeopardize high quality, independently-produced Canadian educational programs, The Association for Tele-Education in Canada (ATEC) announced June 16, 2008 following a meeting at The Banff World Television Festival.

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Health Care

Physician's role in drug selection continues to decline

Ongoing shift in influence towards drug plan managers, new prescribers and consumers

MONTREAL - IMS Health Canada recently released its annual PharmaFocus report, a comprehensive independent review of the Canadian pharmaceutical marketplace that covers a broad range of topics, from politics and health care, to government reform initiatives to regulatory, business and pharmaceutical marketing issues.

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Media

Spotlight on major risks for media and entertainment industry

TORONTO - Rapid consolidation, expanding markets, emerging business models and growing consumer demand are taking centre stage and creating real turmoil in the media and entertainment (M&E) industry, Ernst & Young says.

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Microelectric Circuits

Waterloo engineering dean's textbook reaches one million copies in print

WATERLOO - Adel Sedra, University of Waterloo's dean of engineering and co-author of the world's best-selling engineering textbook, will be presented with the one-millionth copy of his book, Microelectronic Circuits, at a special ceremony during engineering convocation on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

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Business and Food

BUSINESS LEADERS HIGHLIGHT ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS IN FOOD PRICE HIKES

Government actions behind two-thirds of food price increase
High oil price not sustainable if US goes into recession
Governments target lower income in short-term relief

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Business leaders at the World Economic Forum on East Asia highlighted the role of government in food price increases, warning of mounting unrest and protectionism if urgent actions are not taken.

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Oshawa Blockade

CAW Will Honour Injunction As It Looks To Next Phase In Oshawa Truck Plant Campaign

TORONTO - The CAW will honour today's decision by Justice David Salmers to grant an injunction to lift the current blockade and limit picketing near General Motors' Canadian headquarters.

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Stock Granting Practices

COM DEV's Special Committee Completes its Review of the Company's Stock Option Granting Practices

CAMBRIDGE - COM DEV International Ltd., announced that the Special Committee established to review the Company's historical stock option granting practices has delivered its report to the Board of Directors of the Company. The two independent directors who comprised the Special Committee were advised by independent legal counsel and assisted by independent accounting experts.

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Generation Y

Get to Know Generation Y
By: Dr. Maurice A. Ramirez

The international marketing firm Youngster recently reported that for the first time in history, the market group known as Generation Y, those ages 10 to 25, is evenly divided across each of its five age based subgroups.

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Media

New Ecotourism Magazine Launched in Canada

Hawkstone, Ontario - The first edition of Ecotourism Magazine Canada is a detailed report on some of Canada’s best practices in today’s expanding ecotourism market place.

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Not-for-Profit

Government of Canada Takes Action to Further Reduce Paperwork Burden With Canada Not-For-Profit Corporations Act

OTTAWA - The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), today introduced the Canada Not-For-Profit Corporations Act, which would significantly modernize Canada's not-for-profit legislation for the first time since 1917.

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Record Number of Students

Laurier prepares for record number of first-year students

WATERLOO — Wilfrid Laurier University is preparing for a record number of first-year students in September as 3,850 students — 4.7 per cent more than last year — have accepted offers of admission.

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Rockefeller Thinks Green

Experts reach "Sustainable Biofuels Consensus", allows for global trade in green fuels

In March of this year, a group of scientists, technology leaders and energy policy experts convened in the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center to discuss the potential for a global trade in sustainable biofuels that benefits the rural poor.

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Work Life Balance

Majority of Canadians print personal documents at work

Study reveals true price of personal printing in the office

MISSISSAUGA - A majority of Canadians have a penchant for personal printing in the office, says a recent Angus Reid Strategies survey commissioned by Samsung Electronics Canada.

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Education

Adult learning and the world of work

Statscan - Close to half of adult Canadians participated in adult education and training courses and programs in 2002. The vast majority were motivated to do so for job-related reasons.

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Climate Change - Water

SURVEY PUTS CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER SHORTAGE AS TOP CONCERN AT CLOSE OF WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ON EAST ASIA

Addressing global concern on climate change and water to have greatest impact on Asia

Food, fuel and finance dominate closing session

Next year’s Forum to take place in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on 23-24 April 2009

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Climate change and water shortage have emerged as the top issue with the greatest impact on Asia, according to a survey of business leaders by the World Economic Forum.

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Education

University of Waterloo's seven-point agenda

Waterloo - Seven bullet points sum up the things we’ll be hearing a lot about in the year ahead, provost Amit Chakma told UW’s board of governors earlier this month.

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City of Kitchener

City looking to build new parking garage to meet growing demands in the downtown

KITCHENER - A new six-storey above-ground parking garage will be built at the northwest corner of Benton and Charles streets to support growing demands in the downtown, including the new provincial courthouse that will be built in Kitchener in 2010.

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Education

The Canadian Education Statistics Council releases updated indicators in education

TORONTO - The Canadian Education Statistics Council, a partnership between the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) and Statistics Canada, released today 63 updated tables from the report Education Indicators in Canada: A Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program (PCEIP).

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Economic Development

2008 Edition of the Attractiveness Indicators, a publication promoting the Montréal region's economy

Greater Montréal, one of the most attractive knowledge based regions

Nearly half of the region's private investments come from foreign companies

MONTREAL - Montréal International released today the 3rd edition of its publication, Attractiveness Indicators, which presents Greater Montréal's advantages. Among the main location factors considered by foreign investors, this research confirms the Montréal metropolitan area's power of attraction compared to its leading North American rivals.

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New motor vehicle sales

Sales of new motor vehicles declined for the third consecutive month in April 2008, mainly as a result of lower sales in the western provinces.

Statscan - According to seasonally adjusted data from the New Motor Vehicle Sales Survey, consumers purchased 143,300 new vehicles in April, down 2.6% from March. Sales have levelled off in recent months after an upswing that began in October 2007.

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Biotechnology

Apticraft Systems, the leading bioinformatics software development company, successfully completes the PrimerPlex project

Indore, India - Apticraft Systems, a rapidly growing bioinformatics company, today announced the successful completion of the PrimerPlex project awarded to it by PREMIER Biosoft International, USA. Apticraft told the press that the project has been completed in a record one year time.

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Global Economics

RISING PROTECTIONISM AND INFLATION ARE KEY THREATS TO ASIA

Threat of protectionism is on the rise and will hurt Asia and rest of the world
Asia faces the risks of inflation, inequality and infrastructure deficit
Targeted cash support needed to help poor deal with inflation

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The prevailing global economic slowdown is fuelling the rise of protectionism in Western economies, noted Lord Levene, Chairman, Lloyd’s, United Kingdom.

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Construction

The envision Group Awarded Over $9 Million in New Contracts

OTTAWA - The envision Group is pleased to announce that it has recently been awarded over $9 million in new contracts. The new contracts are in addition to our current standing offer agreements and multi-year contracts.

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New Stock Exchange

CNQ Stock Exchange and Shareholder.com Reach Agreement On Services to Listed Companies

TORONTO - Canada's New Stock Exchange announced today that it has reached an agreement with Shareholder.com, a company owned by The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (NASDAQ OMX), to provide CNQ listed companies with preferential access to Shareholder.com's extensive suite of services.

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New Media Awards

TravelPod Named as Finalist in 8th Annual Canadian New Media Awards

Traveler IQ Challenge Recognized among Top Social Media Applications

OTTAWA - TravelPod, the Web's first site to enable its members to create online travelogues (travel blogs), has been recognized as one of Canada's new media leaders.

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New Courthouse

KITCHENER HOME TO NEW WATERLOO REGION COURTHOUSE

Consolidated courthouse will modernize court facilities and improve justice services

The Ontario government has identified a preferred site in downtown Kitchener to be the home of the new Waterloo Region Courthouse. The courthouse will consolidate services into a single, central location at 59 Weber Street and will provide modern efficient and accessible justice services for residents of the region.

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Award Recognition

Guelph University Website Wins Gold

Guelph - U of G has the best university website in Canada, according to the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE), the national association for advancement professionals. At an awards ceremony this week in Kelowna, B.C., U of G captured gold in the best website category.

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Biofuels

U.S. House subcommittee discusses biofuels

The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship held a hearing on second generation biofuels June 11. The focus of the hearing was to explore the role of small businesses in expanding biofuel production and discuss the production of biofuels from second generation feedstocks.

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Philanthropy- Entertainment

Recording Artist 'Sir Ivan' Led the Salute to Israel Parade Alongside Mayor Michael Bloomberg & Governor David Patterson to Celebrate Israel's 60th Anniversary

NEW YORK - "Sir Ivan" Wilzig aka Mr. Mitzvah, the first Jewish superhero on TV, wowed the crowds as the Honorary Grand Marshal for the Salute to Israel Parade in New York.


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Entrepreneurship

Canadian young entrepreneurs create award-winning high protein, low fat, mineral fortified frozen yogurt

BURLINGTON - Entrepreneurs Chris Delaney and Amanda House have beat the odds and created the perfect frozen snack. Packed with superior nutrition, and boasting an award-winning ice cream taste, YoPRO, the original low fat, high protein super premium frozen yogurt is setting a new standard for frozen treats.

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Farming

Farm business cash flows

Statscan - Cash income for Canadian farm businesses increased 14.5% in 2007. The impact of rising grain and oilseed prices more than offset large increases in operating costs and lower receipts for hog and cattle producers.

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Plastics

Coats of cellulose from bacteria yield greener, stronger natural composites

Biopact - Researchers from Germany and the United Kingdom report the first use of bacteria to deposit sticky coatings of nanosized cellulose particles on the surfaces of plant fibers, a process that may expand the use of natural fibers in renewable plastic composites used as strong, lightweight materials for cars, airplanes, and other products.

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Health Care

New Law Bans Smoking in Motor Vehicles Ontario Government Protects Children's Health

TORONTO - A new law that protects children under 16 years old from second-hand tobacco smoke in motor vehicles was passed in the Ontario legislature June 16, 2008.

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Education

National study reveals large variations in teacher training

KELOWNA, BC - A groundbreaking report released this week offers the first composite snapshot of Canada's teacher education programs which graduate over 18,000 prospective teachers every year.