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Moving on

MEDA's loss a gain for TourMagination

Head of resource development moving to private sector

Waterloo, ON – Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) has spawned another entrepreneur, this time from the ranks of its own management team. MEDA, which prides itself on creating business solutions to poverty, has accepted the resignation effective April 30 of Ed Epp, vice president of resource development, "with great reluctance," said president Allan Sauder.

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Climate Change

Study finds profit in cutting emissions
By Fiona Harvey in New York

New York - Financial Times Reported that half the cuts in greenhouse gas emissions needed to make the world safe can be achieved at a net profit to the global economy, a study has found.

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Energy - Fuel Efficient Awards

Most Fuel-efficient Vehicles Honoured with ecoENERGY for Vehicles Awards

TORONTO – The Government of Canada recognized the manufacturers of the most fuel-efficient cars and light trucks for 2008 through the ecoENERGY for Vehicles Awards. The awards were presented today at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto by Mike Wallace, MP for Burlington, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources.

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Social Networking

RIM: BlackBerry's future lies in social networking

Research In Motion Co-chief executive Jim Balsillie says an enterprise social-networking revolution is on the way.
By Natasha Lomas

BARCELONA, Spain--The secret of the BlackBerry's success is security, according to Research In Motion's co-chief executive, Jim Balsillie, but social networking is its future.

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Climate Change

First datasets for U.S. "National Biomass and Carbon Dataset" now available; useful tool for bioenergy sector

Falmouth, MAScientists at the Woods Hole Research Center working to produce America's "National Biomass and Carbon Dataset" for the year 2000 (NBCD2000) are releasing data from nine project mapping zones. All NBCD2000 data products are being made available for download on a zone-by-zone basis and free of charge from the NBCD2000 project website.

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Quarterly Report

Manulife Financial Corporation reports record annual and quarterly results

TORONTO - Manulife Financial Corporation reported record shareholders' net income of $4,302 million for 2007, an increase of eight per cent over the full year 2006. Fully diluted earnings per share were $2.78, an increase of 11 per cent compared to the $2.51 reported a year ago. Return on common shareholders' equity(1) was a record 18.4 per cent for 2007, up from 16.8 per cent in 2006.

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Education Bioscience

Ontario Invests in New Research Complex at Brock

Ontario Government Supports Students and Research

ST. CATHARINES, ON - Ontario is investing in a new research complex at Brock University. The new Health and Biosciences Research Complex will create a place for leading researchers in health, biosciences and chemistry to explore ideas that will advance human health. Ontario will invest $33.5 million in the project.

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Clay Hampet - Black Gold

Survey: OPEC Pumps 32.25 mb/d Crude Oil in January, up 220,000 b/d

LONDON - The 13 members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) pumped an average 32.25 million (m) barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil in January, or a 220,000 b/d increase from December's rate of 32.03 million b/d, a Platts (http://www.platts.com/) survey of OPEC and oil industry officials showed February

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Climate Change

Global Business Leaders to Tackle Climate Change and Enact Industry-Wide Changes

TOKYO, JAPAN - A business group including leading companies such as Sony, Nokia and Nike has come together to present the Tokyo Declaration, a joint call to tackle the urgent issue of climate change.

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Expansion in Kitchener

Arbour Health Group opening a location in Kitchener

Arbour Health Group, a Guelph-based company that offers safe, efficient, and economical workplace solutions for injured employees, is opening a location at 585 Queen Street South in Kitchener.

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Innovation and Achievment

Harvard Business School Sets Out Centennial Activities

School Honors Past, Turns Focus to Future of Leadership in Business and Beyond

BOSTON, MA - Harvard Business School (HBS) will mark its Centennial in 2008 with a yearlong celebration of innovation and achievement and a series of special events designed to frame management education and research in the decades to come.

OTTAWA - The Canadian Chemical Producers' Association (CCPA) reacted to news that Petromont will be ceasing operations at its Quebec facilities, impacting over 300 workers.

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Educational Philanthropy

BLM Transportation Donation Advances Skills Education Future economic progress and prosperity depend on skills education * developing excellent programs of instruction appropriate to employers* needs and goals.

Guelph - Polytechnic institutions such as Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning seek corporate partners and supporters to guide this process, and Conestoga has found a partner in BLM Transportation Group of Kitchener.

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Post Paid Cellular Market

ENABIL Solutions Helps Virgin Mobile Canada Launch a Mobile Revolution

ENABIL's Simple and Flexible Software will Put Customers in The Driver's Seat

CALGARY - ENABIL Solutions today announced that they were the successful vendor in the competitive process for Virgin Mobile Canada's Managed Customer Care and Billing Services; a selection that was made in March, 2007.

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Policy Change Needed

It's Time to Stand up for Victims, Not Criminals

OPP Association Urges Canadians to Sign Petition

BARRIE - It's time the rights of victims and their families outweighed those of criminals. That's the message from the President of the Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA), Karl Walsh, who is asking all concerned Canadians to sign an online petition at www.oppa.ca.

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Where's The Beef

Government of Canada teams up with cities to help Canadians travel cleaner and greener

OTTAWA - The Government of Canada will invest $4 million over three years in ecoMOBILITY initiatives. This funding is part of a $10-million program that was announced last year to help Canadians protect their health and environment by giving them more sustainable transportation choices.

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Ratified Agreement

Teamsters Canada: Membership at CP Ratifies Contract

OTTAWA - Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, representing all running trades employees at CP Rail, announced today that their members have ratified a new five year contract by a margin of 59%.

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Retail Sales Forecast - Quebec

Retail trade: 2007 Results and 2008 Outlook

MONTREAL - The Conseil québécois du commerce de détail (CQCD)/Retail Council of Quebec released earlier today the results of its annual report on the status of the retail industry and consumer spending in Quebec and Canada for the year 2007 and perspectives for retail sales for 2008. This study was conducted with the cooperation of Géocom Recherche.

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Commitment to Biotech

Farmers continue to show commitment and support for plant biotechnology in Canada and around the world

CropLife Canada releases two new independent studies on the commercial success of biotech soybeans and corn in Canada

TORONTO - Today's farmers are reaping the benefits as the global acreage of biotech crops continue to rise exponentially. According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), global biotech crop acres have reached 282.4 million acres in 23 countries in 2007, an increase of 12 percent from 2006.

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Tourism Road Trips

Canada’s Heritage Day Signals Start to Week Long Heritage Events in Ontario.

North of Toronto - The week staring Monday February 18 is the time to celebrate and remember our past, our rich history and many cultures. Monday February 18 is a time to enjoy Ontario’s first family day along with Canada’s Heritage Day.

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Ontario Energy

Hydro One Releases 2007 Year-End Financial Results

TORONTO - Hydro One Inc. released its 2007 year-end results with net income for the year of $399 million and revenues of $4,655 million.

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Human Resources

Web 2.0 trend to revolutionize corporate training in the coming decade

TORONTO - Rip, mix and burn your training. Do some of these words sound familiar? It's how most people today are sharing and listening to their music. You create your music, rip or copy it, mix the songs to create new tunes and then burn it to a CD.

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2008 New Models

Volkswagen introduces two new models at the 2008 Canadian International Auto Show

AJAX - Volkswagen Canada is pleased to announce the Canadian debut of two new production vehicles at the 2008 Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.

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Morning Column

Motivation Through Mission
By Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden

On September 12, 1962 in one of the best speeches ever made, President John F. Kennedy committed the nation to a path of manned space exploration that would take us to the moon. It launched a hope, a dream, a view of the future as bold and bright as the moon he committed not just an agency, but an entire nation to reach.

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Energy - Do It Yourself

Norbord opens biomass power plant at Scottish fibreboard factory - bioenergy meets almost 70 percent of company's total energy needs

Scotland - UK Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks has opened a multi-million pound biomass unit at the European headquarters of wood-products manufacturer Norbord, near Stirling in Scotland. The company will use the green energy to power its Cowie factory, drastically cutting the level of emissions from the power unit. Renewable biomass now meets more than 65 per cent of the multinational company's total energy needs and has cut emissions nearly by half over the past five years.

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Ongoing Recognition

EllisDon Corporation Maintains Status as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies

MISSISSAUGA - EllisDon Corporation today announced that it has re-qualified to maintain its status as a Best Managed company, according to Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies program for 2007. This marks the 5th year that EllisDon has made the prestigious list which is sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC Commercial Banking, National Post and Queen's School of Business.

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2008 New Models

Audi R8 Sweeps Canadian Car of the Year Awards

- Audi R8 declared "Canadian Car of the Year" by Automobile Journalists
- AJAC's "Best New Design" award presented to the Audi R8
- Audi R8 also named winner of AJAC's "Most Coveted Vehicle" award

Toronto - Audi Canada captured the triple crown of Canadian automotive awards with the all new R8 mid-engined sports car. At the opening press conference of the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, the spectacular Audi R8 was presented the 2008 "Canadian Car of the Year" award by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).

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Morning Column

Attain Your Goals by Creating Your Life's Opus
By Douglas Vermeeren

Most people want to live a fulfilling and rewarding life. That's why there's no shortage of self-help materials on how to set goals and design an ideal life. However, even with the plethora of information available on how to create the life of your dreams, many people still feel dissatisfied and unable to reach key goals they've outlined for themselves. What are these people missing?


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Offshore Legal Services

Legalwise Brings Offshore Legal Outsourcing Services to the Canadian Market

New Outsourcing Service Embraces Offshoring Trend to Alleviate Costs and Reduce Resource Requirements for Labour-Intensive Legal Tasks

TORONTO - Following on the heels of a rapidly growing trend in the U.S. and U.K., Legalwise Outsourcing Inc. introduced offshore legal outsourcing services to the Canadian market. By providing offshore legal services through an outsourced model to law firms and in-house lawyers across Canada, Legalwise is lowering the cost of labour-intensive legal tasks.

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2008 Quarterly Results

ATS reports third quarter results and performance improvement initiatives

Healthcare revenue increased 22%
Computer-electronics revenue declined by 10%
Automotive revenue declined 13%
Energy market increased by 71%,
Other"markets increased 62%.

CAMBRIDGE - ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. today reported its financial results for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2007 - as well as a number of initiatives to restore profitability, reduce costs and improve operational effectiveness in fiscal 2009.

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Climate Change - World Action

UN chief, NY mayor urge world action on climate change

UNITED NATIONS — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined UN chief Ban Ki-moon here Monday in galvanizing world action to roll back climate change, an issue he described as "just as important" as nuclear proliferation and terrorism.

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Salary Still Tops

Survey Finds Salary Remains Top Draw for Job Candidates but Benefits Gaining in Popularity

TORONTO - A recent survey suggests that successfully wooing job candidates takes more than salary alone. While 31 per cent of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said offering higher compensation than competitors is the most effective incentive for attracting accounting professionals.

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Environment - Assorted Information

Dear Editor,

Here are the current news and links on Terra Preta (TP) soils and closed-loop pyrolysis of Biomass, this integrated virtuous cycle could sequester 100s of Billions of tons of carbon to the soils.

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Communitech CIO Conference

CIO Conference returns to Southwestern Ontario

WATERLOO REGION - Chief Information Officers and technology leaders will gather in Waterloo Region on February 27 for CIO/08, Southwestern Ontario’s only executive conference on technology solutions for business.

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Broadened Use

The FeedRoom Inc. Deepens Integration with Open Text's Artesia Digital Asset Management Solution

Tighter Integration with Artesia DAM will Enhance FeedRoom Video Offerings as Customer Base Grows and Needs Evolve

CHICAGO - Open Text(TM) announced that The FeedRoom Inc., a leading provider of Web video and digital media solutions and services, has broadened its use of Open Text's Artesia Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution as part of its ongoing mission to meet the evolving multimedia needs of its growing client base.

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Morning Column

The Real Reasons Employees Leave, and How to Keep the Best
by Jim Welch

Why do people leave teams and organizations?

The # 1 reason people leave jobs is because they fail to connect with their bosses as leaders and as people. People are rarely honest about why they leave a company. Too many associates that depart follow Jimmy Conway’s advice (played by Robert DeNiro) in the 1990 hit movie “Goodfellas,” who told Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta), “Never rat on your friends and keep your mouth shut.”

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Philanthropy - Food

Presbyterian churches in Kitchener-Waterloo solicit supermarkets for Potato Blitz

Kitchener - House of Friendship is pleased to announce that five K-W Presbyterian churches will again be soliciting at nine supermarkets in Kitchener-Waterloo on Saturday, February 16, 2008 from 9 am – 3 pm. This event is part of House of Friendship’s annual February Potato Blitz.


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Morning Column

Unlock the Power and Potential of Your Team: 5 Secrets to Empower Your People and Become a Better Leader
By Lee Froschheiser

As the boss or manager of your company, do you frequently feel like things are spinning out of control? If the answer is yes, you're not alone. All too often, employers find themselves struggling to keep pace with the day in, day out responsibilities of the job.

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Recognition from Peers

Alden E Gibson R.H.I. of Breslau, Ontario, Receives Special Service Award From American Society of Home Inspectors

BRESLAU, Ontario – Alden E. Gibson R.H.I., a seasoned home inspector and founder of Inspections by Gibson in Breslau, Ontario, has been awarded the 2007 Special Service Award from the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI).
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Aging Infrastructure

Study: The age of public infrastructure, a provincial perspective - 2007

Statscan - The average age of public infrastructure has been falling almost steadily in most provinces for the past seven years. This rejuvenating trend was fuelled mainly by large investments in highways and roads in Quebec and Ontario, according to a new study.

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Carbon Capture

Carbon Capture Strategy Could Lead to Emission-Free Cars

ATLANTA — Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a strategy to capture, store and eventually recycle carbon from vehicles to prevent the pollutant from finding its way from a car tailpipe into the atmosphere. Georgia Tech researchers envision a zero emission car, and a transportation system completely free of fossil fuels.

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Threat of Another Closure

Martinrea threatens closure of Kitchener Frame, putting 800 out of work

KITCHENER - Kitchener Frame, owned by Martinrea International, announced it may be closing its doors in April 2009, putting 800 workers out of a job. Another 400 are currently on lay-off from the plant, which produces automotive frames.

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Education - UW Board of Governors

UW Fee increases, other board actions

Waterloo - UW’s board of governors gave its approval last week to tuition fee increases that will be effective in September 2008. Fees for current students, who will be in the upper years of undergraduate programs next fall, will rise by 4 per cent, while fees for first-year students will be increased by 4.5 per cent in “regulated” programs, including arts and science, and 8 per cent in “deregulated” programs, including engineering.

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Strike Deadline Approaches

Grand River Transit Bus Negotiations Continue

Waterloo Region – Discussions are continuing between the Region of Waterloo and Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Union Local 4304 (Grand River Transit/MobilityPLUS, operators, dispatchers, fleet mechanics and service attendants).

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New Technology

Open Text Launches Case Management Framework for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007

New Extensions to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Shorten Development for Creating High-End Case Management Solutions

Partners See Major Opportunity to Help Enterprises Tap SharePoint for Such Needs as Claims Processing and New Drug Applications

SAN JOSE, CA Waterloo, On - Open Text(TM), a global leader in enterprise content management (ECM), said yesterday that it is rolling out a new development framework with functional extensions to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 that can save developers significant time and money in the creation of scalable, high-end case management solutions.

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Interative Cooking Show

Laurier partners with Conestoga College to produce alumni cooking 'show'

WATERLOO – The partnership between Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College to produce digital media is really starting to cook.

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New NXT Vendor Partner

Macadamian Joins the Microsoft NXT Initiative as Delivery Partner

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA - Macadamian, the software creation and usability partner trusted by many of the world's most successful software, VoIP, and health science companies, announced they have joined the Microsoft NXT initiative for independent software vendors (ISVs) as a NXT delivery partner.

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Philanthropy

OREA Donation makes grant to Anselma House and K-W Out of the Cold

Kitchener/Waterloo - Each October, the OREA REALTORS Care® Foundation considers grant applications from registered charitable organizations with a "shelter-related" component.

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Financial - Loans

Person-to-person loans finally come to Canada with the first online lending marketplace: IOU Central

MONTREAL - IOU Central, the first person-to-person online lending marketplace in Canada, officially launched its website today, February 12, 2008. IOU Central is an Internet-based market that enables people to borrow and lend money directly from and to other people in a safe, convenient, and highly reliable environment.

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Forecasting the Weather

WMO: La Niña conditions strengthen, expected to continue

Equatorial Pacific (Biopact) - The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), drawing on data from a large number of scientific organisations and the international climate forecasting community, has released an El Niño/La Niña update, showing that the current La Niña event is stengthening.

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Biofuel - Manure Pipeline

BioEnergy Solutions at the World Ag Expo

TULARE, Calif. - BioEnergy Solutions announced that California's first biogas pipeline project using cow manure to create natural gas will begin final testing this week, with production of commercial grade renewable natural gas expected to begin in March.

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Canadian Healthcare - Survey

10TH edition of Health Care in Canada Survey - Canadians believe that wait times and shortage of doctors are the most important health issues

OTTAWA - The 10th annual edition of the Health Care in Canada Survey, the most comprehensive survey of Canadian public and health care providers' opinions on health care issues, was released yesterday.

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Transportation - Stats

For-hire motor carriers of freight, all carriers - Second quarter 2007

Statscan - There were an estimated 3,482 for-hire trucking companies based in Canada with annual revenues of $1 million or more in the second quarter of 2007, down from 3,570 carriers in the second quarter of 2006.

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Media - Close Open

Transcontinental announces closing of The Daily News in Halifax and the launch of a new daily Metro

MONTREAL - Transcontinental Media today announced that effective immediately it will no longer publish The Daily News of Halifax. Transcontinental also announced the launch of a free daily newspaper, Metro, for Halifax residents in partnership with Metro International S.A. and Torstar Corporation.


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Skilled Trades

Local Elementary School Students Introduced To Careers In The Skilled Trades

Kitchener –  On Thursday, February 14^th and Tuesday, February 26^th, Grade 8 students from 25 area schools will participate in a Trades and Technology Day at Conestoga College.  This joint initiative is organized by Conestoga College, the Waterloo Region District School Board, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, the Wellington Catholic District School Board, and the Upper Grand District School Board.

Ontario Poll Results and Expert Analysis from Queen's School of Business suggest naming day "Family Day" not the most appropriate name

"all we are doing is letting them stay away for 24 hours, and then returning them to the same toxic circumstances"

KINGSTON - New survey results reveal that although six in ten (61 per cent) Ontarians will have February 18th (Family Day) off as a new statutory holiday, 13 per cent of those with a holiday plan to work at least one hour that day.

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Innovation in Hearing

Unitron Revolutionizes Hearing Aid Technology with the Launch of Yuu

First truly interactive, automatic hearing solution gives users unprecedented control

KITCHENER - Unitron Hearing, a global leader in the development of innovative hearing solutions, has introduced Yuu(TM), the first truly interactive, automatic hearing aid that gives wearers unprecedented control of their hearing device.

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Union Impasse

A Joint Communication Re: Faculty Negotiations

Guelph - University of Guelph campus bulletin update on negotiations between the University of Guelph Faculty Association (UGFA) and the University.

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2008 Tax Tips - Guide

Tax guide hits hottest tax topics

TORONTO - Ernst & Young smoothes out crunch-time bumps for Canadian tax professionals with an updated version of their annual tome on personal tax returns: Ernst & Young's Guide to Preparing 2007 Personal Tax Returns.

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Brain Forensics

Brain Imaging Technology Not Ready for Forensic Use, Says Prof

Guelph - Technology that can monitor brain activity is moving into the world of forensic investigation faster than it should, according to new research by a University of Guelph psychology professor.

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Yahoo - Options

Yahoo seeks to restart merger talks with AOL

LONDON - Yahoo is seeking to restart merger talks with AOL as a means of defending itself against an unsolicited bid approach from Microsoft, the Times newspaper said on Monday, reproted Reuters.

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Green Car

CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH IN WATERLOO CREATING WORLD’S NEXT GENERATION “GREEN CAR”

Ontario Government Investing In Green Vehicle Technology

WATERLOO – Developing more environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient and cost-effective vehicles is the goal of a new University of Waterloo research project. The project is one of four cutting-edge research projects at the University of Waterloo to receive funding from the Ontario government.

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Job in Shipbuilding

Shipbuilding Team Seeks Canadian Contractors for Navy Project

OTTAWA - On November 24, 2006 Public Works and Government Services announced that the team led by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Canada (TKMS Canada) Inc. was selected to receive a contract for the Project Definition Phase of the Joint Support Ship project.

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China's Media

East Asia Experts Discuss China's Media Dynamics at Feb. 12 Think Tank

Latest Session in the Society of Professional Journalists Journalism Education Series Sponsored by Marketwire Focuses on Societal, Economic and Political Changes Affecting the Far East Media Landscape

SAN FRANCISCO, CA- The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) continues its innovative Journalism Education Series with a think tank dedicated to helping public relations professionals and journalists understand the cataclysmic forces behind news dissemination in the Far East so they can more effectively navigate its complex media environment.

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Writers Union Endorses Deal

Writers' union backs deal to end Hollywood strike
By Steve Gorman and Kemp Powers

LOS ANGELES - Union leaders for striking Hollywood writers voted on Sunday to formally endorse a deal with studios to end their bruising three-month-old labor clash, calling an immediate halt to picketing and paving the way for writers to return to work by mid-week.

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US 2008 Economic Outlook

U.S. growth to recover in H2 2008

AMMAN - U.S. growth, hurt by a sharp housing market downturn, subprime worries and pending elections should pick up in the second half of 2008 driven by a stimulus package and the resilience of the economy, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said on Monday.

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Biofuel - Energy Blending

US Directs More Renewable Fuel Headed for Tank

United States - EPA is raising the 2008 renewable fuels standard (RFS), which determines how much non-petroleum fuel will power your vehicle, to 7.76 percent. The move is in response to the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), which President Bush signed in December.

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Carbon Capture

Interdisciplinary "Centre for Innovation in Carbon Capture and Storage" launched

Nottingham, UK - An interdisciplinary research centre dedicated to reducing the planet’s carbon emissions from fossil fuels has been established at The University of Nottingham.

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Sinitic Dominance

CIBC introduces Chinese language to all of its ABMs across Canada

Chinese language services now offered by CIBC over the phone, internet, at ABMs, and in many branches across the country

TORONTO - Chinese speaking clients can now access any of CIBC's 3,800 automated bank machines all across Canada in their own language. This is in addition to the Chinese language services.