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Business, Economics, Education, Entrepreneurs,
Environment, Science and Technology
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Week 8 /
February 18, 2008 - February 22, 2008 |
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Friday, February 22, 2008
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Celebrating Excellence
Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce Announces 2008 Business Excellence Award Recipients
Kitchener – On Thursday, February 21, 2008, over 800 people honoured the exceptional contributions of 50 individuals and organizations who were nominated for Business Excellence Awards at the Chamber’s annual gala.
Nine recipients were announced. 2008 Business Excellence Award Winners
New Member of the Year Award: Brent Ferguson and Leo V. Tobi, Brentwood Livery
Volunteer of the Year Award: Moni Lagonia, RBC Royal Bank
Innovation Award: Navtech
Workplace Training Award: Steed and Evans Limited
Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Derek Satnik, Mindscape Innovations
Business Leader of the Year Award (<20 employees): Canadian Blood Services
Business Leader of the Year Award (>20 employees): Melloul-Blamey Construction Inc.
Michael R. Follett Community Leader of the Year Award: Helen Jowett
Environment Award: Reid’s Heritage Homes Ltd.
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2008 Gates Farewell Tour
Bill Gates addresses UW and local high school students in his Farewell Tour.
University of Waterloo - Bill Gates is back. The founder and current chairman of Microsoft, yesterday made his second visit to the University of Waterloo — one of only five university campuses on his current tour and the only one in Canada.
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Retail trade December 2007
New Car Dealers Drive Retail increase
Retail sales rose by 0.6% in December to an estimated $35.1 billion on the strength of sales by new car dealers. This was the third increase in retail sales in four months and helped make 2007 the year with the second highest retail growth rate since 2002.
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Morning Column
Six Business Trends Every Salesperson Must Know
By Daniel Burrus
Every industry and profession goes through changes, and the sales profession is no different. Just because a certain sales technique or mindset worked in the past doesn't mean it'll work today. To be a top performing salesperson, today and in the future, you need to continually adapt to both market and social conditions.
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Old Remains Old
Economic “Stimulus” Policies Trapped in the Past
Deregulation and Fiscal Restraint Best Path to Prosperity
Washington, D.C. —The economic stimulus package recently passed by Congress and signed by President Bush will do little to improve economic performance in the United States, and ignores the policies that would have helped most, according to a new study published by the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
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Union Issue Agreement
Steelworkers' Negotiations at CEZinc in Valleyfield - Two Major Gains: Pensions and Sub-contracting
MONTREAL - The 462 Steelworkers working for CEZinc in Valleyfield have accepted a new four-year collective agreement, of which the key provisions are a major improvement in the company's pension plan and the clause dealing with sub-contracting.
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Political Clarification
Bloomberg Inaccurate in Clinton-Giustra Story
VANCOUVER - In response to inquiries, Frank Giustra, President and CEO of Fiore Financial, said that a recent Bloomberg Newswire story (February 19, 2008), inaccurately depicts his relationship with the William J. Clinton Foundation and the nature of his philanthropic efforts on behalf of the Foundation.
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Appointment
Rick Perkins Appointed to the Board of Directors of the Business Development Bank of Canada
OTTAWA - The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), today announced the appointment of Mr. Rick Perkins to the Board of Directors of the BDC.
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Enivonment - California
Three percent overall reductions in California releases, persistent bioaccumulative toxic chemical releases also down
SAN FRANCISCO - - Industries operating in California reduced toxic releases by 2.8 percent in 2006 compared to 2005, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is the third year in a row for overall reductions in toxic releases.
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Philanthropy - Grants to Play Facilities
Hydro One grant part of $450,000 in donations to Ontario play facilities
TORONTO - Hydro One is contributing more than $450,000 in grants as part of the company's new PowerPlay program that benefits children's outdoor and active play facilities.
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Morning Column
Calling All Business Leaders …
Are you an Advantage-Maker?
By Steven Feinberg, PhD
Imagine that you are a commander of a fortress under a daily siege for six
months without any means to communicate with the outside world. Your
supplies are down to two bags of grain and one cow. With such scant
supplies, starvation seems inevitable. What would you do?
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Tourism Appointment
Three New Members Appointed to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Tourism Commission
OTTAWA - The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), announced the appointment of Mr. Scott Allison, Ms. Leah George-Wilson and Mr. Konstantinos (Kosta) Tomazos as members of the Board of Directors of the CTC.
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2008 Tourism Top Ten
Top Ten Reasons To Stay In Ontario when travelling by car for a March Break Vacation.
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Sustainable Energy
Cornell engineering conference in March to focus on sustainable energy
The 25th annual Cornell Engineering Alumni Association (CEAA) Conference will focus on alternative energy research and economics. "Sustainable Energy Systems: Investing in Our Future" will be held March 28-29 and is open to the public.
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Human Resource - Recruiting Trends
Video recruiting will be the new battleground in the war for talent
TORONTO - As the "war for talent" intensifies in Canada, employers are increasingly turning to video recruiting to build their employment brand. "This trend is about giving prospective employees a chance to see what kind of work environment they are applying to" said Michael Sitayeb, Director of Product Development and Marketing at The Beacon Group.
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2008 Cannington Dog Sled Race
Who Let The Dogs Out?
Teams, fans pour into Cannington as the 4th Annual Dog Sled Race & Winter Carnival kicks into high gear
CANNINGTON - Get ready to mush, race fans: The 4th Annual Cannington Dog Sled Race & Winter Carnival is finally here! Race teams from across North America have already started arriving for the three-day event taking place just minutes north of the GTA - an "all bark, no frostbite" experience the whole family will enjoy.
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2007 Public Sector Employment
Report indicates Record Growth for Local Public Service Employees
Statscan - Public sector employment reached nearly 3.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, a gain of 2.5%, or 81,000, from the same quarter in 2006. It has been steadily increasing since 2000 after years of decline throughout the 1990s.
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Quarterly Report
Consolidated Rogers Revenue Grows 13% to $2.7 Billion, Adjusted Operating Profit Increases 25% to $957 Million, and Net Income Increases 44% to $254 Million;
Wireless Postpaid ARPU Grows 6% and Postpaid Churn Falls to 1.17%, While Cable Maintains Strong Net Additions of Revenue Generating Units
TORONTO - Rogers Communications Inc. announced its consolidated financial and operating results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2007.
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Lecture Series For Teachers
New lecture series for teachers designed to instill excitement about science and technology
WATERLOO REGION - Teachers from across Waterloo Region will gather at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI) on Monday, February 25 to hear from two of Canada ' s leading science and technology champions. David Yach, Chief Technology Officer for Research In Motion, and Dr. Damian Pope, Senior Manager of Scientific Outreach at Perimeter, will speak on separate topics to a gathering of 100 local teachers in the Mike Lazaridis Theatre of Ideas.
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2008 Leading indicators
Competition Bureau and Toronto Strategic Partnership Investigation Leads to Arrests in Secret Shopper Scam
OTTAWA - The Competition Bureau announced that following a search conducted February 20, 2008 with its law enforcement partners in the Toronto Strategic Partnership, two operators of an alleged "Secret Shopper" scam have been arrested.
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Enivironment - Arizona
EPA releases 2006 Arizona Toxics Release Inventory data
SAN FRANCISCO - - According to the latest data released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, industries operating in Arizona report an overall increase of 52 percent of toxic releases in 2006 compared to 2005. This increase was due primarily to on-site land disposal in the metal mining industry.
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Enivronment - Nevada
Thirty-three percent overall reduction in Nevada, persistent bioaccumulative toxic chemical releases also down
SAN FRANCISCO - - Industries operating in Nevada showed an overall decrease in toxic releases of 33 percent in 2006 compared to 2005, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This reduction is due to a decrease in reported on-site land releases.
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Job Loss - Lack of Action
Weyerhaeuser eliminates 300 jobs in Saskatchewan: Steelworkers slam province for lack of action
PRINCE ALBERT, SK - Wednesday's announced permanent closure of two forest products manufacturing plants in northeast Saskatchewan have hit forest-dependent communities hard, say the United Steelworkers (USW).
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New Listing Criteria
NASDAQ Proposes Listing Standards for Acquisition Vehicles
Move Will Enhance Protection and Transparency in This Active Market Segment
NEW YORK - The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. will propose to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a rule change to list acquisition vehicles and subject them both to NASDAQ's initial listing requirements as well as additional criteria developed specifically for this type of entity. No other market has yet adopted such criteria.
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Energy - Solar Power
Abengoa Solar plans world's largest solar power plant
Abengoa Solar will build what it calls the largest solar power plant in the world, the company reported Thursday.
Denver - Abengoa Solar is a subsidiary of Abengoa S.A., a $4 billion multinational company based in Spain. Chesterfield, Mo.-based Abengoa Bioenergy is also a subsidiary of Abengoa S.A.
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Thursday February 22, 2008
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Business Momentum Continues
RIM boosts subscriber outlook, confirms EPS
TORONTO - Research In Motion boosted its fourth-quarter subscriber outlook and reconfirmed its revenue and earnings outlook on Thursday, fueled by momentum from its BlackBerry smart phones.
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Increasing mind, market and wallet share
NCR Appoints New General Manager To Lead Canadian Retail Organization
Former executive from Getronics, Hewlett-Packard and Xerox to also focus on growing NCR’s self-service market share in new industries beyond retail and financial
MISSISSAUGA, ON - NCR Corporation announced the appointment of Michael Taylor as the new general manager for NCR Canada’s Retail organization.
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Complaint Resolutions
Tax Tip: CRA-Service Complaints
Did you know...
OTTAWA - That the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has introduced a new complaint resolution process called CRA - Service Complaints?
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Predicting the Weather
UW weather station celebrates 10th anniversary with annual spring prediction contest
WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo weather station will celebrate its 10th anniversary next week and hold its annual contest to predict the arrival of spring-like weather.
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Expanding Music Facility
Laurier receives $3 million to improve music facilities
WATERLOO — The Ontario government is providing $3 million to help renovate and improve Laurier’s Faculty of Music facilities in the university’s John Aird Centre.
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Stem Cell Therapy
OVC Testing Stem Cell Treatment on Injured Horses
Guelph - Researchers at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) are offering stem cell therapy to repair injured tendons and ligaments in horses with the aim of researching the possibility of similar treatment in humans.
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Supporting Skills Training
BLM Transportation Donation Advances Skills Education
Kitchener - Future economic progress and prosperity depend on skills education - developing excellent programs of instruction appropriate to employers' needs and goals.
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Fiduciary Duty Ruling
Supreme Court Rulings Good for Investors
Washington, D.C. —The Supreme Court this session has made two important decisions that will greatly benefit investors. The ruling in LaRue v. DeWoolf and the ruling earlier this year in Stoneridge v. Scientific-Atlanta, for different reasons, are decisions that should be characterized as pro-investor.
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LAWPRO Appointment
Kathleen Waters appointed LAWPRO President & CEO
TORONTO - Kathleen A. Waters will become President and
Chief Executive Officers of the Lawyers' Professional Indemnity Company
(LAWPRO) and a member of its Board effective March 31, 2008, the LAWPRO Board
of Directors announced.
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Sensational Piano Virtuoso
Solo Recital by Pianist Yundi Li
Toronto, ON. February 20, 2008 —Wunderkind piano virtuoso Yundi Li is a household name in China and one of the hottest new superstars worldwide. Dubbed “The Poet of the Keyboard,” he is described by Musical America as “one of the greatest talents to surface in years – nay decades.” He returns to Roy Thomson Hall
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Helping Marketers Understand Customers
Leader in Consumer Intelligence Adds Predictions of Automotive Purchase
TORONTO - Generation5, the North American Leader in Consumer Intelligence announced the availability of its Consumer Intelligence for 2008. For the first time, the company will offer predictions of automotive purchase behavior and consumer psychographics for every Postal Code in Canada.
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New Screening Requirement
Fin-Scan Offers Hosted PEFP Screening Service for Canadian Financial Institutions Affordable solution to comply with Bill C-25's new screening requirements
PITTSBURGH - Fin-Scan, a leading provider of sanctions list and PEP compliance screening solutions for the financial services industry, today that its Hosted PEFP Screening Service is available for Canadian institutions seeking to comply with the provisions of Bill C-25, Canada's updated Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Anti-Terrorist Financing (ATF) regulation.
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Automating Commercial Loans
Covarity signs Multi-Year Agreement with HSBC Bank Canada to provide Commercial Loan Management Software
Kitchener-Waterloo - Covarity Inc., the leading provider of commercial loan management software solutions, announced that HSBC Bank Canada has signed a multi-year agreement with Covarity for automating the set-up and ongoing management of its margin-based commercial loans.
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Adjusting to Layoffs
Study: How families respond to layoffs - 1987 to 2001
STATSCAN - Married women in at least some Canadian families were able to adjust to their husband's layoff by increasing their own employment income during the 1990s, a new study suggests.
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Cyclical Slowdown
Current economic conditions
STATSCAN - While the economy continued to expand in October and November, there were numerous signs in the leading indicators of an impending slowdown.
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DALSA Appointment
DALSA Corporation Announces New Appointment to Board of Directors
Waterloo - DALSA Corporation announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Eric Rosenfeld of New York based Crescendo Partners L.P. as a director of the Company, effectively immediately.
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Chamber Involvement and Leadership
The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Excellence in Our Region!
Kitchener, ON – The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce celebrates its annual Business Excellence Awards Gala on Thursday, February 21, 2008 at Bingemans.
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Morning Column
Are you REALLY Listening?
By Dave Mattson
Asking your prospect all the correct questions is wasted if you don't hear what he or she says, either in words or more subtly in tones or partial hints. Being a good listener requires more than just keeping quiet while the other person is talking.
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Community Planning
Efforts By Scarborough, Maine to Improve Quality of Life for Older Adults Wins EPA Award
Boston, Mass – The Town of Scarborough, Maine is one of seven communities and government agencies from around the country selected by EPA to receive a “Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging” award.
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Reducing Energy Bills
More Than 175 Buildings in New England Receive ENERGY STAR Designation
Boston, Mass. - EPA is recognizing the top performing buildings in New England that have earned the prestigious ENERGY STAR label for superior energy performance. These award-winning buildings represent over 38 million square feet, save an estimated $52 million annually.
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Cloud Computing
Xcerion's Social 'Cloud OS' in the Sky - icloud
LINKOPING, Sweden - Xcerion AB, the innovator of the worlds leading "Cloud OS" service, announced that its official launch name is icloud.
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NSERC Appointment
Dr. James Blatz Appointed to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
OTTAWA - The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), announced the appointment of Dr. James Blatz as a member of the Council.
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Strong Profits
Strength in Wholesale and Business Markets Powers Direct Energy
TORONTO - Direct Energy, the North American subsidiary of Centrica plc, based in Toronto, delivered strong profits for the full-year 2007 despite the backdrop of the weakening housing market and early signs of an economic downturn in the US.
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Accountable to Canadians
Minister of National Revenue Announces the Appointment of Canada's First Taxpayers' Ombudsman
WINNIPEG - The Honourable Gordon O'Connor, Minister of National Revenue, announced the appointment of Mr. Paul Dube as Canada's first Taxpayers' Ombudsman.
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Women and Welding
We've Come a Long Way, Rosie!
Kitchener - For decades, women have played a role in the welding industry. During World War II, millions of women found employment in factories and various war-industry-related jobs, as riveters, welders, inspectors and metal fabricators.
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Operating Profits
Quarterly financial statistics for enterprises
2007 and fourth quarter 2007 (preliminary)
Statscan - Canadian corporations earned record high operating profits of $262.5 billion in 2007. Led by gains in the banking, retail, wholesale and petroleum refining industries, operating profits rose 7.8% for the year, compared with an increase of 8.8% in 2006 and double-digit growth in the preceding three years.
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Chronic Pain Makes Life Miserable
Study: Chronic pain in Canadian seniors
1996/1997 and 2005
STATSCAN - Chronic pain affects more than one-quarter of seniors living in households and close to 4 out of every 10 in institutions, and it can have a profound impact on their quality of life, according to a new study.
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Health Information On Line
Study: Health information and the Internet - 2005
STATSCAN - More than one-third of Canadian adults, over half of them women, used the Internet to search for health information in 2005, according to a new study.
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Top For-hire Carriers
For-hire motor carriers of freight, top carriers
Third quarter 2007
STATSCAN - The top 97 for-hire motor carriers of freight (Canadian-based trucking companies earning $25 million or more annually) generated operating revenues of $2.5 billion and operating expenses of $2.4 billion in the third quarter, both up less than 1% from the previous quarter.
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February 20, 2008
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2008 Leading indicators
5 to 10 components Rise - Household Spending Remains Strong
Statscan - The composite index rose by 0.2% in January 2008, after December was revised up to no change from November. The upturn was broadly based, with 5 of the 10 components rising, versus only 2 in December.
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Quarterly Results
Co-operators General Insurance Company reports fourth quarter 2007 profit of $60.8 million
GUELPH - Co-operators General Insurance Company ("CGIC") announced its consolidated financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2007. For the fourth quarter, CGIC reported consolidated net income of $60.8 million, compared to $18.5 million for the same quarter in 2006.
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Humour - Rational Position
Retirement Planning
If you had purchased $1000.00 of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.00.
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Travel: Canada and other countries
Canadians Stayed Home For Christmas
Statscan - Both same-day and overnight car travel to the United States fell sharply in December 2007. Contributing factors could have been winter storms and a dip in the value of the Canadian dollar.
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Retail Aquisition
Hilco Consumer Capital Corp. in partnership with Gordon Brothers Group finalize the acquisition of the Bombay Company, Inc. brand
Hilco Consumer Capital and Gordon Brothers Group acquire all intellectual
property of the Bombay Company, Inc.
TORONTO - James Salter, Chief Executive Officer, Hilco Consumer Capital Corp., today announced the completion of the acquisition of all intellectual property and the URL of the Bombay Company, Inc., excluding Canada. These assets, which include the Bombay name, will be placed in a newly-formed company
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Morning Column
Gone Fishin’?
By Dave Mattson
Many of us have fished at one time or another, or at least seen a fisherman in action. The most common scenario is a line with a baited hook in the water, the fisherman waiting for a strike. When a fish hits, the fisherman yanks the rod up, often resulting in a return to the fisherman of a hook with no bait, and no fish.
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Environment Consciousness
The greening of your copy machine
SAN FRANCISCO – The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency is launching this week the first steps toward new green standards for copiers and other imaging devices. This effort builds on the success of EPEAT - an on-line tool to help institutional buyers identify and buy greener electronic equipment.
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Well Wishes
Advancement VP accepts new post at prestigious private school
WATERLOO — Scott Hayter is leaving his position as vice-president of university advancement at Wilfrid Laurier University to become executive director of advancement at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ont.
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Software Study on Productivity
Study Shows TIBCO's SOA Approach Can Reduce Total Cost of Ownership Through Greater Productivity
TIBCO ActiveMatrix(TM) Platform-Independent Approach Delivers Up to 49 Percent Greater Productivity Compared to Oracle, IBM, and BEA
ROME - TIBCO Software Inc. announced that a study conducted by PushToTest, the open-source test automation company, identified TIBCO ActiveMatrix(TM) as the most productive platform for implementing a service-oriented architecture (SOA).
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Nuclear Power
Building and Construction Trades Department Endorses CANDU for Canada
TORONTO - The Canadian Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO (BCTD), representing more than 400,000 construction trade workers from 15 international trade unions in Canada, is endorsing CANDU nuclear technology as the best choice for Canada's next nuclear power plant.
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Net Services
Tucows Launches Personal Names Service
MAKES 'NETIDENTITY' SURNAME PORTFOLIO AVAILABLE TO ALL RESELLERS
TORONTO - Tucows Inc. announced its Personal Names Service that gives Tucows Resellers the opportunity to sell email addresses based on the Tucows-owned portfolio of surname domain names. Two-thirds of North Americans will find their name waiting for them in the Tucows Personal Names Service.
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Investment Hold Strong
Canadian real estate returns remain strong
TORONTO- IPD, the world-leader in commercial real estate performance analysis services, released the 2007 results for the ICREIM / IPD Canadian Annual Property Index. The Index saw a total return for 2007 of 16.1%, down from the 18.4% seen in 2006.
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USA Political Spending
New Companies Bring Number Adopting Political Spending Disclosure To 38
Washington, D.C. - In a major expansion of company political disclosure, Abode Systems, United Parcel Service and United Technologies have agreed to report their trade association payments used for political purposes as part of their overall disclosure and board oversight of political spending with corporate funds. Praxair has agreed to implement more disclosure of its political spending.
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NRC Appointments
Three New Members Appointed to National Research Council Canada
OTTAWA - The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the National Research Council Canada (NRC), announced the appointments of Mr. John Harker, Mr. Douglas MacArthur and Mr. David Wood to the Council.
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Media - Green Light
Competition Bureau Clears Thomson Acquisition of Reuters
OTTAWA - The Competition Bureau announced today that it will not challenge Thomson Corporation's acquisition of Reuters PLC. Commitments made by Thomson to the Bureau to divest certain assets, which are based on remedies negotiated with the U.S. and European authorities, alleviated the Bureau's competition concerns.
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Energy - Municipalities
The District Municipality of Muskoka signs contract to manage energy costs
TORONTO - In April 2008, municipalities will no longer be eligible to purchase electricity under the Ontario Energy Board's Regulated Price Plan (RPP) and will instead be expected to pay the 'full cost of power'.
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WLU Art Show
Annual Laurier Art Show highlights campus talent
WATERLOO – The Robert Langen Art Gallery will showcase the talents of on-campus artists during the annual Laurier Art Show, which runs from February 27 to March 15. The event offers artists in the Laurier community the chance to display their work in a non-juried show.
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Enviromental - Air Quality
Air Quality and Urban Health Impacts for Waterloo Region
Waterloo – “An estimated 2,000 hospitalizations in Waterloo Region between 2002 and 2006 and several hundreds of deaths can be attributed to poor air quality and exposure to certain pollutants”, says Popy Dimoulas-Graham, the lead epidemiologist who authored the report released February 19, 2008 by Region of Waterloo Public Health.
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World Philanthropy
MEDA celebrates 3 millionth malaria net
Waterloo, ON – As US President George W. Bush witnessed the progress in the battle against malaria in Tanzania during his current African trip, Waterloo-based NGO Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) – a key player in the fight – celebrated the distribution of its three millionth anti-malaria net/voucher in the country.
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Energy Pipeline
Magellan Midstream Partners and Buckeye Partners Announce Joint Assessment of Dedicated Ethanol Pipeline South of The Great Lakes
Tulsa, Okla. Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. and Buckeye Partners, L.P. announced they have begun a joint assessment to determine the feasibility of constructing a dedicated ethanol pipeline. The proposed ethanol pipeline system would safely and efficiently deliver renewable biofuel from the Midwest to distribution terminals in the northeastern United States (New York and Pennsylvania).
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Bob's Back in Town
Renison names its interim principal
Waterloo - Renison College has announced that Bob Rosehart (left), former president of Wilfrid Laurier University, will be its interim principal, starting March 1, while a search for a new principal is carried out.
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2008 Leading indicators
Global Biopact on biofuels can bring benefits to both rich and poor nations
Australia - A GLOBAL Biofuels Biopact between rich and poor countries can help alleviate poverty in the developing world while helping to solve the problems of global warming and energy security in the developed world, says a new paper in the journal Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by SCI and John Wiley & Sons.
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Signed Agreement
Two-year pact on faculty salaries
Waterloo - Negotiators for UW and the faculty association signed an agreement last Monday about the salary increases that professors will receive on May 1 this year and May 1, 2009, it was announced Friday.
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Corporate Corruption
SURVEY REVEALS LEADING COMPANIES IMPLEMENT ANTI-CORRUPTION PROGRAMMES
Geneva, Switzerland – A study reveals that 90% of the companies surveyed that are signatories to the World Economic Forum’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) have an anti-corruption programme in place, compared with 20% of these companies that did not have a programme until they signed the Initiative.
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Union Statement
Weyerhaeuser mill closure and overnight sell-off of public timber a sellout say Steelworkers
KAMLOOPS - The United Steelworkers (USW) says Weyerhaeuser's announcement of the permanent closure of a Kamloops sawmill, which includes the private sell-off of publicly-owned forest tenure, represents another example of how forest-dependent communities are being sold out by the BC government.
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Class Action Results
KPMG Implements Plan to Compensate Current and Former Employees for Unpaid Overtime
Crawford Class Action Services retained to administer plan
TORONTO- KPMG LLP (Canada) announced that it has begun to implement a plan to redress employees for unpaid overtime.
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Potato Philanthropy
POTATO BLITZ SUPERMARKET SOLICITATION PRODUCES ANOTHER GREAT RESULT!
Kitchener-Waterloo - House of Friendship is pleased to report that the supermarket solicitation held on Saturday, February 16, 2008 by K-W Presbyterian churches for our February Potato Blitz produced 21,560 pounds of potatoes and $5,902 in cash.
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Environmental Practices
Waterloo Area School Bus Drivers Adopt New Energy Efficient Driving Practices
Waterloo Region, ON – Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region Inc. -- in partnership with local school bus operators and the Ontario School Bus Association (OSBA) -- will launch the OSBA's Green Bus Initiative incorporating the SMARTDRIVER program at 8:30 a.m., Friday, February 22, 2008 in the Forbes Room at RIM Park.
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2008 Tax Tips - Receipts
Did you know...
OTTAWA - That over 13 million Canadians filed their 2006 income tax return electronically? You can use NETFILE to send your return over the Internet to the Canada Revenue Agency.
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Energy - Cost to Go Green
Quebec Business Hit With a 2% Green Tax on Natural Gas
Could it happen in other provinces?
TORONTO - Canadian businesses, including the already hard hit manufacturing sector, are yet again being slammed - this time in Quebec, by a green tax.
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Canadian Federation of Students
Federal research priorities are misguided say students
OTTAWA - The recent announcement by the federal government to spend $163 million for the commercialisation of research shows that the Conservative government's priorities are being driven by special interests in the private sector.
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Negotiations Continue
U of G community continue talks between the University and CUPE 1334.
Guelph - The union that represents 267 trades, custodial and maintenance workers on campus and the University of Guelph are currently negotiating a new collective agreement. Negotiations began in the spring and since that time, the parties have made progress on many outstanding issues.
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February 19, 2008
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Water - Elmira
Government of Canada "will consider" supporting clean water in Woolwich
Is it or isn't it?
WOOLWICH - Harold Albrecht, Member of Parliament for Kitchener-Conestoga, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, announced February 18, 2008 the Government of Canada will consider the replacement of watermains in the township of Woolwich as a priority for up to $600,000 in federal infrastructure funding.
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Land Users and Managers
New Frontiers: Policy Pioneers Conference Summary Report
Calgary - On October 29, 2007 the Canada West Foundation hosted Policy Pioneers: Exploring International Land Stewardship Options.
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Morning Column
Time Allocation – the Long and Short of it
By Dave Mattson
A fact is a fact: We can't stop, nor create, more time. An effective manager is aware that time is a finite, non-renewable resource which must be carefully managed.
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Increasing Value
Russel Metals Announces Intention to Make a Normal Course Issuer Bid
TORONTO - Russel Metals Inc. announced that its Board of Directors approved a normal course issuer bid, pursuant to which Russel Metals may purchase for cancellation up to six million of its common shares, representing approximately 10% of its public float over the next 12 months.
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2008 Economics
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ON LATIN AMERICA WILL MEET IN MEXICO IN APRIL 2008
Geneva, Switzerland – The World Economic Forum on Latin America, co-hosted by the Government of Mexico under the patronage of President Felipe Calderón, will be held in Cancún, Mexico on 15 and 16 April 2008.
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Human Resource
Survey Shows Recruitment as the Top Concern for Executives
TORONTO - Recruiting experienced professionals remains a concern for many companies, a survey shows. Forty-three per cent of chief financial officers (CFOs) polled recently said finding skilled staff will be their greatest challenge in the next 12 months, close to double from a similar poll in 2003.
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2008 Appointment
City of Guelph welcomes new Director of Community Services
GUELPH – The City of Guelph is pleased to announce that Ann Pappert has officially been hired to fill the position of Director of Community Services and will begin on March 17, 2008
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Carbon Capture
Into the Abyss: Deep-sixing Carbon
Calgary - Imagine a gigantic, inflatable, sausage-like bag capable of storing 160 million tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of 2.2 days of current global emissions. Now try to picture that container, measuring up to 100 metres in radius and several kilometres long, resting benignly on the seabed more than 3 kilometres below the ocean’s surface.
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Biofuel - Public Transit
Monterey buses to run on mustard
MONTEREY, CA -Forgive the driver if he stops his bus at a hot dog stand in Monterey, as the bus itself might be powered by mustard in the future.
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Lifestyle - Retirement
Baby boomers not planning to downsize their lifestyle in retirement
- Only one in five baby boomers has a retirement income plan, and many
not anticipating increased costs in retirement -
TORONTO - Over two-thirds of working Canadian baby boomers have no plans to downsize their lifestyles in retirement according to the 2007/2008 Canadian Retirement Survey. The majority of working Canadian baby boomers plan to maintain or even increase their standard of living in retirement.
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Consumerism Alive and Well
Report - Wal-Mart beats Estimates
NEW YORK - Reuters reported that stock index futures pointed to a higher market open on Tuesday after Wal-Mart Stores Inc reported quarterly results that topped analysts' expectations.
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January 2008 Consumer Price
Price increase of Consumer Items Slow
Statscan - Consumer prices increased 2.2% during the 12-month period leading up to January 2008, a slightly slower rate of growth than the 2.4% posted in December. It was the slowest pace since August 2007.
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Asian Investment - Expansion
JPMorgan Asia Pacific Launches US$750 Million Expansion Into Private Equity
HONG KONG - JPMorgan Asia Pacific announced a major expansion into private equity investment, as part of its regional growth strategy. The firm is committing an initial US$750 million to mid-market private equity investment opportunities in Asia Pacific.
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2008- IT360°
Digium® Executives to Deliver Keynote Addresses at Upcoming Asterisk & Open Telephony Conference
February 18, 2008 —The Asterisk & Open Telephony Conference today announced that Digium executives Kevin Fleming, director of Software Development, and Mark Spencer, founder and CTO, will present two keynote addresses at the popular event hosted by IT360° Conference & Expo 2008.
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2008 Tax Tips - What's New
CRA/Fact Sheet: What's New on Your 2007 Income Tax and Benefit Return
OTTAWA - The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) wants you to know about the following changes in the 2007 individual income tax and benefit return:
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Transportation - Innovation
Descartes Launches Global Air Freight Service for Electronic Cargo Bookings
WATERLOO - Descartes Systems Group, a global on-demand software-as-a-service (SaaS) logistics solutions provider, announced the global availability of Descartes CargoBooker, a basic air freight electronic booking service aimed at small- and medium-sized air freight forwarders.
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Engineering - UW Graduating Class
Party To End All Parties - Has Symbolism and Honour
Waterloo - Friday saw 700 more Canadian engineers added to the ranks of Engineer as the graduating students from UW's faculty of engineering took part in the "Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer" which bestowed to each student the symbolical "Iron Ring".
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Biofuel- Reduce Dependency
VSE Unit Wins FT Fuels Research & Testing Contract with USAF
ICRC Will Research, Demonstrate and Sustain the Incorporation of FT fuels into Air Force Ground Support Equipment and Vehicles – The 2-Year Contract Represents Potential ICRC Revenues of $1.38 million. The use of F-T fuels can potentially reduce US dependency on foreign sources of energy.
Alexandria, Virginia – Integrated Concepts and Research Corporation (ICRC), a wholly owned subsidiary of VSE Corporation, announced February 13, 2008, the recent award of a U.S. Air Force subcontract supporting the Advanced Power Technology Office (APTO) to research, demonstrate and sustain the incorporation of Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) fuel in diesel engines.
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Wholesale trade December 2007
Inventories Decline First Time Since June 2007
Statscan - Wholesalers reported a sharp decline in sales in December, erasing all of the gains made over the previous months. Despite the drop in December, preliminary figures indicate that wholesalers put in another solid performance in 2007.
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Energy Investment
Power Gen 2008: Investment Advantages of German Renewable Energies Industry at Las Vegas Conference
LAS VEGAS - Germany is a leading country for renewable energy investments. Companies from across the world are finding that Europe's largest economy matches their needs for workforce, infrastructure, political support, and standards of quality. The advantages of Germany as a location for investment will be presented at Power Gen 2008 in Las Vegas.
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Lifestyle - Retirement
Less than 14% of Canadians have a retirement plan - Are advisors to blame?
OTTAWA - Robert Abboud, Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and author of the book, No Regrets, A Common Sense Guide to Achieving and Affording Your Life Goals wants to get the message out. For years we have been seeing study after study reporting on how Canadians are not prepared for their retirement, "well it's time we do something about it" says Abboud.
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US Banks
Growing Reliance on Indirect Forms of US Government Support
New York - US Banks have been silently borrowing "massive amounts" from the U.S. Federal Reserve over the past few weeks. The Banks are using a new measure the Fed introduced two months ago, said a report in the Finacial Times, to help ease the credit crunch.
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February 18, 2008
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Book Launch
New book, unveiled this week, outlines how Canada can meet productivity challenge
WATERLOO - A longtime champion of innovative university research, Tom Brzustowski, will launch his new book on boosting productivity in Canada next week at the Accelerator Centre (AC), located in the University of Waterloo Research and Technology Park.
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BioTech - Documenting Life
Library of Life A Global Scientific Partnership Safeguards World's Biodiversity
Ontario Government Promoting International Collaboration
SYDNEY, Australia Guelph, Canada – On the heels of announcing $5 million in the International Barcode of Life (iBOL) project, the Ontario government is investing another $150,000 to support international collaboration on this research initiative through the International Strategic Opportunities Program (ISOP).
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2008 New Model
2008 Audi A4 "Progressiv" Models Offer Sportiness, Style and Value
TORONTO - Audi Canada today announced the introduction of the 2008 A4 "Progressiv" models. The new configuration of the popular Audi A4 has been created for customers wanting a thoroughly modern German luxury sport sedan with more exterior appeal and attractive packaging.
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Morning Column
Dare to Dream?
By Dave Mattson
I have never been able to understand why some people can only see as far ahead as the end of the current day. Instead of aiming for long-term goals, they just wallow in their everyday problems. Sure, the job of running a business, selling, and hanging on to your clients day-to-day can be a full-time job. But a crucial part of that job – any job – is to look far ahead, to anticipate change and new challenges, and be prepared for them.
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Transportation - Agreement
CP Workers Ratify New Collective Agreement
TORONTO - CAW members at CP Rail have ratified a new collective agreement by a strong 81 per cent. The agreement covers 2,500 workers in 22 locations across the country.
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Academic Achievement
Conestoga Information Technology Student Earns National Scholarship
Kitchener - Kathryn Young of Cambridge is one of only six young Canadians to receive a Cisco/ACCC Technology Scholarship for Women, co-sponsored by Cisco Systems Canada and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC).
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Quebec Security - Union Rejection
Security guards' unprecedented rejection of management offers - Shockwaves in Security Industry
MONTREAL - The United Steelworkers (FTQ) has completed a round of 28 meetings in 14 Quebec cities. Its 14,000 security guards have rejected the most recent offers made by the Association provinciale des agences de securite (APAS). "This rejection, which is unprecedented in the security industry, reflects a greater level of militancy within our membership.
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Work Force Focus - Tourism
Waterloo/Wellington - The February 2008 edition of Work Force Focus.
This issue focuses on the employment generated by Tourism and has information on local travel trends and travel services.
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Manufacturing - Price Change
Toyota Canada Inc. announces lower suggested pricing on five models
2009 Corolla, Matrix, Camry, Camry Hybrid and 2008 Sequoia provide
greater value
TORONTO - Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) announced pricing on the 2009 Corolla, Matrix, Camry and Camry Hybrid and the 2008 Sequoia* which all launched this month.
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Tourism - Home Exchange
World’s Leading Vacation Alternative Achieves Major Milestone
Long Beach, CA. – HomeExchange.com announced its 20,000th Member Listing at the 2008 Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show.
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Education - 3D Scanners
ENGINEERING.com to Sell Creaform's Handyscan 3D Laser Scanners to Education Market
TORONTO - ENGINEERING.com and Creaform announced a partnership that will give ENGINEERING.com distribution rights to Creaform's line of Handyscan 3D laser scanners for the educational market in North America.
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2008 Tax Tips
Working Income Tax Benefit
OTTAWA - That low-income individuals and families can now claim the Working Income Tax Benefit (WITB)? The annual maximum amount for a single individual with no dependants is $500 and for families (including couples with or without children, and single parents) is $1,000 (amounts may vary for residents of British Columbia, Nunavut, and Quebec).
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Health Care - Obesity
Study: Impact of neighbourhood income on child obesity 1994 to 2002
Statscan - Children living in Canada's poorest neighbourhoods gained more weight over an eight-year period than those living in more middle-income areas, according to a new study using longitudinal data.
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School Ranking
Ranking of Elementary Schools Only Serves to Confuse Parents
Scores say nothing about student achievement
TORONTO - The Fraser Institute's use of standardized test scores to rank the province's elementary schools is an exercise in simplicity that has nothing to do with the quality of education in Ontario, Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario President David Clegg said today.
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Human Resources - Attracting Talent
Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc attends U.S. digital media conference with two other Ontario Organizations to woo talent to Ontario Canada
Waterloo Region – Representatives from Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc are attending the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, February 18-22 to attract foreign investment and talent to Waterloo Region, known as Canada’s Technology Triangle. Also attending are partner organizations in Toronto and Ottawa from the Ontario Technology Corridor (OTC).
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On the Fringe
Mackey and Anderson Race to the Finish
DAWSON CITY, YUKON-- The race is on as three-time Yukon Quest Champion Lance Mackey and his rival in this year's race, Ken Anderson, enter the second half of the 2008 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.
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Repayable Investment/Loan
Minister of Industry Announces $19.6-Million Repayable Investment in London Jet Project
LONDON, Ontario - The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, announced February 16, 2008, a $19.6-million repayable investment in Diamond D-JET Corporation (Diamond) of London, Ontario for the pre-competitive research and development (R&D) of an all-composite, single-engine, five-passenger jet aircraft.
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2008 Small Business Survival
Recession Survival Guide for Businesses
By Patrick Astre (Edited)
One would think there wouldn't be a need for recession planning. We should see them coming. The constant sine wave of business cycles makes recessions as inevitable as surging booms. Of course, if you put 10 economists in one room, we'll get 11 opinions, so the exact timing of recessions is darn near impossible to predict.
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2008 Union Letter
Mergers and Acquisitions: A Fair Treatment for Employees
Open letter from Robert Bouvier, President, Teamsters Canada
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - Last year, more than 2,000 mergers and acquisitions took place in Canada totaling nearly $270 billion US. According to a KPMG report, this represents a 16% increase in the number of mergers and acquisitions compared to the previous year, and a 50% increase in the value of such transactions.
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Manufacturing - Exports
Drop in Manufacturing Output Signifies Larger Economic Problem, Says CAW President
TORONTO - CAW President Buzz Hargrove is urging immediate government action to deal with the dramatic drop in automotive manufacturing output in December. He warned the astounding 25 per cent decline in automotive manufacturing output is bad news for workers and industry.
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Environment - Water
Government of Canada Announces $50 Million Ontario Potable Water Program
OTTAWA- Guy Lauzon, MP for Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, today announced the Government of Canada is providing up to an additional $50 million to assist municipalities which faced economic challenges related to the implementation of their existing federally funded drinking water projects.
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Trades - Skilled Trades
CAW Skilled Trades Collective Bargaining Conference: February 20 to 22
TORONTO - More than 200 delegates from across Canada will gather to debate key bargaining issues facing skilled trades members at the CAW's Skilled Trades Collective Bargaining Conference February 20 to 22 in Toronto.
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Healthcare - Retirement
Only nine per cent of Canadians factor health care expenses into retirement savings
Sun Life Financial survey reveals health care costs in retirement a
concern, but few are taking steps to address it
TORONTO - A recent Sun Life Financial survey reveals that few working Canadians have factored the need to pay for certain aspects of their health care into their retirement savings. Survey results reveal that only nine per cent of working Canadians have accounted for health care expenses in their retirement savings, and 80 per cent of Canadians expect that their provincial health care program will provide them with health benefits in retirement.
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International Relations
SGI President Awarded Russian Federation Order of Friendship
TOKYO - At a ceremony at the Russian Embassy in Tokyo, Mr. Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist association, was today conferred with the Order of Friendship on behalf of the Russian Federation by Ambassador Mikhail M. Bely.
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School Ranking
Twenty-five Ontario elementary schools receive highest rankings on Fraser Institute annual report card
TORONTO, ON—Twenty-five elementary schools tied for the top spot in the Report Card on Ontario’s Elementary Schools: 2008 Edition, released February 17, 2008, by independent research organization The Fraser Institute.
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© Copyright 2008/Exchange Morning Post/Exchange Business Communications Inc.
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