Wednesday December 7, 2011

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Ted Talks

Luis von Ahn: Massive-scale online collaboration

Louis von Ahn is an associate professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, and he's at the forefront of the crowdsourcing craze. His work takes advantage of the evergrowing Web-connected population to acheive collaboration in unprecedented numbers.

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Policy Climate Change

Ottawa cannot legislate climate change policy

Provinces have jurisdiction says new paper from The School of Public Policy

CALGARY - Earlier this year the federal government introduced sector-by-sector emissions reduction regulations as its stand on climate change. However, according to Prof. Al Lucas and co-author Jenette Yearsley, the Constitution limits Ottawa's ability to enact climate change legislation limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, Canada can only enact comprehensive emission limits if the provinces are at the table and agree to the plan.

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Aboriginal Peoples

Population projections by Aboriginal identity in Canada - 2006 to 2031

Statscan - All growth scenarios considered, the Aboriginal identity population in Canada could be between 1.7 million and 2.2 million by 2031, representing between 4.0% and 5.3% of the total population.

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Martin Prosperity Insights

The Occupational Classes: Not All Jobs are Created Equal - Self-Employment Edition

Toronto - The fifth piece in the ongoing series exploring the characteristics of work in the creative and service occupational classes considers the economic outcomes of self-employed workers.

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Money Management

Canadians continue to miss easy-to-implement opportunities to reduce their personal debt faster

WATERLOO - Manulife Bank of Canada's most recent consumer debt survey found that, despite a record number of Canadian homeowners putting a high priority on becoming debt-free (77%), many Canadians continue to miss a variety of easy-to-implement opportunities to pay down their debts faster.

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Working Together

The Dominion teams up with Habitat for Humanity Halton

With the holiday season upon us, employees of The Dominion will dedicate their time to make sure two families in their community are home for the holidays

BURLINGTON - Employees from The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company (The Dominion) have volunteered to put their building skills to the test in support of Habitat for Humanity Halton.

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Green Energy

PARTEQ-founded green chemistry centre stimulates $3.2 million in investment in breakthrough Queen’s technology

KINGSTON - A bold new approach to commercializing Canadian research discoveries in green chemistry has resulted in a $3.2 million vote of confidence from industry investors and venture capitalists.

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Aquisition

Magna Expands Footprint in South America

Acquires TK Chassis Operations in Brazil

AURORA - Magna International Inc. announced yesterday that its Cosma International operating unit has closed a transaction with ThyssenKrupp Automotive Systems GmbH to acquire ThyssenKrupp Automotive Systems Industrial do Brasil Ltda. (TKASB). TKASB produces and assembles chassis structural components and modules for several Brazilian automotive customers from four plants, and had sales of approximately $250 million USD for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 .

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Recognition

Mercedes-Benz Canada recognizes 2012 Star Dealer Award recipients

TORONTO - Mercedes-Benz Canada today honoured the outstanding accomplishments of the company's top-performing dealers from its national network by announcing the 2012 Star Dealers list. This coveted designation acknowledges the important achievements of the top ten authorized Mercedes-Benz dealers in Canada, and recognizes the critical role that their respective contributions make to the overall success of the Mercedes-Benz brand.

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Aid

The Co-operators donates $10,000 to help Goderich rebuild after tornado

GUELPH - The Co-operators announced a donation of $10,000 to the Goderich & Area Disaster Relief Fund to help residents rebuild from the devastating tornado that tore through the area on August 21.

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Governance

Magna Provides Additional Voting Information from 2011 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

AURORA - Magna International Inc. released additional voting information from its 2011 annual meeting of shareholders. Although not legally required to be disclosed, a number of Magna's institutional shareholders have requested this additional information concerning the 2011 annual meeting, including through a lawsuit which was filed with the Ontario Superior Court on Monday.

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Canadian Touirist

Vibrant Vietnam

There is nothing about Vietnam that is subtle, it is truly a land of opposites, yin and yang. Colorful, loud and busy in the cities, quiet, green and peaceful in the country.

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Guest Column

Could You Live Abroad and Keep Your Job?

Expert Reveals Secrets of ‘Extreme Telecommuting’

You don’t have to tell Barry Frangipane that the Internet has made the world a little smaller. Frangipane, a software engineer, was used to telecommuting from his home in Tampa Bay, but he didn’t realize how far telecommuting could reach until he read Under the Tuscan Sun, a book about an American who chucked it all to live in Italy.

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Corporate Communication

Write Intelligently in Your Corporate Communication: Three Tips

By Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Throughout the business community, ambitious individuals who work in highly competitive environments know the impression they give in their business communications often makes the difference between career failure and success.