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Entrepreneurs are poised to drive the next major wave of economic growth, but the wider community must do more to support these creative-minded innovators, Ernst & Young said today when revealing this year’s finalists for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year^®.

“Entrepreneurs have the ability to transform ideas into great businesses. And not just any business – businesses that drive economic growth,” says Ron Voyer, Pacific Director of Entrepreneur Of The Year. “Behind their success is an entrepreneurial mindset to innovate, create jobs, and invest in communities across the country.”

In a new global survey of entrepreneurs – Nature or nurture? – Ernst & Young uncovered that funding, people and know-how were the biggest barriers to entrepreneurial success. Among the six out of 10 respondents who experienced obstacles in their ventures, 33% called lack of funding or finance their biggest stumbling block.

Voyer says that’s only the first issue. Entrepreneurs need improved access to credit in addition to new educational opportunities and less red tape. He also underlined better leadership from Corporate Canada, which stands to gain by building an internal spirit of entrepreneurship — or intrapreneurship — into their business model to promote innovation, creativity and fresh thinking.

“Entrepreneurs challenge conventional thinking and spot opportunities where others see road blocks,” says Voyer. “With a wealth of entrepreneurial potential waiting to be unleashed, stakeholders – from governments to businesses to academia – need to work together to create an ecosystem that enables entrepreneurs to thrive.”

In April, an Ernst & Young/Financial Post survey found more than one-third of entrepreneur respondents were more optimistic about their company’s’ future prospects than they were just six months ago. Voyer says that’s a positive step in the right direction.

“Taking lessons from the past into account, Canada’s entrepreneurs are ready to continue building on their accomplishments and supporting our economy in the years ahead,” says Voyer. “And with the right business and community support, there’s no limit to what these entrepreneurs can accomplish.”

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards recognize the spirit and contribution of entrepreneurs here and around the world. The Canadian program is in its 18th year of honouring the country’s most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business. Award winners are chosen based on their vision, leadership, financial success and social responsibility.

The Pacific winners will be announced at a banquet on October 5, and the overall winner will represent the region at the national banquet held in Toronto on November 23.

The 2011 Pacific finalists for Entrepreneur Of The Year:

Business-to-business products and services

Darby Kreitz – Allnorth Consultants Limited – Prince George – Provides engineering and consulting services to clients in the mining, pulp and paper, chemical, oil and gas, marine, transportation, power and municipal sectors.

Ross Waters – C.G. Industrial Specialties Ltd. – Vancouver – Supplier of valves and controls.

Doug Morneau – Rhino Marketing Inc. – Port Coquitlam – A full-service marketing agency that knows business and how to connect clients with their customers online. Read the rest of this entry »

Mobidia Technology, Inc. has announced a major update to My Data Manager, their popular Android application that helps mobile subscribers monitor and manage their data use. The update is also available to mobile operators and handset and tablet OEM’s as a component of a fully customizable and extendable carrier-grade data management and analytics solution. IOS and Blackberry versions will be available in the near future.

As the vacation season in North America and Europe moves into full gear, Mobidia has released a number of new features to help mobile phone users manage their data usage while traveling. The latest update of My Data Manager supports tracking Wi-Fi data as well as standard mobile and roaming data plans. The app now also provides Dual SIM support for those users that use multiple plans and SIM’s to manage their data usage. Small usability and accuracy improvements have also been welcomed by frequent users who are increasingly becoming dependant on the application to save them money on their cell phone bills.

“With so many people traveling over the next couple months on their summer vacations, we really wanted to make our latest technology available to them to use while on their holidays” says Mobidia Vice President of Marketing, Chris Hill. “Nothing spoils a great vacation like an unexpected, gigantic phone bill when you return home from all those data roaming charges. Our My Data Manager can help people save money by simply making them aware of the amount of data they are using while roaming and which applications are consuming the most”.

The My Data Manager has been firmly embraced by mobile phone users that are on limited or metered data plans. But even in geographies where the move to metered plans is only just starting, many phone users have benefited from using My Data Manager to manage the costs of roaming data charges when they are traveling on personal and business trips.

Chuck Musciano, a busy IT Executive at a Fortune 1000 company, agrees. Chuck occasionally travels overseas where roaming charges can be quite high. Despite paying for a monthly roaming plan, he tries to stay within his limits but has been restricted by operator-supplied tools which are often delayed in reporting usage. My Data Manager saved him real dollars on his last trip. “Your app really helped me on a recent trip to Belgium,” says Chuck, “ I had a 200MB roaming plan with my operator and blew through 25MB the first day, even with everything (I thought) turned off. The app level usage stats instantly showed me which apps were using data unbeknownst to me, and I was able to shut them down and save a lot of data and money.”

His experience highlights an important benefit of My Data Manager – the ability to identify applications that are running in the background and consuming large amounts of data. Mobidia’s My Data Manager can be downloaded from the Android Marketplace. Both a premium, ad-free version and a free version will be available. iOS, Blackberry, and other smartphone users can sign up for Mobidia’s beta program and will be notified when additional platforms become available.

Mobidia is offering My Data Manager directly to smartphone users as a powerful tool to help them save money and better utilize their data plans. A complete, carrier-grade service is also available to extend the application for mobile operators and OEM’s. The white-label service can fully integrate into operator’s existing infrastructure or on existing smartphones and tablets to help decrease costs and generate revenue.

Entrepreneurs are poised to drive the next major wave of economic growth, but the wider community must do more to support these creative-minded innovators, Ernst & Young said today when revealing this year’s finalists for Ernst & Young Quebec Entrepreneur Of The Year®.

“Quebec needs entrepreneurial role models,” explains François Dufresne, Quebec Director of Entrepreneur Of The Year. “That’s why it’s essential that we highlight their success, and reward them. Paying tribute to entrepreneurs shows them that society appreciates their achievements. What’s more, successful entrepreneurs can inspire young Quebeckers and encourage them to go into business.”

The Quebec winners will be announced at a banquet on October 6, and the overall winner will represent the region at the national banquet held in Toronto on November 23.

The 2011 Quebec finalists for Entrepreneur Of The Year:

Business-to-business products and services

Claude Bigras – Groupe Distinction Inc. – Lasalle – A leading provider of building maintenance services with 9,000 employees and 17 offices in Canada.

André Gaumond – Mines Virginia Inc. – Quebec City – Mining exploration company that works with many projects in various stages of growth in order to develop mineral resources.

Sean Roosen – Osisko Mining Corporation – Montreal – A development-stage gold mining company, Osisko is currently completing the construction of the Canadian Malartic gold mine in the Abitibi mining district.

Business-to-consumer products and services

Sanjay Bakshani, Vicken Kanadjian – Cesium Telecom, Inc. – Mont-Royal – One of North America’s leading distributors of wireless products, Cesium introduces the latest technology from the world’s top manufacturers to the North American market.

Guy Bessette, Manon Duplantie – Fix Auto – Blainville – Franchisor specializing in autobody collision with key customers such as insurers.

Sylvie Myre – Voyages à rabais – Trois-Rivieres – Travel provider that offers vacations, flights and travel insurance.

Health sciences

Frank Baylis, Krishan Shah – Baylis Medical Company Inc. – Saint-Laurent – Recognized around the world for high tech cardiology, radiology and pain management products. Read the rest of this entry »

Entrepreneurs are poised to drive the next major wave of economic growth, but the wider community must do more to support these creative-minded innovators, Ernst & Young said today when revealing this year’s finalists for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year^®.

“Businesses — and countries — don’t grow by standing still,” explains Colleen McMorrow, National and Ontario Director of Entrepreneur Of The Year. “Entrepreneurial thinking empowers companies to generate new jobs, open new doors and seize new opportunities. But stakeholders — from governments to businesses to academia — must now work together to create a truly entrepreneurial ecosystem where creative-minded businesses can thrive.”

In a new global survey of entrepreneurs — Nature or nurture? — Ernst & Young uncovered that funding, people and know-how were the biggest barriers to entrepreneurial success. Among the six out of 10 respondents who experienced obstacles in their ventures, 33% called lack of funding or finance their biggest stumbling block.

McMorrow says that’s only the first issue. Entrepreneurs need improved access to credit in addition to new educational opportunities and less red tape. She also underlined better leadership from Corporate Canada, which stands to gain by building an internal spirit of entrepreneurship — or intrapreneurship — into their business model to promote innovation, creativity and fresh thinking.

“By establishing that kind of ecosystem, we can unleash limitless entrepreneurial potential,” adds McMorrow. “Entrepreneurs see opportunity where others see disruption. Even the financial crisis generated opportunities for those willing to seize them, and that bolsters the economy. But governments and corporations must renew their focus on this area to adequately support entrepreneurs.”

In April, an Ernst & Young/Financial Post survey found more than one-third of entrepreneur respondents were more optimistic about their company’s future prospects than they were just six months ago. McMorrow says that’s a positive step in the right direction.

“Entrepreneurs have not forgotten the lessons learned in leaner times. But they’re ready to look forward, and continue building on what they’ve already accomplished. With the right support from the broader community, entrepreneurs will continue to energize the economy in the months and years ahead,” says McMorrow.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards celebrate the contribution and spirit of entrepreneurs everywhere. The Canadian program is in its 18th year of honouring the country’s most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business. Award winners are chosen based on their vision, leadership, financial success and social responsibility.

The Ontario winners will be announced at a banquet on November 2, and the overall winner will represent the region at the national banquet held in Toronto on November 23.

The 2011 Ontario finalists for Entrepreneur Of The Year:

Business-to-business products and services

Razor Suleman – I Love Rewards – Toronto – An employee-recognition solution that helps companies drive performance. Unlike traditional service award programs, it creates authentic moments of recognition that resonate with a multigenerational workforce.

Jennifer Nashmi, Victoria Sopik – Kids and Company Ltd. – Vaughan – Offers infant, toddler, preschool, kindergarten, Montessori, and after-school child-care programs at locations across Canada. Read the rest of this entry »

Ortsbo and INDYCAR have formed a multi-year partnership that makes Ortsbo.com the “Official Online Translator Service Provider” for INDYCAR and the IZOD IndyCar Series.

The official kick off of the partnership, which will allow INDYCAR’s teams, car and driver sponsors, and fans all over the world to keep pace with the premier open-wheel racing events, will be at the Honda Indy Toronto event this Saturday, July 10, in Toronto, where Ortsbo is headquartered.

Ortsbo enables real-time conversational translation in more than 50 languages and seamlessly integrates with today’s most popular social media platforms; translates e-mails on the fly with O4O (Ortsbo for Outlook) and connects with PC and Mac computers, mobile browsers and major search engine platforms.

Through Ortsbo, IZOD IndyCar Series enthusiasts around the world will be able to follow every twist and turn of the action-packed racing series and connect with their favorite drivers in their native languages.

“We look upon our relationship with Ortsbo as more than just a sponsorship,” said INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard. “It’s a true partnership that will help us expose Indy car racing to people around the world by breaking the language barrier between the fans and their favorite drivers. It will truly connect and engage all sides of the INDYCAR community.”

Transcripts of press conferences will be made available in multiple languages for distribution to the media and indycar.com as well as social media sites, and may include drivers such as 2010 series champion Dario Franchitti, Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick and others.

Ortsbo will also host online INDYCAR Live and Global Events, similar to recent, world-record breaking Live and Global events with KISS band members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, and NBA MVP Steve Nash. These question and answer sessions between IZOD IndyCar Series drivers and fans will be made available in up to 53 languages.

In addition, Ortsbo will provide O4O (Ortsbo for Outlook) services to INDYCAR. Ortsbo for Outlook is a seamless add-on for Microsoft Outlook™ that automatically translates e-mails without any copying or pasting. IndyCar’s official website will also be translated into three languages – Portugeuse, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

“Racing fans from all over the globe can now interact with some of the world’s best drivers in a way they haven’t been able to before,” said David Lucatch, president of Ortsbo. “Ortsbo translates text automatically, eliminating the typically tedious and inefficient translation process of other services.”

Ortsbo, the free, real-time chat translator, integrates with 13 of the most popular social media platforms, including Windows Live Messenger, Facebook, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, iChat and AIM to allow users to instantly send and receive messages in 53 languages.

Showcase has ordered nine more episodes of the supernatural drama series Lost Girl, which is currently in production for Season 2. The new season is scheduled to premiere on Sunday, September 4th at 9pm ET. This brings the ordered episode total up to an unprecedented 22 episodes, and US station SyFy acquired seasons one and two this past May.

In addition to the above news, Comic-Con fans are in for a treat as Lost Girl succubus, Bo (played by Anna Silk) leads a panel discussion at the highly regarded event along with Emmanuelle Vaugier who stars as “The Morrigan”, the leader of the Dark Fae. Joining Anna and Emmanuelle on Friday, July 22 at 7:30pm room 24 ABC are Executive Producer Jay Firestone (Prodigy Pictures) and Creator, Michelle Lovretta. A limited edition of the Lost Girl comic book, a prequel to the series, will be given out at this year’s Comic-Con panel.

Season one of Lost Girl premiered on Showcase in September 2010 with record-breaking audience numbers and continued to draw viewers in each week. During its run in Fall 2010, the series ranked number one on the channel for adults 25-54 and was the top scripted series across all specialty channels.

Produced by Prodigy Pictures, Lost Girl centers around Bo, who, raised by human parents, had no reason to believe she was anything other than the girl next door — until she “drained” her first boyfriend to death.

Bo has since hit the road alone and afraid. She discovers she is one of the Fae, creatures of legend and folklore, who pass as humans while feeding off them in secret, as they have for millennia. She is faced with choosing an allegiance between the Dark or Light Fae clans. Bo decides to take the middle path between humans and the Fae while embarking on a personal mission to unlock the secrets of her origin, protecting humans along the way.

Lost Girl co-stars Kris Holden-Ried as Dyson, a shape-shifting Fae, homicide detective and Bo’s love interest; Ksenia Solo as Kenzi, Bo’s human confidante and street-smart survivor; Zoie Palmer as Lauren, a human doctor who competes for Bo’s heart; Rick Howland as Trick, the mysterious owner and bartender at The Dal Riata tavern, with a secretive past that is yet to be unlocked, and K.C. Collins as Hale, a handsome male “Siren” who is the eternal bachelor, ultimate wingman and Dyson’s partner on the force.

Richmond’s Point Grey digital camera technology company and AMD recently conducted a joint demonstration of uncompressed streaming HD video across USB 3.0 during AMD’s A-Series APU official launch event, held last month in Seattle.

The AMD A-Series APU-based platforms are the first to utilize the A75 and A70M FCH chipsets in desktop and mobile, respectively. The A75 and A70M FCH are the first certified chipsets to integrate SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) into their core logic. The live demonstration showcased the performance benefits of USB 3.0 by streaming uncompressed high definition (HD) 1080p60 video from Point Grey’s Flea3 digital video camera to an AMD Fusion A-Series-based laptop computer. USB 3.0 offers ten times the bandwidth of USB 2.0, full duplex and asynchronous operation, and increased power delivery.

“We are pleased to have had the opportunity to team up with AMD to demonstrate the benefits of USB 3.0,” says Michael Gibbons, Product Marketing Manager at Point Grey. “Point Grey demonstrated the world’s first SuperSpeed USB camera in September 2009. Since then we have witnessed widespread adoption of USB 3.0 in consumer devices and a huge groundswell of interest from both industrial and prosumer customers. Desktop and notebook computers equipped with the new AMD A-Series APUs will enable users to build high-performance and cost-effective imaging systems.”

“The AMD Fusion A-Series APUs when paired with the A75 or A70M FCH chipsets provide customers with immediate and easy access to SuperSpeed USB’s impressive bandwidth,” says Godfrey Cheng, Director of AMD’s Client Technology Unit. “USB 3.0 enables the use of HD 1080p cameras, which means a new level of realism for video conferencing and other forms of tele-presence. Using Point Grey’s Flea3 we were able to give users insight into some of the other applications that are possible with SuperSpeed USB in addition to the high-speed data transfers with external storage devices that we have seen so far.”

Developing Canada’s economy and helping Canadians train for better jobs are priorities for the Government. This is why the Government is taking action to address skills shortages so Canadians can train for jobs in a changing economy. Currently Canada’s economic recovery is threatened by a lack of information among employers and workers for the skills needed in the workforce.

The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, today announced that the Government is developing a new, proactive approach to coordinate the information job seekers will need to find the employers who are hiring.

“Better information will help Canadians find jobs and make the right learning and career choices”, said Minister Finley. “Canadians need colleges and universities, business, labour and governments to all work together to ensure that our workforce develops a broad and diverse set of skills to be highly productive and to allow them to adapt to new technologies, innovations and new challenges.”

The Government is launching an approach that will gather critical information and make it available through the Working in Canada website so that Canadians have a clearer picture of who in Canada is hiring and the skills that are needed.

Right now there are significant shortages in many key industries including healthcare, IT and skilled trades, but as more industries take part in this new information sharing strategy the list of employers seeking skilled workers will continue to grow.

“Many of our members have told us that skills and training top their list of priorities. Having the right people is critical to their competitiveness and to their very survival. Canada has a skills shortage problem well on its way to becoming a crisis. We don’t want to face a future where employers can’t fill positions because there aren’t enough qualified workers,” stated Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. He added: “We welcome any initiative by the government to address skills-related challenges and opportunities. Meeting these challenges and improving the competitiveness of our nation is vital for both our businesses and Canadian workers.” Read the rest of this entry »

The Winnipeg Film Group (WFG) will be able to upgrade its equipment, thanks to support from the Government of Canada. This was announced today by Rod Bruinooge, Member of Parliament (Winnipeg South), on behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

The funding will enable the WFG to purchase a suite of digital support equipment, including a specialized computer system and digital editing software. These enhancements will increase the WFG’s capacity to create jobs and support the training of new artists in Manitoba.

“Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to invest in important projects like those of the Winnipeg Film Group,” said Minister Moore. “By supporting these activities, our Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen our the local economy and support arts, culture, and heritage.”

“The Winnipeg Film Group is a key resource for Winnipeg- and Manitoba-based independent filmmakers and video artists because it offers resources and support for training, and creates jobs for residents of Winnipeg,” said Mr. Bruinooge. “This organization provides a valuable service to our community and makes a vital contribution to the city’s economy and cultural life.”

“The Government’s contribution towards our digital equipment will help ensure that Manitobans continue to have access to modern digital tools in the production and presentation of locally created works in film and video,” said Cecilia Araneda, Executive Director of the WFG. “This investment will have an important impact on the development of a new generation of Manitoba directors.”

The WFG, founded in 1974, is an artist-run organization dedicated to promoting the art of cinema. They serve as a resource for Manitoba filmmakers and video artists and provide access to affordable training, mentorship, production funding, experimentation opportunities, production and post-production equipment and facilities, and local, national and international programming and distribution.

The Government of Canada has provided funding of $50,000 through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This program seeks to improve physical conditions for artistic creativity and arts presentation or exhibition. It is also designed to increase access for Canadians to performing, visual, and media arts, and to museum collections and heritage displays.

Kinjoe, a new Vancouver-based startup, today announced the release of its new web and mobile social network available as a free public beta for residents of B.C.

Kinjoe is designed to solve one of the major issues of big-city living, where many people feel alone and anonymous despite being surrounded by millions of people. Vancouver is particularly afflicted by this phenomenon: a 2010 Angus Reid poll revealed that Vancouverites were among the loneliest city-dwellers in Canada, with only 69 per cent feeling well-connected socially.

Unlike Facebook, which only connects people with friends or family, Kinjoe enables people to expand their social network by making new, real-life friends who live within 20 minutes’ walking distance and share the same interests. After connecting online, it’s easy to get together offline to participate in activities that match your interests.

“Ask anyone and they will tell you that Vancouver is a difficult city to make new friends in,” said Emir Aboulhosn, Kinjoe founder and CEO. “Kinjoe takes away the awkwardness and difficulty in finding people who share your interests and live nearby.”

Kaishin Chu, a Yaletown resident and owner of DashOfFood.com, says, “The idea of Kinjoe really interested me because I finally had a tool to help me expand my own social network with real people in my neighbourhood, to help gain back some sense of community that is lacking these days.” Kaishin continued, “I was able to co-organize a game of bocce ball with a fellow neighbourhood resident in a park nearby. I got to meet some great new people and share a fun experience.”

During the pre-launch phase, Kinjoe teamed up with Blenz Coffee in Yaletown to promote the network locally. The partnership resulted in 500 new users from the Yaletown area, and based on the early success, Blenz will now be promoting Kinjoe in its stores throughout B.C. Kinjoe will be rolling out to cities across Canada and the USA later this year.

“Blenz Coffee is proud to support Kinjoe and we’re excited to introduce it to our customers throughout B.C.,” said George Moen, President of Blenz Coffee Co. “Finally, someone is using technology to combat isolation instead of contributing to it.”

Kinjoe features include:

• Browse–able profiles and interests of people who live within 20 minutes of each other.

• A “Me Too!” feature to show interest in an idea or simple stay updated on a discussion.

• A ‘meetup’ feature that allows users to suggest activities that anyone within a 20-minute walk can join.

• Instant polls that allow users to canvass their neighbourhood’s opinion on an issue, place or event.

• A ‘Recommended Friends’ feature that allows people who share similar interests and live close by to find each other.

Kinjoe respects safety and privacy, and never reveals home or email addresses. Users control the information that is displayed to others in their neighbourhood.