By: Adam Groff
The Great White North has its fair share of successful industries that continue to prosper year after year even in the worst economic climates. Although the Canadian market isn’t as large or diverse as some of the other markets in the world, it’s every bit as stable if not more so.
With that in mind, here’s a list of the top five industries prospering in Canada.
1. Agriculture
When it comes to wheat and grains, Canada has it covered.
In fact, Canada is one of the largest suppliers of agricultural products in the world. Due to its strategic location Canada exports most of its crops to its big brother of the south, America.
As part of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Canada practices fair-trading by ensuring whatever it puts on the market agriculturally doesn’t influence the price of crops in other countries. Canada’s agricultural sector is steadily growing every year and accounts for 8% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
2. Energy
Due to its abundance of oil and natural gas, Canada has quickly become a world leader in energy resources.
Canada not only has the third largest oil reserve in the world, it’s also a world leader in hydroelectric power with Quebec, Ontario, and Saskatchewan all using vast amounts of hydroelectric energy.
Because of the abundant energy resources available, Canada’s oil exporting and other energy related products make up for 2.9% of the country’s GDP. Additionally, Canada has adopted solar and wind energy production as the next major industry in the energy sector ensuring continued prosperity.
3. Technology
Although it’s for the most part undervalued, Canada’s technology industry is one of the strongest in the world. And, thanks to the Canadian Startup Visa, which is a government Visa aimed at bringing in new tech companies from all over the world, Canada will continue to change the world’s technology landscape.
The government Visa will undoubtedly bring the brightest minds to Maple Leaf Country and give places like Silicon Valley and India a run for their technology. Canada’s technology industry is currently prospering the most in areas such as digital media, wireless infrastructure, Ecommerce, and general Internet services.
4. Services
Accounting for a whopping 80% of Canada’s GDP and employing almost three quarters of the entire country is Canada’s service sector. And, within the sector itself, industries like retail, business, education, and health make up the largest portions.
Although the strength of the Canadian dollar has hurt tourism numbers, Canada still has a strong tourism industry with most of it’s international travelers hailing from the United States. In fact, Canada’s retail sector, which directly relates to tourism, accounts for 12% of the GDP and that percentage is steadily growing.
5. Manufacturing
Although the global financial crisis took its toll on Canada from 2008 to 2010, the country’s manufacturing industries are on the rebound and make up for 14% of Canada’s GDP. And, like never before, Canada’s automotive branch plants are back in full swing.
American and Japanese auto industries are attracted to Canada’s highly educated workforce and low labor costs making it a go-to destination for automobile manufacturing. Automotive parts production is one of fastest growing manufacturing sectors in the country.
It’s hard to ignore the fact that Canada’s industries are booming.
With the abundant natural resources, government incentives, and stellar workforce, it’ll continue to prosper for years to come.
About the Author: Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of content. He writes on a variety of topics including world markets, billfloat, and advancements in technology.
]]>By: Tina Samuels
Have you ever stopped and thought about how the small business market is doing in Canada? Wonder what parts of the country might be most receptive to small businesses? Lastly, is your small business doing better or worse than your fellow Canadian business owners?
According to the Canadian Broadcasting Network there are more than a million small businesses in Canada.
This isn't counting independent contractors – but while the number seems significant, the statistics are staggering when you take in consideration the number of all businesses in Canada:
This means that in Canada 98% of all businesses are small business.
There is some data for individuals which point to about 15% of all workers in the country being self-employed, though independent contractor data is not precise. Not all independent contractors report their business which can skew data. The actual amount of individual workers could be much higher.
Employee Statistics
Recent data has shown that well over five million of the people employed in Canada work for one type of small business or another. That's over half of the total workforce.
No matter what city you choose to open a small business in, Canadians utilize the products and services of small businesses more than any other industrialized nation.
Part of this can be directly connected to Canadians open approach to technology and business. The country is typically more receptive to new ideas and approaches than many other industrial nations around the world.
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Success In Canada
Small business are established in the thousands throughout Canada every year. Many are successful, so successful that over 80% of exports for Canada came from small business (2005-2007 data).
Out of all exporters in the country, 86% were small businesses. In 2009 the amount generated from small business export was $68 billion which was fully a quarter of all revenue in Canadian exports. The amount of revenue generated for GDP (gross domestic product) and exports from Canadian small business has been growing every year. It is safe to say that small business can be very successful in Canada.
The government offer help to small business owners and encourages the growth of such companies through numerous programs. Healthcare is also more affordable in Canada which may offer help in reaching successful launches and extended growth.
Where To Go
While most of Canada is receptive to small business, the coastal provinces provide the most opportunity for small businesses in the western part of the country.
In the East the most successful businesses are established in Ontario, most notably Toronto. Businesses established near the U.S./Canada border may see an increased amount of business due to customers from both countries.
To the west, artisan businesses do well in Vancouver. The area is well known for being eco-friendly, art friendly, and progressive. Any business that focuses on new or unique products or services will enjoy a higher rate of success in this area.
For anyone that is considering starting a new small business in Canada the following cities are always a good bet: Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Nova Scotia has had an upswing in growth and could be considered as well.
About the Author: Tina Samuels writes on how to remove personal information, how to clean up your social media, and the basics of small business.
]]>By: Robert Spence
First gaining traction in the mid to late 1990’s, e-commerce has dramatically changed the landscape for retail shopping. The internet has given consumers the ability and convenience to order anything their heart desires while never having to leave their house. The wild popularity of the internet has also given entrepreneurs and the average Joe the ability to start their own business without going through the traditional steps of having a physical location.
We break down three reasons potential business owners should choose starting their business asan e-commerce over the traditional brick-and-mortar storefront.
It’s cheaper
Bing! This is one of the main reasons people choose to go with an e-commerce. When opening a physical store businesses need to have capital for things like rent, utilities, building decorations, and employees—and these things don’t come cheap. Not to mention that isn’t counting any inventory or advertising costs that go into running a business.
One of the biggest perks of starting an e-commerce store is the fact it’s inexpensive. Besides inventory, getting started only requires a domain name, a hosting account and some free time. Not to mention there are a number of easy-to-employ e-commerce platforms that will do all the heavy lifting for you.
Your customers are already online
According to Internet World States, roughly 78.1 percent of the total U.S. population or approximately 245.2 million Americans are active internet users.
In 2012 Google conducted a survey of potential holiday shoppers. The survey indicated that 44 percent of the shoppers intended to make an online purchase and some 51 percent would look online before making a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store. Clearly the internet is the engine driving retail.
Given this information, your customers are already online and looking for things to buy. E-commerce owners don’t necessarily need to build demand but rather access a large and interested market that already exists.
One of the biggest benefits of using an e-commerce is the mass exposure you’ll gain. Unlike a brick-and-mortar business where your storefront’s location is critical the internet allows for your store to be seen by millions of people all over the world. It gives business owners the opportunity to reach a market far beyond what your physical store could ever achieve.
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It’s a stepping stone into mobile commerce
If you haven’t already heard, mobile commerce is a thing. M-commerce is essentially the act of browsing and purchasing products from your mobile phone rather than a desktop.
E-commerce aided by mobile is growing at 4x the rate of traditional retail and now accounts for one out of every ten retail dollars. As a percentage of total online sales, mobile represents a relatively small percentage of transactions. However, the continued growth and adoption of the mobile internet could represent a huge opportunity for small businesses.
According to a recent report, by the end of 2013 there will be more mobile devices on Earth than people.
If this is true, establishing an e-commerce business now allows you to hit the ground running when the massive growth of m-commerce hits.
Overall, the cost of establishing and maintaining a brick-and-mortar store just isn’t worth it anymore—At least not now in the age of the internet. As e-commerce sales for retail goods continue to grow faster than offline sales for brick-and-mortar stores, the time is now to start your own business by creating an e-commerce store today!
]]>The May edition of the Business Review North America is live!
Razer, a leading PC game accessory manufacturer, is seeing major success through the popularity of PC gaming. Started in 2005, Razer has grown into a thriving company that won the CES Best of Show in 2013 for its Razer Edge laptop. The community that support Razer products has become almost a ‘cult following,’ a following that many brands strive for but never reach. This month, find out why Razer has seen ultimate success in the PC gaming industry through incredible leadership
Other topics highlighted this month include bank promotions in the US that make up for low interest rates today, the top five telecom conglomerate in North America, and the importance of brevity in television commercial advertising.
Read more in this issue:
As this is my last issue of Business Review North America, I’d like to wish our readers a fond farewell. Leading the brand from separate entities of Business Review Canada and Business Review USA into becoming a prominent North American magazine that covers important business news has been a challenge and an exciting endeavor. I look forward to see where the brand goes in the future.
]]>Tan co-founded Razer in Carlsbad, Calif. in the mid-2000s, and since then, he’s been the mastermind behind transforming a tiny peripherals company into one of the world’s most innovative video game brands.
“When I approached my parents with what I wanted to do, they were resistant to say the least,” Tan said. “I grew up playing video games, but my parents weren’t alone when they thought there was no potential in it. I think they’d be the first to admit that they were wrong.”
A THRIVING INDUSTRY
Tan jumped into a gaming business that has grown exponentially since he helped found Razer in 2005. More than 300 million people play PC games worldwide today, putting Razer in a position to use its resources to fill the needs of gamers everywhere when it comes to designing hardware, software and systems.
The gaming industry recently surpassed the motion picture business as the most lucrative arm of the entertainment sector. Not surprisingly, game developers across North America are creating content for all sorts of devices, from PCs to consoles to tablets to Smartphones.
“It’s been surreal to watch gaming go from a hardcore niche to a mainstream audience,” Tan said. “You watch previews for upcoming video games, and it’s like you’re watching a nine-figure movie trailer. That’s part of what’s inspired us as a company to develop such groundbreaking product. We need to keep up with the developers.”
LEADING THE CHARGE IN PC INNOVATION
It hasn’t been easy, however, to make true innovation possible in the computer systems space. Tossing aside conventional hurdles like finding the right engineers and overhead costs, Tan and Razer also had to fight conventional thinking when it came to pushing what he calls “true innovation.”
“The PC giants listened to the general consumer who wanted products cheaper and cheaper. They cut their costs, outsourced their tech and design to external manufacturers,” said Tan. “We’re left with less innovation, less technology and the commoditization of the PC.
“Today, none of the PC giants dare to push the envelope of technology for the PC because they are afraid that no one will buy it. It's up to us to make the difference.”
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
With that mindset at hand, Tan went about investing in systems and software engineers to transform Razer from a peripherals company to a gaming company. Razer scooped up engineers from OQO, a former U.S. computer hardware company known for making the smallest and most powerful personal computers the world had ever seen.
That ingenuity was vital when it came to Razer bringing to market the Blade, the thinnest and lightest gaming laptop in the world, and the Edge, the most powerful tablet in the world and the overall 2013 “Best of Show” winner at CES.
“What we do from a design perspective is insane,” John Wilson, VP of Systems at Razer and former OQO engineer, said. “Nobody spends the proportion of available resources on design like we do. Is it profitable? No, but it’s what allows us to push the envelope forward when it comes to true innovation.”
A CULT FOLLOWING
A mentality to create the best product at all costs naturally endears a consumer to a company, and the Razer brand has managed to build a ravenous and active cult-like community.
Razer’s Facebook fanpage (www.facebook.com/razer) itself has more than 2 million fans, while Tan’s unabashed views on gaming in general have earned him close to 200,000 fans on his fanpage (www.facebook.com/minliangtan) where he regularly engages with the community directly.
“It keeps things interesting, being so involved in what the people want to see,” Tan said, “and it validates our brand and the industry we’re involved in when so many people actively participate in moving the gaming discussion forward.”
E-SPORTS
The flourishing industry has also had a massive ripple effect on individuals involved, most notably in the realm of what’s known as e-Sports. These cyber athletes forego traditional athletic wear in favor of a mouse and keyboard.
Behind the guidance of Tan, Razer’s growth can be closely tied to the explosion of e-Sports worldwide. Growing from Local Area Network (LAN) parties in friends’ garages, e-Sports has evolved into an international phenomenon, with arenas throughout North America hosting prestigious gaming events.
Last year at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, for example, a $2 million prize purse was awarded to Season 2 finalists for the game League of Legends. A pair of Razer-sponsored teams competed in the finals, which is becoming commonplace at professional gaming events, by virtue of Razer’s unparalleled support of players in the space.
“We sponsor 400 gamers in 35 countries worldwide, with some of the biggest teams and names fighting for Team Razer,” Tan said. “These e-Sports players are not the standard geeks playing in a basement. Many of them are international icons – celebrities even – who command six- and even seven-figure salaries.
“They treat the gear they use like a professional basketball player treats his shoes. Naturally, they’ll gravitate toward us and our industry-leading product with so much at stake.”
THE FUTURE OF GAMING
While e-Sports figures to continue to grow and play a part in the development of gaming, it doesn’t answer the question as to where the industry is heading. Tan thinks his field is converging, with devices that can do more than just play games in a single fashion.
Razer’s latest big product, the multivariate Edge, is a step in that direction, but there’s plenty of room for improvement to meet the demand of insatiable PC users worldwide.
“My idea for a perfect device is one that I can easily take with me and one that I can do everything on,” Tan said. “The Edge is the closest thing to that on the market right now, but I’d love to see a high-powered PC in a Smartphone form factor.
“We’re not there yet, but if you give Razer and our crack engineering team some time, I’m fully confident we’ll be the true innovators for PC gamers – and users – everywhere.”
]]>Twitter is welcoming a new member to the tweeting family. The head of the Canadian Broadcasting’s English-language service (CBC) is leaving the public broadcaster to join the social media company Twitter.
CBC’s Executive Vice-president Kirstine Stewart, announced Monday she will become the managing director of Twitter Canada, where she will direct her attentions on partnerships with media companies, and other brands and advertisers.
“What I liked most about CBC was showing off great talent, and what I think Twitter does, is show off great talent,” Kirstine Stewart said in an interview on Monday. “There’s a lot of that here in Canada and that’s I think why they made their [Twitter] move to Canada.”
Stewart, who will remain in Toronto to open Twitter’s first offices in the country, is joining the company as it begins expanding internationally and moving increasingly into the business of helping brands connect with audiences. Almost 70 per cent of Twitter’s 200-million users are outside the U.S.
“I’m looking forward to starting our office and looking for those partnerships, those opportunities. Twitter’s unique position is in that conversation around content,” said Stewart in a phone call.
The first Canadian office is likely to focus initially on building corporate relationships and building advertising with businesses across the country. The Company has largely been restricted to ad placement within their network, but Stewart may be asked to develop partnerships with creators of TV and Web programming.
Twitter, which is based in San Francisco, makes money by selling advertising and has sought deals in the past with television producers and marketers to encourage TV viewers to discuss programming and ads on the social network. For instance, many popular TV programs display “hashtags” that tell users how to chat with other viewers on Twitter while they simultaneously watch the show.
According to an estimate by research firm eMarketer, Twitter, which will make shy of $600 million in revenue this year, is widely expected to hold a public stock offering within the next two years.
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]]>The only thing more difficult than realizing your current sales manager isn’t making the grade is the tiring process of finding a new one.
Sales managers are the queen bees of any businesses’ hive; they dictate a company’s day-to-day sales activities and ensure the business is thriving. Luckily, there are a few helpful pointers to follow that’ll make the process of choosing your next sales manager an easy one.
Personality Goes a Long Way
There are many qualities to look for in a worthy sales manager and one of the most important qualities is personality. An individual’s ability to be personable and sociable to customers is of utmost importance – especially in a sales role or as a role model for other salespeople.
Some traits to look for in sales managers are the candidate’s confidence level in social situations, their ability to communicate ideas, their problem solving skills, and how they handle stress. Just remember that not every candidate will possess all of these traits, so be flexible and know that many of these traits are acquired over time.
The Candidate Pool
Before diving into the selection process, it’s important to decide whether or not the next sales manager will be recruited from within the company or not. Internal recruitment has its benefits like familiarity with the company and an understanding of its practices.
On the other hand, external recruitment brings fresh perspectives and new ideas to how things are already done. Additionally, hiring from the outside will ensure other sales associates aren’t competing for the manager position or becoming jealous when one sales associate is chosen over the other.
Strong Leadership
If a leader is unable to effectively lead, then followers will be led astray. Translate this into business terms and it simply means a poor sales manager will result in poor business. So, when choosing your next sales manager, keep in mind that the candidate’s ability to handle other sales associates is just as important as their ability to handle customers.
A strong leader should be able to assess individual and team sales goals, step in when expectations aren’t met, confront other sales associates without being combative, and commend others for a job well done. The right mix of stern and fair will make the sales team feel as though their sales manager is always on their side.
Learn From Past Mistakes
When you make the same mistake twice, you’ll experience twice the disappointment. So, acknowledge what didn’t work with the previous sales manager and compare it to the next candidate in line.
If the last manager was too relaxed resulting in a loss of sales, look for someone who’s energetic and eager to please – reverse the course of things.
Assessment Tools
If it seems impossible to look for all the qualities above within the first or even second interview, try putting together a sales manager assessment test. Assessment tests touch on all the key points and desired traits of the ideal candidate for your business before the interview even takes place. This streamlines the interviewing process and gives the employer more time to get to know the candidate.
EcSell Institute’s Compass Assessment Tool is a free online assessment test tailored specifically to sales managers and measures their ability in six different categories: talent acquisition, sales methodology, professional development, sales analytics, employee recognition, and planning.
Another effective online sales manager assessment is The Decisive Edge’s Profile Sales Assessment test. The PSA works as a “job matching” test that measures a candidate’s behavioral traits and true occupational interests rather than job specifics.
When searching for your next sales manager, learning from past mistakes, taking advantage of the assessment tests available, and choosing a candidate with a great personality are just a few ways to ensure the right fit is made. As long as the candidate is right for your business, it’ll be a match made in sales heaven.
About the Author: Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of quality content. He specializes in writing on a variety of topics including time management skills, healthcare recruitment, and things that make business sense.
]]>You don’t have to be from the Great White North to start a small business there. Every day more and more people are crossing the Canadian border to launch their businesses. So, what’s the draw and which types of businesses are making the move?
A Stable Economy
When compared to the U.S. and other similar markets, Canada’s economy is in much better shape. As with anything economics related, the reason Maple Leaf country is faring so well in these rough economic times boils down to one thing: spending. Due to the fact Canada’s neighbor to the south is also one of the largest importers of Canadian goods, the Canadian market basically has a built in investor. Add to that its unending supply of natural resources like oil, non-existent military expenses, and a market that’s based on supply and demand and Canada makes a great fit for any small business trying to get on its feet.
Business Strength
There are a few key factors that set Canada apart from the rest when it comes to business startups. Not only is Canada one of the safest countries to live in, its banking systems are some of the most secure in the world too. Additionally, thanks to its prime location, Canada also acts as a middleman between the U.S. and other markets such as Asia. This means the Canadian marketplace is always alive and flourishing, which is just what any small business needs. Because of all of the economic action, Canada has a workforce that meets the need. According to the Organization of Economic Development, Canada has one of the most educated populations in the world resulting in a workforce with advanced skills.
Hassle-free Startup
The Canadian government makes setting up a business a breeze with low business costs, great incentives, and speedy licensing. In addition, Canada realizes immigration is an economy driving force, so they have taken a “the more the merrier” immigration approach. To keep inline with its welcoming immigration policy, Canada offers startup visas for certain businesses. This alleviates some of the complications involved with transitioning a business to the Canadian market. if it’s anything technical, Canada wants to help. Businesses that specialize in innovation, research and development, and IT receive particular benefits when moving to Canada like government rebates and attractive tax incentives.
Which Businesses Are Thriving?
All this talk about businesses thriving due to the Northern Exposure makes you wonder what kinds of businesses are making the journey. As stated before, more and more tech companies, online reputation management services, and web startups are Canada bound. Likewise, fast food franchises, collection agencies, and accounting companies find Canada beneficial to their small businesses. Canada also offers home-based businesses the same benefits as standalone ones; home business owners can flourish from the comfort of their own homes without the huge initial investment of an office suite. From a solid economy to virtually risk-free investing, the benefits of moving a small business to Canada are hard to ignore. So, fly north and see where it takes your small business.
About the Author: Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of quality content. He writes on a variety of topics including online reputation management services, personal health, and how to make startups start working.
]]>Graduating from college or university should be the best time of your life; you’ve graduated with the qualification of your choice, and it looks like the world is your oyster, but the question is…. is it?
It is easy to think that you will come straight out of college into the new job of your choice ready to set on the world, but research suggests that graduates are having a harder time obtaining their dream job., I have created a graduates survival guide to help provide support and advice to recent grads struggling in todays job market.
What Do I Do Now?
So you’ve graduated from university and looking for a job, what is the next step?
It is important to remember that you have accomplished a major achievement by furthering your education. Don't get discouraged when looking for a job, the right one will come along.
]]>Investing in farmer technical assistance is in line with recent certification requirements McDonald’s USA has made of its suppliers, that require the procurement of only 100 per cent Rainforest Alliance certified espresso.
"We are confident that investing in both certification and sustainable agriculture training addresses the immediate need to assist farmers today, expands capacity for greater sustainable coffee production in the future and helps assure our customers we will continue to provide the taste profile they have grown to love and expect from McDonald’s,” said Susan Forsell, McDonald's Vice President of Sustainability.
Partnering with TechnoServe, a nonprofit organisation that develops business solutions to poverty, and the Sustainable Commodity Assistance Network, a global, UN-backed collaboration providing sustainability technical assistance, McDonald’s has been advocating the technical assistance program incorporating sustainable agricultural and extension practices in Guatemala since 2011.
“The program empowers farmers to implement practices that deliver higher yields that contribute to individual livelihoods and the local economy, while simultaneously protecting the environment for future generations” said TechnoServe Senior Vice President, David Browning. “Higher yields translate into higher incomes that will help farmers to break the cycle of poverty and invest in better health care and education for their children.”
McDonald’s hard work to increase coffee sustainability is a portion of the Company’s continued commitment to sustainable sourcing.
McDonald’s is working to increase the amount of certified coffee purchased globally, which is consistent with its global dedication to amplify the purchase of verified (or certified) sustainable raw materials across its supply chain. McDonald’s will continue to educate customers and employees about the its commitment to coffee sustainability as part of an effort to broaden the conversation about imperative issues like sustainable sourcing, as well as display McDonald’s commitment to excellence, sustainably sourced menu options.
For more information about McDonald’s sustainable sourcing practices visit: AboutMcDonalds.com/sustainability.
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]]>“At BLACKIRON we recognize that data centres can be taxing on the environment,” says Jennifer Bell, Director of Marketing, BLACKIRON Data. “We are constantly identifying ways to offset or reduce the environmental impact of our facilities across Canada while also helping our customers achieve their own eco-friendly objectives.”
On April 23 and 24, BLACKIRON has partnered with Artex Environmental to provide eWaste collections at four of its data centres across the country. Customers and employees are invited to drop-off retired and obsolete electronic waste, from servers to cell phones and everything in between, at BLACKIRON’s Toronto DC3 (Markham), London, Ottawa and Edmonton facilities.
“What company doesn’t have a pile of outdated equipment hiding somewhere?” states Bell. “Our eWaste collection drives make it simple for our customers and employees to do a little spring cleaning while ensuring that their eWaste will be disposed of in a safe, secure and responsible manner.”
In 2012, the BLACKIRON collection events diverted more than 30,000 tonnes of eWaste from landfills and developing countries.
In March 2013, BLACKIRON’s Toronto DC3 facility was awarded LEED® Silver certification by the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC).
From concept to construction, BLACKIRON considered how to make the Toronto DC3 facility environmentally responsible at every touch point. Construction waste materials were diverted from landfills, cutting-edge cooling technology has eliminated millions of litres of water waste and the facility was designed to reduce energy consumption by at least 10%. Employees and customers also enjoy green initiatives such as bike lockers and showers, priority parking for car pooling and electric car charging stations.
“When we set out to build Toronto DC3 we tasked the team with LEED® certification; they went above and beyond to achieve LEED® Silver certification,” continues Bell. “The result is an environmentally responsible facility that has eliminated as much as 100 million litres of water and is energy efficient in addition to being Canada’s first Tier III design and construction certified data centre. Toronto DC3 is truly the crown jewel of our commitment to the environment.”
BLACKIRON is employing the best practices learned during the build of Toronto DC3 where applicable at the company’s other facilities. “Chiller killer” cooling technologies used in the new facility are now being deployed at BLACKIRON’s data centre in Edmonton.
BLACKIRON Data is an innovator in data centre, cloud and managed services technology, providing a singular focus to ensuring the most robust and bullet-proof IT infrastructure to meet the needs of business. With eight owned and managed state-of-the-art, and highly reliable data centres, including Canada’s first Tier III design and construction certified facility, and the vast array of fully audited operational, facility, and environmental certifications, BLACKIRON Data is the most certified data centre services company in Canada. BLACKIRON Data is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc. Visit blackirondata.com for more information.
]]>She begins by explaining her distaste with the today’s youth and how they are becoming incredibly reluctant to take risks. Adshade says,
“During the 10 years that I have been teaching, I have seen many changes in the behaviour of students, but the one change that stands out is the increasing unwillingness of students to take chances - my students are becoming risk averse.”
Taking risks in life and in business is a fundamental part of becoming a successful person. Individuals who face challenges head on seem to become more successful than those who look for an alternative.
People who are prepared for possibility that they might be wrong engage in the more entrepreneurial, and innovative, activities that are the catalysts for contemporary growth. When young adults lose their ability to be creative, their future wellbeing is affected and potentially the future wellbeing of Canada.
Adshade explains that one reason the current generation of students is less more reluctant to take risks is that they are growing up in smaller families than that of previous generations. The decline in family sizes over the last 40 years had two significant effects on children according to Adshade,
“The first, and possibly most apparent, is that when family sizes declined from an average of 2.7 children in the early 1970s to 1.7 in the early 1990s, the share of children who were first-born children necessarily, and significantly, increased. First-born children might be more academically ambitious, but they also tend to be more risk averse than those born later in the birth order.”
The second effect that Adshade explains is that there are more single-children families today. Families with only one child increased to forty-five per cent in 2011 from forty per cent in 2001.
A team of researchers, led by Lisa Cameron in the Department of Econometrics at Monash University in Victoria, Australia, tested Chinese adults on a variety of personality traits, including risk aversion, based on their birth order. The subjects were born in Beijing shortly before the implementation of China’s one-child policy (1975 and 1978) or immediately following (1980 and 1983).
The study reveals that children born after the one-child policy was implemented were significantly less trustworthy, less competitive and more risk averse: all traits that suggest they are, generally, less entrepreneurial than those in bigger families.
Adshade exclaims, “This suggests that as first-born and only children begin to make up a greater proportion of Canada’s population, finding ways of fostering entrepreneurialism will become even more important. Maybe having a brood isn’t strictly necessary; I believe the capacity for creative thinking can be learned by anyone. But it means as parents and as teachers, we have to challenge, not coddle, the next generation.”
How are you encouraging your children to foster their creativity and helping Canada to raise future business leaders?
Read Adshade's article: How to raise an entrepreneur
]]>Yesterday we reported that despite skilled labour shortages, unemployment in Canada is at an all time high.
The most recent data reveals that vacancies fell to 200,000 at the start of 2013. This number essentially equates to 6.5 unemployed workers per open position. Statistics Canada reported this number was the lowest since they started collecting data March 2011.
The new data is the most recent indictor that appears to undercut government and business urging that Canada is facing a serious skills and labour shortage.
Last month, Prime Minister Jim Flaherty made the matter a key component of his budget. He announced that Ottawa would become more directly concerned in how the government spends $500 million for skills training. The plan would ascertain a $15k grant per person, paid evenly by Ottawa, the provinces and the employer, for training in precise vacancies.
An Increase in Foreign Workers
Canada has seen a massive increase in provisional foreign employees for vacancies employers cannot seem to fill.
Erin Weir, a labour economist with the United Steelworkers union says, "I think most of this idea of labour shortages is based on anecdotes from the business community. They might have a different definition of a labour shortage. Employers might believe that if they can't get the employees they want at the wages they are prepared to offer - that's a labour shortage."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper reiterated his promise to reorganization the foreign worker plan that, according to opposition critics, allowed Canadian firms to bring in 340,000 foreign workers last year. The problem became front page news subsequent to the Royal Bank being forced to issue an apology after it outsourced 45 jobs to firm based in the US. Meanwhile, there are 1.4 million unemployed Canadians.
In 2012 there was an average of 250,000 job vacancies per month among Canadian businesses, compared to 235,000 in 2011. For every job available there were 5.5 unemployed people in 2012 compared to 6.0 in 2011.
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]]>The President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Perrin Beatty says that they shortage is about needs for specific skills. For example, skills used in the Alberta oil fields. Many Baby Boomers are retiring and nobody is there to help fill the employment gaps.
Beatty says, “In mining alone, in the next decade, they are going to need 80,000 workers….if you look at electricity, in 2013, we need 45,000 new workers.”
The energy sector, mainly in Western Canada is pulling in people from other sectors, and causing a deficit in other industries, such as hospitality. He also pointed out a lot of workers who have been laid off; particularly the older ones in the automotive industry in Ontario are not prepared to move into another province for a job and will remain unemployed.
Erin Weir, economist with the United Steelworkers doesn’t feel there is a labour shortage. He explains, “Some positions will always be vacant…looking at the government data there really isn’t an imbalance.” He says companies should be offering higher wages. “Canada has one of the most skilled labour forces in the world. We haven’t seen much of a wage increase in years – it’s only going up about an average of two per cent a year.”
Weir explains there is lot of talk about the skilled labour shortage but not a substantial amount of evidence. “I think corporate Canada would like to hire workers at lower wages,” explains Weir. “Temporary foreign workers allow businesses to put workers in any region without having to train them or provide support for the move.”
]]>Many companies did not understand the requirements of the new rules according to Gary Clark, the Executive Director of Ontario Prospectors Association. This misunderstanding resulted in some getting caught disobeying the law and unexpectedly having to halt exploration work.
Mining companies that failed to acquire the required plan and permits that are now required by the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, “They have effectively had their exploration works shut down while they wait for these to go through…there are quite a few tied up in the process right now, and most of them are taking longer than 30 days,” explains Clark. This cost companies a significant amount of money and upset their schedules.
The amendments were put in place on April 1 and were the latest in a group of changes introduced in 2009 to update Ontario’s Mining Act. The Act has been attributed with providing regulation that underpinned a flourishing mining industry in the Province.
The updates were introduced to ease tension between mining companies, Aboriginal communities and landowners. Prospectors are now required to prepare and file exploration plans with the province for exploration work and wait for a 30-day public notice and comment period. Additionally, prospectors must contact landowners prior to any exploration, consult with affected Aboriginal communities, and apply for a new provincial exploration permit when test drilling and line cutting progress further than originally stated. Permits are generally issued within 50 days.
This is a huge difference to the current “free entry” system was put in place in 1996. Prospectors were able to do any exploration work without provincial permits, landowner, or community approval.
According to Shawn Batise the Executive Director of the Wabun Tribal Council in Timmins, “The old Mining Act was outdated in many ways.” The outdated Act led to several high profile disputes between First Nations and resource firms. Kristen E. Courtney an Environmental Lawyer writes,
“While First Nations, environmental groups, private land owners and industry all recognized a need for change, according to Batise, the new Act that has emerged represents a compromise on all sides.”
Companies that fail to comply with the new rules could face orders to stop-work and fines of up to $2,500 per day. According to a spokesperson for the Ministry, the province has not taken any enforcement action yet.
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