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Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
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ITAC’s Coverage of the 2008 Canadian Election
Posted October 8, 2008
ITAC is the national association of Canada’s information and communications technology (ICT) industry. Our industry is a lead player in the knowledge economy and because of its unique role as an enabler is especially placed to appreciate the degree to which our future prosperity across all sectors is dependent upon a strategy for success in the knowledge economy.
Preparing a platform to appeal to a nation as diverse as ours is a challenging task. But as you take on this task in the national election campaign, we urge you to build a vision for a better nation not only for the present, enriched as it is with robust economic benefits accruing from our natural resource legacy, but also for the future. The future is uncertain. The resources that have enriched us historically may lose their importance. The only sure economic investment in the future is in knowledge, in ensuring that Canada can compete effectively in an economy driven by innovation and new ideas.
We hope you will address these issues in the current campaign. We would also be pleased to receive a response or comments or to provide any further information that may be of use
Please click here to access our 2008 Canadian Election site
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Update on Procedures for Temporary Foreign Workers
Posted May 17, 2012
About 80 members of the ITAC community turned out for an information session hosted by Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation on May 9 to get an update on the procedures and processes for recruiting temporary foreign workers into ICT positions. Officials from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, HRSDC and the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration made presentation. Given all the changes recently announced this information may be helpful to all ICT employers. Access the presentations here.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Doug McCuaig Hosts Reception for WCIT 2012 in Washington D.C.
Posted May 8, 2012
Doug McCuaig lead a delegation of ITAC Board Members to Washington, D.C. on May 2 to share the plans for WCIT 2012 to ICT industry and public policy leaders. WCIT 2012 CEO Francois Morin and Program Chair Anthony Williams outlined the plans for the TechJam in June followed by the Congress in Montreal October 22-24. White House Deputy Chief Technology Officer, Danny Weitzner provided a keynote address. Over 50 guests joined us to sample Canadian cuisine in the spectacular setting of Canada’s Embassy in Washington. In this photo Doug is introducing Ambassador Gary Doer.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
The Issue: Building Stronger Tech Companies in Canada
Posted May 4, 2012
Perhaps, due to our geography and the persistent need to share information over the vast distances that Canadian nation-building has required, Canada has always punched above its weight in information and communications technology innovation and enterprise. From Alexander Graham Bell’s first long distance call to the invention of the BlackBerry, Canadian ingenuity has made its mark on global ICT.
Technology companies have contributed to the Canadian economy for well over a century. (ITAC – the Information Technology Association of Canada – itself has existed for over sixty years.) But the last half of the 21st century saw the most significant growth in home-grown Canadian technology enterprises. With the emergence of Nortel in the Ottawa area starting the 1950s and Research in Motion in Waterloo in the 1980s, tech entrepreneurs had local access to supply chain arrangements that could propel their products all around the world. They also had vivid role models and very strong evidence of the fortunes to be made in tech before them. Nortel famously spawned over 300 companies, many of which continue to anchor the Ottawa tech cluster today. Waterloo is home to over 800 tech ventures. While these clusters are significant, they aren’t the only sites of technology enterprise. Innovative technology enterprises exist in every region of the country.
Tech entrepreneurs are clearly alive and well in Canada. But while we create a lot of new technology start-ups, we do not get many of these companies to a size that has the potential to anchor a new cluster or to impact the economy in a major way. For a variety of reasons including bankruptcy, liquidation, merger and acquisition, many of the start-ups launched in Canada disappear. Many companies with aspirations and business plans to grow into global enterprises see their growth trajectory halted against their will. It has always been challenging to grow a technology venture. There are many hurdles a Canadian entrepreneur must overcome.
Access to Market
First of these is the relatively small size of the Canadian market, which is roughly the equivalent of one American state – California. This means that any emerging technology venture must be export-ready from the outset. But gaining access to the global markets can be expensive, risky and frustrating for small emerging technology companies.
Access to Capital
Because knowledge-based companies are R&D intensive and frequently require many years of development prior to revenue or profit, risk capital is critical to their growth. Canada has smaller pools of risk capital than other countries. What capital we have is currently at a historic low. And, generally speaking, Canadian capital is highly risk averse – more comfortable in the resource sector and the manufacturing sector than in the frequently abstract world of ICT.
Access to Talent
Talent is also a critical component in the growth of technology ventures. The technology industry faces chronic shortages of talent at all levels. But C-suite talent – seasoned chief financial officers, chief marketing officers and CIOs with sound experience taking a company from start-up to $100M global enterprise – are in particularly short supply. Anchor companies are generally viewed as the best resource for this level of talent, underscoring yet again the importance of large Canadian ICT firms.
Too frequently the result of these factors is that many promising companies with market-leading innovations are acquired at a very early stage in their evolution. But they aren’t the only tech ventures vulnerable to acquisition. Increasingly, many large publicly-traded ICT firms are being acquired at an accelerating rate. Many of these recent acquisitions have been in the $500M to $1B range – companies best poised to become major players or even anchors in a technology cluster.
Mergers and acquisitions, of course, are part of the normal flow of business in a free market economy. Generally speaking, most participants in a free market economy – ITAC included – view M&As, including those undertaken by foreign investors, as positive. They are frequently the fulfillment of a founder’s exit strategy or a validation of the integrity of the Canadian product. They are also a mechanism for launching Canadian ingenuity into a global market.
ITAC is fundamentally a free-market organization and will never advocate protectionist measures. However, many leaders in our industry are coming to conclude there is risk in maintaining an entirely uncritical view of the current pace of M&A activity. For one thing, we must consider that virtually every research-based tech venture in Canada receives some form of direct or indirect government support. Whether through indirect measures, such as SR&ED credits, or direct measures, such as IRAP funding, Canadian taxpayers contribute to the positive outcomes – jobs, innovations and wealth – that these enterprises produce. It is entirely appropriate, therefore, to analyse whether these public investments are returning the benefits anticipated.
There is no question that acquisitions can produce excellent outcomes. They provide global reach for Canadian technology, speedier commercialization of R&D and the validation of a global board. They also produce liquidity for founders and investors who have labored long and hard at the enterprise. And there are many examples in Canadian technology of a foreign acquisition propelling Canadian technology into global markets and providing the financial support necessary to keep the innovation cycles of the acquired company going. However, there are also outcomes that are less salutary.
Writing in 2004, Denzil Doyle, one of the deans of the Ottawa technology cluster observed:
“Although Canada has a good infrastructure in place for creating high-tech companies and growing them to a reasonable size ($10M to $20M in annual sales), very few of them become large multinational companies (sales in excess of $100M) with their corporate headquarters in Canada. One of the reasons is that many of them are purchased by foreign buyers (mainly U.S.) at an early stage and merged into their worldwide corporate structures. It is becoming very common for such buyers to leave only the R&D function in Canada along with an administrative support function and carry out all other functions (selling, marketing, operations, etc.) elsewhere in their corporate structures.
Canada should not place impediments in the way of such takeovers but should aggressively pursue policies that would encourage Canadian buyers to play a stronger takeover role, not just in Canada but around the world, particularly in the Unites States.”1
Doyle based his conclusions on a study of 72 technology companies acquired between 1993 and 2003. The phenomenon he observed and identified as “truncated companies” (or simply R&D branch plant) persists today. The key characteristic of a company like this is that it is stripped of its business talent – its marketing expertise, its financial capability – all the previously mentioned C-suite talent that is in such short supply in Canada. This fate, of course, is not the worst possible outcome. Any number of companies are strategically acquired with the acquirer’s full intention of shutting down a market rival. It cases like this, not even the R&D functions remain.
Canadian companies are particularly vulnerable to these pressures because they face greater challenges achieving strong valuations for their firms. Many Canadian executives report that in spite of strong products and excellent performance metrics, they confront competitors from other jurisdictions with mysteriously stronger valuations. A recent analysis by Byron capital Markets suggests that this under valuation is systemic across the tech sector not merely company specific. Byron did a comparison of Canadian and U.S. mid cap ($75 million to $1.5 billion) technology companies using the following criteria: long term EPS growth, P/E ratios and EBIT margin. They concluded that on average Canadian tech
companies are valued at a 23% discount in the software sector and a 34% discount in the hardware sector, while having higher EBIT margins and EPS growth.2
Canadian technology companies are an excellent bargain. This has clearly not escaped the attention of foreign technology companies and investors. The acute irony is that Canadian capital markets seem to be mysteriously unaware of the good value domestic tech companies may afford to investors.
Canadian securities regulations compound the vulnerability of our tech companies. In Canada, securities regulations are implemented at the provincial level so there may be variations across the country. With respect to Ontario, the Ontario Securities Commission has jurisdiction. Their policy is that shareholders have the exclusive rights to make the decision concerning the sale of the company. There is no allowance for the Board of Directors to exercise their fiduciary duty as it relates to the long term benefit to the company. Thus the most important decision in the history of the company is taken out of the hands of the Board and also Management. The result is that, for a public company, we have tied the hands of the group that best understands the opportunity and challenges of a sale.
In clear contrast, U.S.-based companies facing an acquisition have the sufficient defence mechanisms built into their regulatory system to enable the board and the management team to effectively ‘just say no and thereby stop a hostile takeover. In Canada, if a company is put in play or receives notice of acquisition intention, it has virtually no defence mechanisms. The sale of the company is virtually inevitable.
The range of options for action before us is unfortunately not extensive. One measure for consideration is the modification of our securities regulations to better equip Canadian executives and boards from takeover. For example, a shareholder rights plan – or “poison pill” – is a mechanism by which a company can be given the authority to issue new shares in such a way as to dilute the ability of a hostile bidder to acquire the company. In Canada, this is put in place at the time of an impending bid. It is limited in time (usually 50 days) and can be appealed to the securities commission. This has the effect of giving the company a very limited amount of time to find alternatives to the bidder at hopefully a better price, but it will not stop the transaction and does not provide sufficient time to delineate all possible alternatives.
In the United States, a rights plan can be voted in at any time (usually an Annual General Meeting) and does not have a fixed end point. It supports the concept that the fiduciary duty of the directors and management is to act in the best interests of the company and all its stakeholders, not just the shareholders. These ground rules have the effect of creating a longer and more onerous process to make a bid and of highlighting the need for a strategic rationale in moving ahead rather than just an opportunistic financial sortie.
In Canada, the time has come to consider mechanisms like this. We need to find a measure that restores the decision-making power of Canadian companies facing takeover to the executives of the company and their boards, who need to weigh the benefit for all the stakeholders.
Technology companies by their nature are volatile. Shifts in technology, change in markets or competition can at times blindside event the best management teams. Being a Canadian technology executive, especially if you serve a publicly traded company, is not for the faint of heart. We must take the appropriate measures to ensure that more Canadian firms grow to sufficient size to anchor strong clusters, build strong supply chains that thrive on Canadian ingenuity and ultimately become acquirers of companies themselves.
So for a variety of reasons, we are seeing an increase in the rate of acquisition of Canadian technology companies. The Branham Group has tracked the growth of Canadian technology firms since 2004. It has also tracked the disposition of Canadian companies bought and sold over that period. They have provided the table found in Appendix A listing M&A activity over the past ten years. The list, at 164 entries, is considerably longer than the one Denzil Doyle produced in 2004 and it shows marked acceleration in the rate of activity in 2011 and 2012. And there is a clear sense in the industry that we are selling companies more quickly than we are growing replacements.
This acceleration of M&A activity has impacts beyond the participants in the deal for the larger technology industry and its ecosystem. One particularly disturbing development is the shrinkage in the weight of technology ventures on one stock exchange. The chart below, again courtesy of Bryon Capital Markets, illustrates that the information technology sector listed on the TSX is currently 1.2% of the index. This is an alarming number. The dissemination of tech weight from 8% in 2004 sets a vicious cycle in motion. Canadian capital markets, which as previously stated, are risk averse and uncomfortable with technology are unlikely to retain the analytic expertise necessary to make investments in the sector. Fewer analysts mean less expertise in assessing the value of tech firms which continues to contribute to investor disinterest. This in turn fees the cycle of lower valuations and accelerate M&A activity. Clearly Canada’s technology industry has an obligation to raise these issues and take action to improve conditions in the ecosystem in which Canadian firms operate.
Conclusion and Recommendations
ITAC recommends action on four fronts.
- We must improve the quantity and quality of risk capital in Canada. There is a clear communication opportunity between our industry and the investment community to develop a clearer picture of the value of technology companies.
- We need to strengthen both the culture of entrepreneurship and the talent to ensure a strong cadre of technology enterprises and their growth.
- We must examine the regulatory framework in Canada to ensure a balanced approach that seeks to foster the growth of companies while protecting investors.
- Finally, we need a policy framework and program infrastructure to assist companies in finding their way to success in the global marketplace early in their corporate evolution.
Karna Gupta
President and CEO
Information Technology Association of Canada
Appendix: Canadian Companies Acquired February 2004 – March 2012 Courtesy Branham Group Inc.
|
Canadian Company Acquired |
HQ-Province |
Acquirer |
HQ-Country |
Date |
|
Varicent |
ON |
IBM |
US |
13-Apr-12 |
|
Belair Networks |
ON |
Ericsson |
Sweden |
02-Apr-12 |
|
Rugged.Com |
ON |
Siemens |
Germany |
15-Mar-12 |
|
Gennum |
ON |
Semtech |
USA |
14-Mar-12 |
|
TestFlight |
AB |
Burstly |
USA |
05-Mar-12 |
|
Blaze Software |
ON |
Akamai |
USA |
08-Feb-12 |
|
Dayforce |
ON |
Ceridian |
USA |
07-Feb-12 |
|
Tynt |
AB |
33Across |
USA |
24-Jan-12 |
|
Summify |
BC |
|
USA |
19-Jan-12 |
|
Anomalous Networks |
QC |
Tangoe |
USA |
17-Jan-12 |
|
Platform Computing |
ON |
IBM |
USA |
06-Jan-12 |
|
Dyaptive Systems |
BC |
JDS Uniphase |
USA |
05-Jan-12 |
|
LaserNetworks |
ON |
Xerox |
USA |
04-Jan-12 |
|
MOSAID Technologies |
ON |
Sterling Partners |
USA |
23-Dec-11 |
|
Enomaly |
ON |
Virtustream |
USA |
15-Dec-11 |
|
Rypple |
ON |
Salesforce.com |
USA |
15-Dec-11 |
|
March Networks |
ON |
Infinova |
USA |
09-Dec-11 |
|
Trellia Networks |
QC |
Wyse Technology |
USA |
21-Nov-11 |
|
EISI |
MB |
Zywave |
USA |
10-Nov-11 |
|
Kobo |
ON |
Rakuten |
Japan |
08-Nov-11 |
|
Grip Entertainment |
QC |
Autodesk |
USA |
07-Nov-11 |
|
AdParlor |
ON |
AdKnowledge |
USA |
01-Nov-11 |
|
Algorithmics |
ON |
IBM |
USA |
21-Oct-11 |
|
Zarlink Semiconductor |
ON |
Microsemi |
USA |
13-Oct-11 |
|
SocialGrapple |
ON |
|
USA |
11-Oct-11 |
|
ClearVision Technologies |
BC |
Valco Melton |
USA |
27-Sep-11 |
|
Superclick Networks |
QC |
AT&T |
USA |
26-Sep-11 |
|
OpenCal |
BC |
Groupon |
USA |
15-Sep-11 |
|
Techneos |
BC |
Confirmit |
Norway |
07-Sep-11 |
|
Cactus Commerce |
QC |
Ascentium |
USA |
06-Sep-11 |
|
Zite |
BC |
CNN |
USA |
30-Aug-11 |
|
Bright Games |
PE |
Electronic Arts |
USA |
22-Aug-11 |
|
Bridgewater Systems |
ON |
Amdocs |
USA |
17-Aug-11 |
|
Five Mobile |
ON |
Zynga |
USA |
08-Jul-11 |
|
BackType |
ON |
|
USA |
05-Jul-11 |
|
Veridae |
BC |
Tektronix |
USA |
05-Jul-11 |
|
Subserveo |
BC |
DST Systems |
USA |
20-Jun-11 |
|
MXI Security |
QC |
Imation |
USA |
06-Jun-11 |
|
PostRank |
ON |
|
USA |
03-Jun-11 |
|
MKS |
ON |
The Product Development Company |
USA |
31-May-11 |
|
SiGe Semiconductor |
ON |
Skyworks Solutions |
USA |
17-May-11 |
|
Labtronics |
ON |
PerkinElmer |
USA |
16-May-11 |
|
Conversition |
ON |
e-Rewards |
USA |
10-May-11 |
|
WellPoint Systems |
AB |
P2 Energy Solutions |
USA |
02-May-11 |
|
Coradiant |
QC |
BMC Software |
USA |
28-Apr-11 |
|
Dyadem |
ON |
IHS |
USA |
27-Apr-11 |
|
Adenyo |
ON |
Motricity |
USA |
14-Apr-11 |
|
PushLife |
ON |
|
USA |
08-Apr-11 |
|
Cytiva |
BC |
Taleo |
USA |
01-Apr-11 |
|
Radian6 |
NB |
Salesforce.com |
USA |
30-Mar-11 |
|
Bel Air Networks |
ON |
Ericsson |
Sweden |
05-Mar-11 |
|
CoverItLive |
ON |
Demand Media |
USA |
03-Mar-11 |
|
DALSA |
ON |
Teledyne |
USA |
14-Feb-11 |
|
MyThum Interactive |
ON |
OLSON |
USA |
08-Feb-11 |
|
Optimal Payments |
QC |
Neovia |
United Kingdom |
20-Jan-11 |
|
QuIC Financial Technologies |
BC |
Markit |
United Kingdom |
12-Jan-11 |
|
Attassa |
AB |
YouSendIt |
USA |
05-Jan-11 |
|
Flock |
BC |
Zynga |
USA |
05-Jan-11 |
|
Zetawire |
ON |
|
USA |
15-Dec-10 |
|
Protus |
ON |
j2 Global Communications |
USA |
06-Dec-10 |
|
Zeugma |
BC |
Tellabs |
USA |
22-Nov-10 |
|
Cognovision |
ON |
Intel |
USA |
15-Nov-10 |
|
OmniRIM Solutions |
BC |
Archive Systems |
USA |
04-Nov-10 |
|
Clarity Systems |
ON |
IBM |
USA |
21-Oct-10 |
|
Airborne Mobile |
QC |
Cellfish Media |
USA |
05-Oct-10 |
|
Point2 Technologies |
SK |
Yardi Systems |
USA |
30-Sep-10 |
|
VisionFM |
ON |
Expesite |
USA |
24-Sep-10 |
|
Atrion International |
QC |
IHS |
USA |
22-Sep-10 |
|
Blue Castle Games |
BC |
Capcom |
Japan |
16-Sep-10 |
|
Backstage Technologies |
BC |
RealNetworks |
USA |
15-Sep-10 |
|
Cengea |
BC |
Trimble |
USA |
13-Sep-10 |
|
SocialDeck |
ON |
|
USA |
30-Aug-10 |
|
Accubid Systems |
ON |
Trimble |
USA |
12-Aug-10 |
|
LayerBoom |
BC |
Joyent |
USA |
14-Jul-10 |
|
Poly9 |
QC |
Apple |
USA |
14-Jul-10 |
|
Elluminate |
AB |
Blackboard |
USA |
08-Jul-10 |
|
Matrikon |
AB |
Honeywell |
USA |
28-Jun-10 |
|
Fusepoint Managed Services |
ON |
Savvis |
USA |
16-Jun-10 |
|
Dabble DB |
BC |
|
USA |
10-Jun-10 |
|
Sitemasher |
BC |
Salesforce.com |
USA |
28-May-10 |
|
xkoto |
ON |
Teradata |
USA |
26-May-10 |
|
Bump Technologies |
ON |
|
USA |
02-May-10 |
|
BreconRidge |
ON |
Sanmina-SCI |
USA |
27-Apr-10 |
|
Bycast |
BC |
NetApp |
USA |
07-Apr-10 |
|
Zeep Mobile |
BC |
Vibes Media |
USA |
24-Mar-10 |
|
Verus Mobile Technologies |
BC |
PayPoint |
United Kingdom |
09-Mar-10 |
|
Sirit |
ON |
Federal Signal |
USA |
05-Mar-10 |
|
Brainhunter |
ON |
Zylog |
India |
03-Feb-10 |
|
Tomoye |
QC |
Newsgator |
USA |
20-Jan-10 |
|
Versa Systems |
ON |
Iron Data |
USA |
07-Jan-10 |
|
Coretec |
ON |
DDi |
USA |
31-Dec-09 |
|
Opalis Software |
ON |
Microsoft |
USA |
11-Dec-09 |
|
Xenos Group |
ON |
Actuate |
USA |
08-Dec-09 |
|
Corel |
ON |
Corel Holdings (Vector Capital) |
USA |
26-Nov-09 |
|
Mobivox |
QC |
SabSe Technologies |
USA |
24-Sep-09 |
|
NowPublic Technologies |
BC |
Clarity Media Group |
USA |
01-Sep-09 |
|
Nexient Learning |
NS |
Global Knowledge |
USA |
24-Aug-09 |
|
RapidMind |
ON |
Intel |
USA |
20-Aug-09 |
|
J2Play |
ON |
Electronic Arts |
USA |
05-Aug-09 |
|
Super Rewards |
BC |
AdKnowledge |
USA |
29-Jul-09 |
|
Tundra Semiconductor |
ON |
IDT |
USA |
29-Jun-09 |
|
Neoteric Technology |
BC |
Haemonetics |
USA |
25-Jun-09 |
|
BigPark |
BC |
Microsoft |
USA |
07-May-09 |
|
Zi |
AB |
Nuance |
USA |
09-Apr-09 |
|
Certicom |
ON |
RIM |
Canada |
23-Mar-09 |
|
Action Pants |
BC |
Ubisoft |
Paris |
03-Feb-09 |
|
Karabunga (Defensio) |
QC |
Websense |
USA |
27-Jan-09 |
|
Nortel |
ON |
Technology Company Consortium |
USA |
January 2009-Onward |
|
Softimage |
QC |
Autodesk |
USA |
24-Oct-08 |
|
OZ Communications |
QC |
Nokia |
Finland |
30-Sep-08 |
|
Q9 Networks |
ON |
ABRY Partners |
USA |
24-Aug-08 |
|
MultiVision Communications |
ON |
Nuance Communications |
USA |
31-Jul-08 |
|
Gemcom Software International |
BC |
JMI Equity, The Carlyle Group and Pala Investments Holdings |
NA |
23-Jul-08 |
|
YourTechOnline |
BC |
SupportSoft |
USA |
05-May-08 |
|
90 Degree Software |
BC |
Microsoft |
USA |
14-Mar-08 |
|
Bioscrypt |
ON |
L-1 Identity Solutions |
USA |
05-Mar-08 |
|
PlateSpin |
ON |
Novell |
USA |
25-Feb-08 |
|
NUVO Network Management |
ON |
Versata Enterprises |
USA |
22-Feb-08 |
|
VantagePoint Systems |
BC |
Solarsoft Business Systems |
United Kingdom |
24-Jan-08 |
|
Net Integration Technologies |
ON |
IBM |
USA |
18-Jan-08 |
|
Cognos |
ON |
IBM |
USA |
03-Jan-08 |
|
Cubix |
AB |
AdKnowledge |
USA |
08-Dec-07 |
|
Rand Worldwide |
ON |
Ampersand Ventures |
USA |
01-Nov-07 |
|
Blast Radius |
BC |
WPP |
United Kingdom |
21-Oct-07 |
|
BioWare |
AB |
Electronic Arts |
USA |
11-Oct-07 |
|
DataMirror |
ON |
IBM |
USA |
04-Sep-07 |
|
Whitehill Technologies |
NB |
Skywire Software |
USA |
04-Sep-07 |
|
New Horizon Interactive |
BC |
The Walt Disney Company |
USA |
01-Aug-07 |
|
WatchFire |
ON |
IBM |
USA |
23-Jul-07 |
|
Workbrain |
ON |
Infor |
USA |
01-Jun-07 |
|
Evolved Digital Systems |
QC |
Shimadzu |
Japan |
05-Apr-07 |
|
GEOCOMtms |
QC |
RedPrairie |
USA |
21-Feb-07 |
|
Sierra Systems Canada |
BC |
Golden Gate Capital |
USA |
05-Jan-07 |
|
ATI Technologies |
ON |
AMD |
USA |
25-Oct-06 |
|
DigitalConnexxions |
ON |
InfoUSA |
USA |
05-Oct-06 |
|
VoodooPC |
AB |
HP |
USA |
28-Sep-06 |
|
Hot Banana Software |
ON |
Lyris Technologies |
USA |
21-Aug-06 |
|
Minacs Worldwide |
ON |
TransWorks Information Services |
India |
16-Aug-06 |
|
Bridges Transitions |
BC |
Xap |
USA |
21-Jul-06 |
|
QA Labs |
BC |
UST |
USA |
11-Jul-06 |
|
CNC Global |
ON |
Vedior |
Netherlands |
10-May-06 |
|
AssetMetrix |
ON |
Microsoft |
USA |
26-Apr-06 |
|
Cybermation |
ON |
CA Technologies |
USA |
14-Apr-06 |
|
VoiceGenie Technologies |
ON |
Genesys |
USA |
05-Apr-06 |
|
BSD Software |
AB |
NeoMedia Technologies |
USA |
23-Mar-06 |
|
Farabi Technology |
QC |
Seagull Software |
USA |
20-Mar-06 |
|
GEAC Computing |
ON |
Golden Gate Capital |
USA |
14-Mar-06 |
|
Gallium Software |
ON |
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace |
Norway |
02-Dec-05 |
|
MDSI Mobile Data Solutions |
BC |
Vista Equity Partners |
USA |
22-Sep-05 |
|
Alacris |
ON |
Microsoft |
USA |
20-Sep-05 |
|
Nimcat Networks |
ON |
Avaya |
USA |
19-Sep-05 |
|
Triversity |
ON |
SAP |
Germany |
19-Sep-05 |
|
DWL |
ON |
IBM |
USA |
01-Sep-05 |
|
PureEdge Solutions |
BC |
IBM |
USA |
05-Aug-05 |
|
Reqwireless |
ON |
|
USA |
15-Jul-05 |
|
Creo |
BC |
Kodak |
USA |
16-Jun-05 |
|
Financial Models |
ON |
SS&C Technologies |
USA |
19-Apr-05 |
|
eXI Wireless |
BC |
Applied Digital |
USA |
01-Apr-05 |
|
Speedware |
QC |
Activant Solutions |
USA |
30-Mar-05 |
|
Radical Entertainment |
BC |
Vivendi Universal |
France |
23-Mar-05 |
|
Schemasoft |
BC |
Apple |
USA |
22-Mar-05 |
|
Cedara Software |
ON |
Merge Efilm |
USA |
18-Jan-05 |
|
AD OPT Technologies |
QC |
Kronos |
USA |
18-Nov-04 |
|
Boomerang Tracking |
QC |
LoJack |
USA |
29-Oct-04 |
|
Systemcorp ALG |
QC |
IBM |
USA |
12-Oct-04 |
|
Changepoint |
ON |
Compuware |
USA |
03-May-04 |
|
The Electric Mail Company |
BC |
j2 Global Communications |
USA |
22-Mar-04 |
|
EDUCOM TS |
ON |
ZANTAZ |
USA |
18-Feb-04 |
1 "Building World-Class Canadian High Tech Companies," by Denzil Doyle et al, April 2004, page 5.
2 "The Canuck Tech Discount Exists," Capital Markets Research paper, February 1, 2012.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Government of Canada Announces A More Efficient and Responsive Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Posted April 30, 2012
The Government of Canada recently realigned the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to better meet labour market demands and support the economic recovery. This Program will now be more responsive to Canada’s skills and labour shortages and ensure that employers will have less red tape to deal with. Employers with a strong track record will now receive an Accelerated-Labour Market Opinion (A-LMO) within 10 business days to hire temporary foreign workers in high-skill occupations. This should expedite the hiring of skilled workers from other countries.
ITAC welcomes this announcement as one of its six priorities is to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for Canada’s ICT industry. Full details of this announcement are available here: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?nid=670919.
Please note: A complimentary Temporary Foreign Worker Seminar is being hosted by the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation on Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 from 8:30 am to 1:00 p.m. in Toronto.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Corinne Charette Provides Food for Thought at the Inaugural ITAC Series of Meetings with Government
Posted April 20, 2012
ITAC today hosted Corinne Charette, Chief Information Officer for Canada, at the first of a new series of meetings with government.
Ms. Charette, who is responsible for leading policy development and enablement, management oversight and community capacity development for six policy areas (information management, information technology, identity management and security, access to information, privacy, and internal and external services) provided much food for thought during her talk.
Not only did she address the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) in software acquisition, she also shared with the audience some of the key elements of the Government of Canada’s IT modernization strategy which is founded on the three pillars: standardization, consolidation and re-engineering.
The ITAC series of meetings with government is designed to provide ITAC members and other interested individuals with an opportunity to attend meetings with government on a more informal basis. This series is part of a larger initiative by ITAC to deliver more value to its community. For further information, please contact Linda Oliver - loliver@itac.ca.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Entrepreneur Of The Year Nominations Are Open
Posted April 19, 2012
Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year program is looking to "celebrate the game changers" and inviting nominations until April 30, 2012.
Details of the program, eligibility guidelines and an online nomination form can be found at ey.com/ca/EOY.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
New R&D Initiative Will Focus On Cities, Water, Energy and Healthcare
Posted April 11, 2012
The governments of Canada and Ontario, IBM and a consortium of seven universities led by the University of Toronto and Western University have come together to create a $210-million research and development initiative. The program, which will focus on challenges facing cities, water and energy conservation and the healthcare sector, will create 145 new highly skilled jobs in Ontario.
IBM will invest up to $175 million prior to December 2014 to form the IBM Canada Research and Development Centre, which will serve as a foundation for the research initiative. The Government of Canada will contribute $20 million to allow a consortium of seven southern Ontario post-secondary institutions and IBM to install two high-performance IBM Blue Gene/Q supercomputers. The Government of Ontario will invest $15 million.
Full details of the initiative are available here and here.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
3rd Canadian Smart Grid Summit host to local and international utility leaders and regulators
Posted April 10, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORONTO, 4 April 2012 – Strategy Institute is hosting its 3rd Annual Canadian Smart Grid Summit on June 12th and 13th in Toronto.
Bringing together senior-level practitioners and leading producers of smart grid technologies, the conference promises a holistic view of current smart grid developments and challenges.
“Ontario is at the cutting edge of significant change,” says Kim Warren, Chief Operating Officer of the Ontario IESO. “This summit is part of the ongoing conversation about how we can continue to work towards creating a more efficient and sustainable system and how consumers can help us achieve it.”
The increasingly important role of the customer is echoed by Mark Henderson, COO and EVP of Asset Management of PowerStream, who will be present at the Smart Grid Summit. “I will be sharing the PowerStream experience in placing the customer at the centre of our Smart Grid strategy as we strive to improve reliability, efficiency, and customer experience.”
As smart grid developments gain momentum, a sound policy framework is imperative for bringing down costs and ensuring the continuation of consumer acceptance.
“The 3rd Canadian Smart Grid Summit provides the opportunity for a myriad of stakeholders to articulate smart grid value propositions and to discuss the coordinated business, economic, and regulatory policies that support them,” says Steve Widergren of the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel by NIST.
Kim Warren, Mark Henderson, and Steve Widergren will be sharing their first-hand insights in Toronto on June 12th and 13th.
Full agenda, speaker roster, and venue specifics can be found on the conference website: http://smartgridsummit.ca.
Contact:
Jessica Kim
Marketing Project Manager
Strategy Institute
401-401 Richmond St W
Toronto, ON M5V 3A8
(866) 298-9343 ext 206
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Federal Budget Heralds Significant Changes and Reductions to SR&ED
Posted March 30, 2012
In keeping with recommendations made in the Jenkins Report, the Federal Government has indicated that it will begin to shift from an indirect tax-based approach to encourage research and development to a more direct grant-based approach. The Budget will remove approximately $35 million from SR&ED in 2013/2014 by:
- Reducing the general 20% SR&ED investment tax credit rate applicable to SR&ED qualified expenditure pool balances at the end of the taxation year to 15%
- Excluding expenditures of a capital nature from eligibility for SR&ED reductions applicable to property acquired after January 1, 2014
- Reducing the rate the itemized overhead expenditures proxy from 65% to 60% in 2013 and 55% after 2013
In addition, the Budget also contains proposals to review the need for businesses to pay third parties to assist with the SR&ED incentive program.
The Budget also announced $500 million in direct research and development and innovation stimulus through:
- Doubling (an additional $110 million for the next 2 years) the investment in IRAP assistance to R&D performed by small and mid-sized companies
- $14 million over the next two years to double the Industrial Research and Development Internship Program administered by MITACS
- $12 million to make the Business led Centres of Excellence Program permanent
The Budget also announced plans to invest an additional $95 million over the next 3 years to make the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program, which connects small and medium-sized enterprises with federal departments and agencies that have a need for innovative products and services permanent. There is also a proposed allocation of $37 million to enhance the granting councils’ support for industry-academic research and partnership initiatives. This includes $15 million to NSERC and $15 million to CIHR. The balance of the new direct funding is for sector specific initiatives such as $105 million for forestry and genomics research.
The Budget also addresses the need to assist emerging knowledge-based companies to access risk capital. It promises to make $400 million available to help increase private sector investments in early stage companies. The nature of this funding and its delivery mechanism are to be determined through a consultative process.
Overall, the Budget commits the Government to over $5 billion in ongoing departmental savings achieved through program closures and a 12,000 person reduction in employment over 3 years. The Budget restated the importance of the role that Shared Services Canada will play in achieving the “back-office efficiencies” that will drive this saving. The Government will introduce legislation establishing Shared Services Canada with a mandate to deliver value for money for Canadian taxpayers “and giving it the necessary authorities to maintain the integrity of its mission critical operations and to realize the efficiencies for which it was created.”
In December 2008, the Advisory Panel on Canada’s System of International Taxation released its report. The panel’s mandate was to recommend ways to improve the competitiveness, efficiency and fairness of Canada’s system of international taxation. In its 2011 budget, the federal government indicated that it was studying the recommendations in the report and would “provide a response in due course.”
Several measures contained in the 2012 budget are a direct consequence of the panel’s recommendations, in particular those relating to the thin-capitalization rules and so-called “debt-dumping” transactions. For example, Budget 2012 proposed reducing the debt-to-equity ratio from 2:1 to 1.5:1, and extending the rules to partnerships of which a Canadian-resident corporation is a member by effectively allocating to the partner the proportionate share of the partnership’s obligations.
For further information, contact Lynda Leonard – 613-238-4822 x2239.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Members wanted
Posted March 29, 2012
The newly created ISO/IEC JTC 1 sub-committee SC39, which will examine sustainability issues in the ICT sector, is looking for members.
Interested people should contact Walter Jager, Chair of the Canadian Advisory Committee, at wjager@goECD.com.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
PROFIT seeks fast-growing companies
Posted March 28, 2012
If you know a company that you think qualifies as one of the country’s fastest-growing organizations, PROFIT magazine wants to hear from you. For the 24th year, the publication will feature its listing of the PROFIT 200.
Winners will be featured in the Summer 2012 edition of PROFIT.
To learn more about the PROFIT 200 and nominate a company, follow this link.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Ontario Government Freezes Corporate Tax Reduction and Creates Jobs and Prosperity Council
Posted March 27, 2012
Noting Ontario’s strong track record in establishing one of the most competitive tax regimes in North America, Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan called on business to do its part to fight the province’s $15 billion deficit by foregoing for a while ongoing tax reductions. Indicated he would freeze the corporate tax rate of 11.5% until the Budget is restored to balance.
The Drummond Report noted the proliferation of frequently duplicative business services in Ontario and called for a complete overhaul of Ontario business services. Mr. Duncan today announced his decision to begin this process by creating a Jobs and Prosperity Council. The Council will provide advice on “Ontario’s productivity and innovation challenges as well as on measures to improve research and development tax credits to increase business R&D expenditure and simplify compliance and administration. The Council will also provide advice on how to consolidate and refocus – through the lens of productivity and innovation – the $2 billion Ontario currently spends on business support programs.
Except for compensation freezes, the Budget mainly preserved the philosophy and direction of the Government’s investments in education even preserving the 30% Off Ontario Tuition Grant and maintaining class sizes.
The Budget promises to “transform healthcare.” It carries relatively few specific references to technology but it does talk about the need to streamline care and make wider use of a broader array of treatment centres. The Government is introducing reforms to enable LHINs to promote a seamless coordination of the treatment patients receive across various health providers. It also plans to shift procedures currently conducted in hospitals to community-based clinics where they can be performed faster and at lower cost.
The Minister announced plans to continue to reduce the size of the Ontario public service and forecasts a reduction of 1,000 full-time jobs over the next two years. This will continue to underscore the importance of expanding Service Ontario’s use of public-private partnership models to deliver more services online at a more affordable cost in partnership with private sector experts in this field.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Join ITAC at Canada 3.0 2012, Canada’s premier digital forum
Posted March 19, 2012
Early Bird Rate Extended Until March 23rd for Canada 3.0 2012
There’s still time to save up to $300.00 off the price of registration at the Canadian Digital Media Network’s (CDMN) Canada 3.0 Digital Media Forum on April 24th and 25th in Stratford, Ontario. CDMN has extended the early bird deadline until 5pm on March 23rd, 2012.
Register now to play your part in accelerating Canada’s digital future.
Attend Canada’s premier digital media conference and benefit from an action-packed agenda which includes:
- An interactive showcase profiling emerging technologies;
- A two-day Road to Banff ™ Venture Forum pitch-off competition where 100 startups will gain valuable feedback on their pitches and three winners are awarded a trip to the Banff Venture Forum;
- Engaging keynotes featuring Canadian industry, government and academic leaders;
- Interactive breakout sessions featuring panels, debates and expert presentations;
- A celebration of Canadian entertainment; and
- Extensive opportunities to network and connect with potential partners and investors.
CDMN has already confirmed a number of world class keynote and breakout session speakers including ITAC’s own Lynda Leonard and:
- Mark Barrenchea, President and CEO, OpenText;
- Linda Brown-Ganzert, Vice President, Nordicity;
- David Fransen, Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles;
- Mathew Ingram, Sr. Writer, GigaOM;
- Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, OpenText;
- John Maduri, CEO, Xplorenet;
- Mark McLean, Vice President, Canadian Youth Business Foundation;
- Tom Perlmutter, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson, National Film Board;
- John Stackhouse, Editor-in-Chief, Globe and Mail;
- Matt Galloway, Host, CBC Radio One’s Metro Morning; and
- Lisa von Sturmer, CEO and Founder, Growing City.
Look for even more speaker announcements and profiles on www.canada30.ca in the weeks to come.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Announcing the Alpha Exchange Innovation Campaign
Posted March 16, 2012
Registration is open!
TORONTO, ON, February 7th, 2012 – Backbone magazine and The Alpha Exchange are excited to launch the Start Me Up Innovation Campaign.
The Alpha Exchange Innovation Campaign is about finding inspired Canadian technology ideas, and helping entrepreneurs bring those ideas to the marketplace. The product or service can focus on any sector and use any type of technology.
The campaign includes the following:
1. Prizes: $95,000 in prizes (part seed capital, part products and services)
2. A live pitch event, judged by leading technology and business leaders
3. A full year of follow-up editorial exposure (successes, challenges, advice) in print and online
The top 200 applicants will also receive invitations to the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT), Oct. 22 to 24 in Montreal.
The competition application form is online at www.backbonemag.com/startmeup
Qualified entrants are early-stage companies, with revenue of no more than $2 million annually. Successful entrants will have a ready-to-sell product or service and a complete business plan and market analysis. Any business or technology sector is relevant.
Timing of campaign
Launch/Contest Applications - February 7, 2012 – March 31, 2012
Judging - April 2 - 21, 2012
Awards Event - May 16, 2012
Follow-Up Winner Stories - Online and Print - May 2012 – April 2013
Backbone will create an online “Innovation Campaign Portal” in addition to the publication, where readers can monitor the winner’s advancements, successes, resources and challenges in weekly blog posts, tweets and other Web content.
“The campaign is consistent with Backbone’s mandate of inspiring innovation and helping companies learn from other businesses”, says Steve Dietrich, Publisher of Backbone magazine.
Alpha Group, the founding sponsor, is an organization established in 2007 to reinvigorate trading in Canada. With its Alternative Trading System, Alpha Group brought the change the financial industry was waiting for in the trading space. Now, with the formation of its Exchange, Alpha Group is looking at bringing similar change to the Canadian listing space driven by what issuers and investors need.
“We are determined to help build the eco-system that Canadian technology entrepreneurs are currently missing in the initial and early stages of their business.” states Jos Schmitt, CEO of Alpha Group.
Additional Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors include: HP, ORION, Ceridian, Ryerson Digital Media Zone, Wildeboer Dellelce, BCTIA’s Centre for Growth, Financial Technology Partners, World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT).
Backbone magazine is a broad based business magazine focused on technology. Distribution is 100,000 copies to The Globe and Mail subscribers, 1,000 to Air Canada Lounges, 3,000 to 4,000 copies to trade shows per issue. Backbone targets educated, influential and affluent decision makers, early adopters, forward-thinking executives who strive to keep up to date with important technology trends for business and personal use.
For further details contact:
Sue Ansell
Backbone Online Communications Manager
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
President of the Treasury Board Minister Tony Clement addressed ITAC Board March 12 in Ottawa
Posted March 15, 2012
President of the Treasury Board Minister Tony Clement addressed ITAC’s Board March 12 in Ottawa. The Minister shared his government’s IT strategy to help modernize government systems, processes and services within the budgetary capacity. Shown above in photo with Minister Clement is ITAC President Karna Gupta and ITAC Chair of the Board Doug McCuaig President and CEO of CGI.
Download text for the speech (PDF).
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Background: ITAC Responds to the Report of the Commission to Reform Ontario Public Services
Posted March 12, 2012
The Report of the Commission on the Reform of Ontario Public Services (popularly known as the Drummond Report after Commission Chair Don Drummond) delivers urgent and sobering messages about the state of Ontario’s economy. It also contains over 300 recommended measures which, if undertaken immediately, could prevent the bleak prospect of a $30 billion debt by 2018. The report is an excellent analysis of Ontario’s economic present and future. The changes it recommends are bound to be controversial. All belt tightening measures are. However, for so richly seeding the democratic discussion that must precede any serious austerity program, the Commission and the Ontario Government are both to be commended for this report. Ontario clearly faces hard choices and change. The choices must be made in cognizance of their wider implications. ITAC has reviewed the report from the perspective of the ICT industry, which is a vitally important contributor to Ontario’s economy, particularly as it transitions into a 21st century, knowledge-based economy. Our focus is on three key areas of the report: health, education and business services.
Health
The Drummond Report acknowledges the importance of health information technology to enable improved efficiency in the Ontario health sector. At least 19 of 105 health recommendations identify health information and/or HIT as critical success factors in proposed government health reforms. ITAC is a strenuous advocate for precisely this level of more widespread, integrated and strategic use of technology to improve outcomes and reduce cost.
The report identifies key trends in health IT that can be exploited to improve efficiencies, safety and outcomes. These include: use information to better manage the health system; increased use of telemedicine (Telehomecare, Teledermatology, Tele-ophthalmology); leverage electronic health records to manage chronic disease and medications; and improve communications between institutions, primary care and CCACs. ITAC fully concurs.
ITAC is already working with government to improve efficiency of the health system. We are engaged with the Ontario government, eHealth Ontario and Cancer Care Ontario at a strategic level in the development of an eHealth infrastructure for Ontario. ITAC and its member companies also engage with other key stakeholders in the Ontario health system such as OntarioMD and other professional and industry associations to ensure that the vendor community is prepared to meet standards that are designed to improve productivity, patient safety and health outcomes.
ITAC believes that digitization of the health sector can be accelerated bringing needed reforms online more quickly. We support the report’s “bottom-up” approach which will put information technology into the hands of clinicians who can drive innovations that improve productivity, patient safety and health outcomes.
The Commission’s report also identifies a number of inefficiencies that can be ameliorated by information technology. For example, technology can facilitate the necessary shift from hospital- based treatment to clinic and home-based prevention. ITAC welcomes the focus the report places on technology’s role in gaining efficiencies and reducing costs. We concur with the report’s observation that technology itself, even when it is currently deployed, is not used fully effectively in a manner to drive the best return.
Education
ITAC concurs with the report’s observation that a strong education system is critical to Ontario’s prosperity and global competitiveness. Participating as we do in a global knowledge-based economy, Ontario’s excellence in education is currently its chief asset. Meeting the challenge set out by the report “to deliver education as efficiently and effectively as possible” requires careful attention to what is central to the role of the education system and what is secondary. ITAC believes that the primary role of the education system is to educate – to produce the skilled graduates necessary to fuel the growth of our knowledge-based industries and to drive innovation. So we support the report’s perspective on the importance of preserving teaching excellence. We particularly applaud the focus given to the need to preserve and improve experience based learning.
ITAC also supports the Commission’s call for a revision of current research funding structures. We know we cannot turn our back on the importance of discovery research to a robust knowledge-based economy. Preserving this activity is table stakes. However, it is possible that the role of post-secondary institutions in commercializing innovation is both misunderstood and over-stated. There is a plethora of commercialization entities within our universities that may or may not be serving a useful purpose. So ITAC supports the call for an evaluation and revision of Ontario’s research funding structures particularly if, by gaining efficiencies in this area, we can preserve or improve teaching quality and the quality of graduates.
Business Supports
Whatever the respective merits of Ontario’s 44 business support programs, ITAC believes that the very best business support program of all is a competitive tax regime. The Government is to be commended for the steps that it has taken in the harmonization of retail sales tax and the ongoing reduction of the corporate tax burden. Preserving the competitive tax regime must be central to any review of business support programs. In a period of tough choices, sacrificing tax reform in favour of preserving programs would be a poor choice.
It is tempting then to support the Commission’s call for a full grandfathering of all programs followed by a “from scratch” rebuild based on programs that deliver productivity improvement and innovation. However, the suggestion that Ontario cease making refundable tax credits, including those for research and development, would be hugely detrimental to Ontario’s innovation ecosystem.
Ontario is currently in the privileged position of being home to the vast majority of R&D activity in the Canadian economy. All provincial jurisdictions and virtually all international jurisdictions compete aggressively through direct and indirect incentives to attract and retain high value R&D jobs and infrastructure investments. R&D activity is highly mobile. It can be relatively easy to displace to lower cost jurisdictions, especially if the incentive structure changes or if its future becomes uncertain. ITAC has recommended measures to reform the Ontario research and development credit – such as opting for a labour-based approach to the calculation of the credit – but it would never support a complete removal of the credit even for a short period of time.
The Commission’s Report contains a great deal of useful counsel. One theme, in particular, pervades the whole report whether the topic is health, education or other services. The report persistently calls for the efficiencies to be gained through integrated service delivery, automated back office activities and shared service environments. ITAC, without reservation, supports this thinking. We have witnessed the efficiency gains and cost reductions possible by this approach repeatedly in our interaction with private sector and some public sector customers. Advocacy for this approach is a central tenet of our ongoing advocacy for government service modernization and transformation. We work actively with the Ontario Government on this front and are ready to do whatever is required to help government achieve the vision of better integrated, more efficient service delivery.
For more information, please contact Lynda Leonard: leonard@itac.ca or 613-238-4822 x2239.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Ontario Developing ‘First-ever’ Immigration Strategy
Posted March 6, 2012
Karna Gupta Appointed to McGuinty Government Expert Roundtable On Immigration
To help build a stronger economy, Ontario will develop its first-ever immigration strategy. A new expert roundtable, led by Julia Deans, and including Karna Gupta, ITAC President and CEO, will help develop the strategy and examine ways that immigration can best support Ontario's economic development and help new Ontarians find jobs. Ontario remains the number one destination for newcomers to Canada yet it is the only province currently without an immigration agreement with the federal government. The new provincial immigration strategy will help to inform and shape discussions with the federal government towards an agreement.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ICT Companies Well Represented in Top Diversity Employers List
Posted February 28, 2012
Canada's Top 100 Employers has released its list of the Canada's Best Diversity Employers, companies they deem to be leaders in developing a wide range of initatives to promote diversity in the workplace among women, visible minorities, persons with disabilites, aboriginal people and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual employees. Of the 50 companies
named, 10 are members of the ITAC community. Well done HP, Sask Tel, Sask Power, Telus, Xerox, E&Y, Deloitte, KPMG, BDC, and Northwestel.
www.canadastop100.com/diversity
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Ottawa-based Coral CEA Invests in Digital Media Zone Companies
Posted February 17, 2012
For Immediate Release
Coral CEA and the Digital Media Zone build on an ecosystem to expand Ontario’s software capabilities
Ottawa and Toronto, ON – February 14, 2012 – Ottawa-based Coral CEA has invested $120,000 in four companies located at Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone (DMZ), and Coral CEA is reviewing possible investments in even more firms at the DMZ. “We are attracted to teams who are ‘getting it done’ versus talking about innovation and we want this type of collaboration to set a new standard in Ontario,” says Brian Forbes, Executive Director at Coral CEA. Forbes believes the DMZ has taken a hands-on approach with entrepreneurs that is a perfect fit with Coral CEA.
At the DMZ Coral CEA has invested in:
• ARB Labs Inc. designed a software application that that allows any video display to create an immersive 3D effect – without the need for goggles or glasses
• Greenguage Inc. developed a software tool for smartphone and web that blends mobile technology with the green movement allowing monitoring of Corporate Social Responsibility efforts
• HitSend Inc. offers an online platform to enable and enhance community-based change by tapping into the community’s collective voice
• ViaFoura Inc. created a cloud-based plug and play user engagement and gaming platform for online content sites
“Coral CEA’s funding will allow us to add two more people to our current staff of five. The DMZ and Coral CEA are not just paying lip service to innovation, they are not just talking, they have a plan of action,” says Warren Tanner CMO at HitSend. He adds, “There is no better business school than starting a business and that is exactly what we do.”
The DMZ launched in the spring of 2010 with over 6,000 square feet of downtown Toronto office space. In just over a year and a half, the DMZ has almost doubled in size and has assisted more than 190 innovators to incubate and accelerate 38 startups, launched more than 61 projects and fostered over 350 jobs. The DMZ is a centre for creativity, collaboration and innovation that acts as a catalyst for cross-pollination of skills. The focus is on the commercialization of software applications.
Ryerson students use the DMZ as a home base to establish new companies. “Young people work in a business realm that never existed before and they naturally embrace collaboration and open innovation like never before. Coral CEA brings the Open Innovation ecosystem to our companies and that is a crucial addition,” says Valerie Fox, Director of the DMZ.
“Ontario’s creative environment, world-class education system and proven business experts are second to none,” says Brad Duguid, Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Innovation. “Collaborations like this are the key to success. That’s why we helped establish Coral CEA and why we’ve made it easier for entrepreneurs across the province to get the help they need to succeed; while creating jobs and prosperity for all Ontarians.”
The Conference Board of Canada rates Canada 14th out of 17 nations for innovation. Innovation is the ability to turn knowledge into new products and is the crucial factor that will allow Canada to compete in the global economy. “Canada is a resource-rich nation, including knowledge resources. We also have a rich history of innovation, especially in communications. Communications innovation helps refine knowledge resources, adding value for global export,” says Forbes. Coral CEA has assisted more than 50 companies to capitalize on innovation.
Ryerson University President Sheldon Levy became aware of Coral CEA and encouraged collaboration with the DMZ. In a recent speech Levy called on universities to better educate young people on how to create their own businesses and take their innovations to market. “Youth are the primary users of digital media but lack the skills to turn ideas into reality,” says Levy. He believes schools must to do three things:
• Connect innovators to each other, and to business, at the earliest stages
• Teach innovators how to be their own bosses
• Support research that leads directly to markets and economic benefit
Coral CEA has also partnered with Ryerson in a first-ever study on innovation in Ontario. The research team of the Ontario Cross-Border Technology Innovation Ecosystem (OCTIE) released preliminary findings in October 2011 stating that the more entrepreneurs network, especially with social networking, the more investment money they acquire. “Socializing your ideas enables more focused targeting so that entrepreneurs align with capitalists that better understand their value—which results in better valuations. Social networking enables an entrepreneur to reach people they could not have by other means,” says Forbes.
“We need to embrace Open Innovation and collaboration,” says the study's primary author Professor Wendy Cukier, Vice President of Research and Innovation at Ryerson University. “Ryerson’s DMZ fosters innovation with a lean methodology and small teams that are very focused on going to market. Ontario will see action from our collaboration with new jobs, companies and applications,” says Forbes.
About Coral CEA
Coral CEA is a not-for-profit Open Innovation Network composed of member companies and organizations focused on the commercialization of Communications Enabled Applications (CEAs). Coral CEA was founded by the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation, Carleton University, IBM, GENBAND, Eclipse Foundation and ITAC. The mandate is to create sustainable companies and jobs by supporting members in the commercialization process of new products and services. This includes business development, distribution and brokering of alliance and capital relationships.
About Digital Media Zone and Ryerson University
The DMZ is a multidisciplinary workspace for young entrepreneurs. It is a hub of digital media innovation, collaboration and commercialization that is home to both entrepreneurial startups and industry solution-providers. With access to overhead and business services, students and alumni can fast track their product launches, stimulating Canada’s emerging digital economy through spending and job creation. Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education with more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to 28,000 students.
Coral CEA contacts
Brian Forbes
Executive Director
Phone: 613-317-2118
Email: bforbes@coralcea.ca
Paul Brent
market2world communications inc.
Phone: 613-256-3939
Email: paul@market2world.com
DMZ Contact
Lauren Schneider
Media Relations Officer
Phone: 416-979-5000 ext.42997
Email: lauren.schneider@ryerson.ca
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Industry Canada Seeks Input on Talent Needs
Posted February 9, 2012
Industry Canada has commissioned Nordicity to conduct a study of the demand/supply dynamics of ICT professionals in Canada's ICT sector. The survey seeks to identify and understand the current needs and labour market challenges in the sector.
Nordicity is hoping that key sector stakeholders will participate in the 25-minute online consultation to provide important perspective on whether the sources of supply for ICT professional talent meets current and future hiring needs. The reliability of the research depends on broad industry participation. All input will be treated confidentially, and no part of the study will be attributed directly to those who provide information.
The survey is available here.
Any questions about the survey or the overall study can be directed to Nordicity's Kurt Eby.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ITAC Welcomes Second Round of Federal Kickstart Program
Posted February 9, 2012
ITAC is pleased with the Government of Canada's recent announcement that 36 innovations have bee pre-qualified in the second round of the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program, better known as the Kickstart program.
Various federal departments will test innovations in the areas of environment, health, safety and security, and enabling technologies.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Minister Clement welcomes recommendations from Red Tape Reduction Commission
Posted January 23, 2012
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Federal Red Tape Reduction Commission files recommendations
Posted January 20, 2012
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has released a number of documents on the Red Tape Reduction Commission's Recommendations Report.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Government of Canada to Reduce Information Technology Costs and Save Taxpayers’ Dollars
Posted January 16, 2012
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Minister Ambrose Receives Report on Public Procurement in Support of Business Innovation
Posted January 16, 2012
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Review of Federal Support to Research and Development
Posted January 16, 2012
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
OSME Director-General Reviews 2011
Posted January 13, 2012
In a year-end message to organizations that sell to the federal government, Shereen Miller, Director-General, Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, summarizes the work her group completed in 2011 and reaches out to ITAC for continued support in 2012.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Canada Excellence Research Chair Competition Opens
Posted January 2, 2012
On November 28, 2011, Science and Technology Minister Gary Goodyear announced the launch of the competition of 10 new Canada Excellence Research Chairs. Chairs are awarded through a highly competitive, two-stage process. In Phase 1, Canadian universities compete for the opportunity to establish Canada Excellence Research Chairs at their institution, and in Phase 2 short-listed universities nominate leading researchers to these positions.
For details, see: www.cerc.gc.ca/releases-communiques/nr-co-20111128-b-eng.shtml or www.cerc.gc.ca/releases-communiques/nr-co-2011128-b-fra.shtml.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
NanoIsrael Seeks Canadian Participants
Posted January 2, 2012
Industry Canada has been approached by Nava Swersky Sofer, Co-Chairperson, NanoIsrael, seeking assistance to identify Canadian firms having an interest in nanotechnology/materials that might be interested in participating in NanoIsrael 2012, an international conference and exhibition to be held in Tel Aviv, March 26-27, 2012.
Interested firms should contact Swersky Sofer directly, at: +972-54-489-8551, nava@swersky.com.
Further information on NanoIsrael can be found at: www.kenes.com/nano.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Future Prospects for Publicly Traded Canadian IT Companies
Posted December 14, 2011
Adam Chowaniec the former Chair of Zarlink Semiconductor, Tundra Corporation and ITAC addressed the December 2 Board of Governors meeting on the furture of Canada's publicly traded ICT companies. The issues Adam raised are important for our industry.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Shared Services Canada Update
Posted December 3, 2011
On November 30, ITAC had its second in a series of meetings with Shared Services Canada (SSC).
In her opening remarks for the meeting, Liseanne Forhand reported that SSC is currently consumed with operational stability. They have brought 5,300 people onboard, as well as physical resources and budgets, and soon will total close to 6,500 people. Grant Westcott confirmed that the preferred approach is to consult industry associations to secure input as they begin plans for low-cost, effective technology choices for their three target areas: email, networks and data centers. The focus will be on outcomes.
Innovation is a new thread permeating conversation with government as senior bureaucrats all seem to have read the Jenkins report on R&D spending in Canada. SSC is considering how to deal with innovation, as well as SMEs, while keeping an eye on the costs.
ITAC President and CEO Karna Gupta was able to keep the conversation at a high level and to reserve detailed comments for a more thoughtful response. ITAC believes we have started the relationship on a very good basis, and we look forward to our work with SSC’s senior team.
ITAC has been asked to actively engage with SCC to develop issues and questions beyond what was reviewed, and start framing responses that will be used for possible directions. Grant has asked to receive input from ITAC, and if needed will hold additional meetings. ITAC members can contribute to this work through the PSBC, where the executive of the PSBC will assist the board in creating our response. We rely on our members to provide support and assistance so that the input we provide to SSC will feed into our strategic plan.
For more information, contact Linda Oliver.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ITAC Makes Headway on Government Cloud Computing
Posted December 2, 2011
ITAC held a very successful meeting with senior government officials on cloud computing in the federal government. David MacDonald, CEO of Softchoice, is the ITAC champion working to raise the level of adoption of transformative technologies such as cloud computing within the federal government. Through his committee, he combined the need to use transformative technologies with a new collaborative approach with government. This approach created a greenfield environment where Canada’s CIO and CIOs from many departments felt comfortable hearing from industry and discussing the use of cloud computing—while they were still in the information-gathering stage.
As a result, we are participating in the creation of new approaches that the government might follow regarding cloud computing—a breakthrough for ITAC.
We have already heard that government will want to continue the dialogue, and we will continue to work to initiate new dialogue using the greenfield approach. It is one small win on the road to achieving better outcomes with government. Thanks to David Mac Donald for investing his time and energy to help this happen, and to all the other representatives of our membership who participated.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Congratulations Robert Courteau, PhD
Posted November 23, 2011
ITAC is a community well populated with PhDs. These ranks grew by one more this week as our former Chair, Robert Courteau (currently the President of SAP America), received an honourary Doctorate of Laws from Concordia University. Well done!
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
The Implications of BC’s HST Rollback
Posted November 22, 2011
By Audrey Diamant, Partner, Tax Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
“Everything old is new again,” “Back to the future”, all catchphrases welcome as the Province of British Columbia agrees to roll back the BC HST, to be replaced by the soon-to-be-resuscitated BC provincial sales tax (PST).
The fate of the BC HST hung on the outcome of a referendum, with the population ultimately voting 54.73% to 45.27% to abolish the newly minted but unpopular BC HST. The tentative date for replacement is April 1, 2013, with the government developing an action plan and transitional rules to guide the process. The Province has stated that the PST will be levied at the old rate of 7%, “with all permanent PST exemptions” and some “common sense administrative improvements to streamline” the tax. Although this statement does not contemplate substantive changes to the BC PST as it existed at June 30, 2010, many are nevertheless looking at the transitional period as an opportunity not only to push for greater administrative efficiencies but also to lobby for expanded exemptions and to remove the most complex and business unfriendly elements of the tax. Business that were able to recover BC HST but not PST on their inputs, will be looking for some expanded relief under a new PST – they’ve had a taste of the good life and may need incentives in order to dissuade the most portable of them not to re-establish their business footprint in Alberta or parts east.
So what should businesses do in contemplation of the rollback? Understandably, little information has been released however, quarterly updates on progress have been promised by the government. While they develop the transitional rules and reconstruct the infrastructure necessary to support a PST, those interested in lobbying for change beyond the limited elements suggested in the government’s statement should begin the process, likely in concert with like-minded industry members and proactive associations. Businesses should also plot the timeline necessary to complete the tasks relevant to re-establishing the PST, and re-constituting, within that timeframe, the internal group or task force responsible for specific implementation steps – tax, IT, purchasing, sales and legal should all have a place at the table.
The reintroduction of the PST will impact longer-term budgeting, and needs to be contemplated in any legal agreements involving transactions straddling the implementation date. The transitional rules, when released, will impact fixed price contracts, returned goods, inventory and capital acquisitions. Major purchases may either be accelerated or deferred depending on whether a business is currently able to claim input tax credits, or would enjoy PST exemptions on certain of its inputs. PST self-assessment, exemption certification, and non-resident registration under the ‘super-registration rules’ may again form part of the sales tax lexicon in BC. It’s “déjà vu all over again.”
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Jim Haslett and Kirk Mandy Honoured for Their Contributions to Microelectronics
Posted November 3, 2011
A highlight of the recent Executive Forum on Microelectronics, the 17th such event, was the presentation of this year’s Outstanding Service Awards. Nominations for these awards came from the attendees of previous events, and the recipients this year continued a fine tradition that has been in place since 1999.
Over 41 years of research in analog and digital circuit design, Dr. Jim Haslett has excelled at solving real world industrial problems for high temperature oil field instrumentation, satellite instrumentation and wireless communications. He has graduated more than 40 Masters and Doctorate students and is currently the “Faculty Professor” in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, within the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary.
Kirk Mandy led Zarlink Semiconductor (formerly Mitel Semiconductor) to become a world-leading microelectronics company but still found the extra time and energy to contribute to our Microelectronics community through the Strategic Microelectronics Corporation; the Canadian Microelectronics Corp.; the Ottawa Center for Research and Innovation; Micronet; the Telecommunications Research Center of Ontario; the National Research Council's Innovation Forum; and the Ottawa Partnership.
Submit your nomination for next year’s awards to Lynda Leonard, leonard@itac.ca.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Jenkins Report Recommends SR&ED Changes for CCPCs
Posted October 17, 2011
Citing the need to address “a funding system that is unnecessarily complicated and confusing to navigate,” the Expert Panel leading the Review of Federal Support to R&D released its report today. Among its six major recommendations was simplification of the tax credit system used to support small and mid-sized business. The Panel recommends a reform that would base the SR&ED credits for Canadian controlled private companies solely on labour related costs. Because the credit would be calculated on a smaller cost base than at present, the Panel recommends increasing the rate, but does not specify by how much.
ITAC has long been a proponent of a labour-based approach to SR&ED credits as a measure to address access issues for large Canadian and multinational R&D reformers who for a variety of reasons derive no benefit from SR&ED credits. The report makes no provision for this class of taxpayer though it does suggest that: “Overtime, the government should also consider extending this new labour-based approach to all firms.” Generally speaking, a labour-based approach works advantageously in ICT R&D where the greatest proportion of costs are labour related (though there are some equipment intensive small to mid-size R&D performers in the ITAC community). ITAC’s community of CCPCs has generally expressed the highest level of satisfaction with the existing SR&ED regime. ITAC has not made specific recommendations for reform on behalf of CCPCs. While we welcome the introduction of the notion of a labour-based credit program, we will be consulting with our membership to assess the broader implications of this recommendation.
The Panel’s report contained five other recommendations:
- The creation of an Industrial Research and Innovation Council to deliver the Federal Government’s business innovation programs (including IRAP which the panel recommends bolstering).
- Make business innovation one of the core objectives of procurement.
- Transform the institutes of the National Research Council into a series of large scale collaborative centres for research, innovation and commercialization.
- Help high growth innovative firms access risk capital through BDC funds targeted at early stage investment as well as later stage ($10 million or higher) investments.
- And establish a clear Federal voice for innovation (i.e. assign accountability for innovation to a single minister).
Access the full report
(http://rd-review.ca/eic/site/033.nsf/eng/home)
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
BDC earmarks $200 million to help entrepreneurs invest in ICT
Posted October 17, 2011
On Monday, October 17, 2011, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) announced that it is setting aside $200 million for loans to help entrepreneurs gear up with information and communications technology (ICT).
“We now know that ICT has a very real impact on small business productivity, innovation and competitiveness. In fact, much of the productivity problem in Canada can be attributed to insufficient investments in technology,” explained Jean-René Halde, BDC President and Chief Executive Officer. “BDC is not claiming that it can solve this problem alone, but we believe that with our support a large number of entrepreneurs can get funds and consulting services to help them better integrate ICT more efficiently in their business model.”
“Our government is pleased to announce this initiative as part of its digital economy strategy, which aims to make Canada a global leader. Greater adoption of digital technologies is a key element of our strategy, and their use is an effective driver of productivity and innovation across every sector,” said the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry. “We are committed to ensuring that the right conditions are in place for businesses to succeed, as they continue to create jobs and strengthen our economy.”
The BDC President announced this new initiative for the launch of Small Business Week®, which is running from October 16 to 22 under the theme “Power up your business. Invest. INNOVATE. Grow.”
This represents a significant milestone in the government’s digital economy strategy, a multi-faceted effort to position Canada as a leading innovator, adopter and user of game-changing information and telecommunications technologies. Initiatives such as this that facilitate the uptake and use of digital technologies will increasingly determine success in the global economy.
Accessible financing to invest in ICT
Both BDC client and non-client companies, including small businesses such as individual or home offices, may apply for a loan from this ICT initiative. BDC will speed up and simplify the processing of these applications.
“To finance investments in ICT, entrepreneurs normally use short-term financing, which quickly reduces the company’s working capital,” explained Halde. “With this $200 million that BDC is earmarking for investments in ICT, entrepreneurs may pay back the loans over the medium term, which protects the company’s working capital.”
The loans can be used to purchase hardware, software and consulting services including Internet solutions to boost online sales.
“For these types of loans, BDC is taking on more risk because of the intangible nature of the assets securing these loans,” added Halde. “If this initiative helps entrepreneurs invest in their productivity and innovate and grow, it will prove to be a good investment.”
Entrepreneurs with ICT projects that do not exceed $50,000 must submit their loan applications online at www.bdc.ca. Companies that need more than $50,000 can contact the BDC business centre in their area, apply online or call BDC customer service at 1 877 BDC BANX (232-2269).
Online tools to help entrepreneurs evaluate their own situation and make informed decisions
To help entrepreneurs use ICT efficiently in their companies, BDC today launched on bdc.ca its new Smart Tech online resource centre that offers a wide array of technology tools for small businesses.
Smart Tech features solutions specifically designed to meet small business needs, and, more specifically, to boost their productivity and accelerate their growth. Through Smart Tech’s different modules, entrepreneurs can access tools and services that will help them learn more about the products available in the marketplace, identify the technologies that would be most useful to their business and get support in implementing them.
Entrepreneurs who visit the Smart Tech site may get a free online assessment of their website and an analysis of the effectiveness of their business technology.
“The combination of Smart Tech and BDC financing for ICT projects is one of the most extensive and low-cost solutions ever offered to small and medium-sized business owners to help them get the most out of ICT,” concluded Halde. “We hope that many of them will make the move to the technology that is now vital for entrepreneurs who want to boost their productivity and innovation.”
Read the complete BDC news release here (or copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.bdc.ca/en/about/mediaroom/news_releases/Pages/bdc_200_million_help_entrepreneurs_invest_ICT.aspx)
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Q1 Labs sale validates innovation in the province
Posted October 6, 2011
This week's sale of Q1 Labs is bigger than a New Brunswick story, it's one of the few lucrative tech exits in all of the country this year and serves to validate the team of professionals - beyond those in labs - who are at work in the province churning out successful tech firms.
"Our industry has been starved of exits," said Richard Remillard, executive director with the Canadian Venture Capital Association.
There have been three initial public offering exits since 2008, and Remillard said until recently there hasn't been a increase in merger and acquisition activity, nor a increase in the valuation of those exits.
Q1's acquisition by IBM on Tuesday come on the heels of Salesforce.com's buy out of Radian6 for $350 million in March. Both firms were born out of Fredericton and owe their success to a similar pool of personnel. While the figures from the Q1 Labs deal were kept confidential, the money earned from Radian6 has caught people's attention.
"What this does for the industry as a whole is shows that you can make significant amounts of money," Remillard said. "I suspect what it does for New Brunswick is that it reinforces the message that there's something interesting going on in the region."
"What these two deals suggest is that there's a foundation in the province," Remillard said.
Peter Lindfield, Atlantic regional director of the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance, said the Q1 Labs deal further underscores the depth, experience and expertise in New Brunswick's ICT industry.
"They're hallmarks of success in the Canadian industry," he said. "We're over represented with success and I think that the potential for success is much greater than we've seen."
Lindfield said the two acquisition exits also clear a trail for future New Brunswick tech firms, a proven route as opposed to the initial public offering option.
"Q1 really speaks to the fact that exit strategies are really tailored to the environment," Lindfield said. IPOs are in the doldrums, he said, with firms having difficulty raising financing capital through the public markets during these turbulent times.
"ICT industries I think are recognizing that they constantly have to position themselves for potential acquisition," Linfield said, adding it's a lesson for the province's entrepreneurs to take home.
Q1 Labs' management team was successful in building itself into the firm that was attractive to IBM, he said.
"It's built on the foundation of management expertise, the ability to manage innovation."
Part of that foundation is built within the province's schools. Lynda Leonard, senior vice-president of the Information Technology Association of Canada, said the two sales this year validate the innovation unfolding at the University of New Brunswick.
"The infrastructure is working," Leonard said. "Your academic infrastructure is feeding the entrepreneurial pool quite nicely, producing technology that world-leading companies find captivating enough that they want to buy."
She said the sales also create infrastructure in finance, sales and acquisition in the management side of technology ventures.
"We routinely survey the industry," Leonard said. "And one of the key laments of the industry is just how hard it is to find that C-suite talent."
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Women IT leaders tackle labour shortage
Posted October 5, 2011
Website
http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/Women+leaders+tackle+labour+shortage/5471444/story.html
Linda Fitzgerald, who began working in the Information Technology field more than 25 years ago, recalls sitting at the back of the room at a company gathering of about 400 people, scanning the crowd and noticing there were hardly any women.
“There were about 10 of us and I remember thinking how weird that was. It really drove home how male dominated our field was then — and amazingly still is. I’m so glad it didn’t scare me away. The tech sector is fascinating and during my time we’ve done things that have transformed our lives. There aren’t many professions that can boast such amazing success,” she says.
Fitzgerald is concerned about how few women view IT as a top career choice. According to the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), women account for 24% of the Canadian IT workforce — a number that hasn’t budged in the past 10 years. More than 100,000 jobs are expected to open up by 2016, a recent study by ICTC and the Information Technology Association of Canada found. If the Canadian IT sector is to continue to thrive and drive Canadian innovation, companies need to reach out to women to help address the talent gap.
Fitzgerald is now president of NCR Canada, proving a woman can thrive at the highest level in IT. Although you can count on one hand the women leading IT companies in Canada, there are many in influential senior executive positions and these women are driving change and creating innovative programs to support other women considering a career in IT.
“We are dealing with a serious business issue that cannot be ignored,” says Lora Gernon, who held various executive positions at Microsoft Canada for 20 years before starting Profit Consulting. “There are many large IT companies that are looking at how they can leverage diversity to influence profitability and shareholder value. This could be the best time for a woman in IT with a pioneering spirit because we’re growing, we need you and we are breaking down the boundaries.”
Lynda Leonard, senior vice-president of Diversity at ITAC, is driving change at the industry level. She has brought together a Community of Peers in the C-suite of IT to analyze the talent gap and bolster the number of women to 30% from 24% by 2015. ITAC is partnering with industry peers such as Canadian Women in Communications (CWC) to raise awareness through events, training and formal contractual mentorship opportunities.
“We want to get to the bottom of what’s standing in the way of women succeeding. Through our partnership with CWC, we are trying to support our members in their career development and help create a network to provide opportunities to connect with other women who will help them advance and believe in them enough to put their name forward for opportunities.”
At NCR Canada, Fitzgerald established a support network for women. She has been fortunate to have had many mentors in her career and contends it is important to provide a forum for women to share best practices, issues and opportunities, and learn from each other. “Our group is going to be a way to ensure women have the support they need to be successful. We also want to promote it to new recruits to let them know our organization provides a supportive environment and is committed to diversity,” she says.
NCR is modelling its network on established group's such as Women at Bell — one of the most innovative and successful women’s networks in the country. The national group supports the development of women at all levels at Bell by helping to increase their internal and external visibility, creating opportunities for education, career development and mentorship.
“We know that Bell’s success is linked to the collective talents of our team members and their contribution to executing our strategy in a very competitive communications marketplace,” says Randi McGee, manager of the Women at Bell program. “Women at Bell focuses on enabling every woman on the team to reach her full career potential by supporting and developing the leadership presence of all members. It helps ensure that all the best ideas are heard and embraced.”
The group showcases exemplary women through events held regularly across Canada. Women leaders from various industries attend these events, sharing their experiences and offering advice to participants. With its affiliation to industry groups that include ITAC, CWC, the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) and Women of Influence, Women at Bell also has access to external opportunities that allow members to learn and be recognized for their achievements at Bell.
The group offers training to help female senior leaders to fine-tune the skills they need to speak with influence, implement change and ensure Bell’s multibillion-dollar investments in products and networks are fully leveraged in an intensely competitive marketplace. “These are train-the-trainer programs,” McGee says. “Senior leaders participate and we encourage them to cascade the information so all women at Bell benefit.”
Bell also piloted and implemented a new program, Mentoring Circles, where small groups of 20 or less meet with two senior executives in an informal setting to get to know each other, exchange views on leadership and discuss specific leadership topics.
“We have received phenomenal feedback. Bell offers traditional one-on-one mentoring but this is another way of achieving the same outcome with a broader audience,” McGee says.
Women at Bell has an online home on the Bell intranet where they promote the program, provide webcast and videos from past events, highlight women leaders at Bell, and invite feedback to help plan future programming.
National programs such as Bell's are becoming increasingly popular in our industry, ITAC's Leonard says. “There are similar programs at IBM, HP, Rogers, etc. and they are a testament to how much women are committed to the success of our industry and helping each other to support and retain the most talented women.”
Alix Edmiston is a journalism graduate and is communications consultant at NCR Canada.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
OMERS launches venture capital investment arm
Posted October 4, 2011
OMERS, one of Canada’s largest pension plans, is officially launching its new venture capital arm. OMERS Ventures is one of the country’s largest venture capital investors, providing financing for promising companies throughout the investment lifecycle.
OMERS Ventures is an initiative of OMERS Strategic Investments (OSI), an investment entity with a mandate to build long-term strategic relationships with like-minded partners. OMERS Ventures is focused on adding value at the early stages of investment, and partnering with entrepreneurs to build great companies.
“We believe our program for investing in venture capital will result in a win-win scenario,” said Jacques Demers, President and CEO of OSI. “Strong, long-term investments in this asset class will help us continue to deliver on the pension promise for our members, while also encouraging the development of a vibrant and successful Canadian knowledge economy."
Canada’s venture capital industry has suffered from a lack of resources and funding since the technology boom and bust over a decade ago. This means many promising companies are unable to reach the next level of success, said John Ruffolo, CEO of OMERS Ventures, and Senior Vice President and Head of Knowledge Investing at OSI.
“The right combination of capital, mentoring and guidance enables strong, young companies to become even more successful,” Mr. Ruffolo said. “With our experienced investment team, accomplished advisory board and pool of patient, long-term capital, OMERS Ventures is an ideal partner.”
OMERS Ventures will have a unique role in its industry, as both an institutional angel investor and a later-stage investor. With its ability to fund companies at any stage of development, it will have a great deal of flexibility when making investments, Mr. Ruffolo added.
As a lifecycle investor, OMERS Ventures investments could range anywhere from an initial seed round investment ($500,000 to $2 million), to a larger growth capital round (up to $30 million).
Sectors of interest will include technology, media, telecommunications, clean technology and life sciences, with a focus on North America.
The growing OMERS Ventures team includes eight investment and operations professionals. An advisory board of industry professionals will assist with developing relationships and sourcing investments.
Investment team members' bios (John Ruffolo, Peter Carrescia, Jennifer Reynolds, Sid Paquette, Damien Steel, Bram Sugarman) can be found here: http://www.omersventures.com/OurTeam/Investment_Team.aspx
Advisory board members' bios (Michel Brûlé, Rob Burgess, Jim Fletcher, J. Ian Giffen, David J. Kassie, Paul Kedrosky, Sir Terry Matthews) can be found here: http://www.omersventures.com/OurTeam/Advisory_Board.aspx
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Feds bring back copyright reform, and with digital locks
Posted October 3, 2011
The federal government is attempting to reform Canada's copyright laws yet again, introducing legislation that will make it illegal for users to break the digital locks placed on the software and media files they purchase.
The new Copyright Modernization Act bill is identical to the previously tabled Bill C-32, introduced last year when the Conservatives held a minority government. That copyright reform legislation, died earlier this year before the federal election.
Industry Minister Christian Paradis argued that Canadians have given government a strong mandate to ensure the country's digital economy remains strong, while also balancing the interests of consumers with the rights of content creators. The industry minister added that the emergence of social networking sites, smart phones and tablets have changed the way Canadians use copyrighted material.
“Canadians will soon have modern copyright laws that protect and help create jobs, promote innovation, and attract new investment to Canada,” Paradis said in a statement. “We are confident that this bill will make Canada's copyright laws forward-looking and responsive in this fast-paced digital world.”
The most controversial piece of the bill is the digital locks rule, which makes it illegal to copy or back-up media that have been outfitted with a DRM (digital rights management) lock.
For example, if a consumer breaks the digital encryption on a DVD, video game, e-book or mp3 file - even for personal use or to back-up their media - that user will be liable for damages of up to $5,000.
Under the new bill, users can record TV and Internet broadcasts, copy songs they have purchased, back-up media, create parodies or satire under fair dealing and create user-generated content for non-commercial purposes.
But, they would not be able to exercise these rights if doing so required the circumvention or breaking of a digital lock.
Many government observers believe the latest copyright reform bill will pass before the end of the year.
One such observer is also Canada's most public opponent of the bill, University of Ottawa professor and notable Internet law blogger Michael Geist.
“When Bill C-32 was introduced in June 2010, I described it as ‘flawed but fixable', noting that there was a lot to like in the bill but that the digital lock provisions constituted a glaring problem that undermined much of the attempt to strike a balance,” he wrote on his personal blog. “Months later, those remain my views. The bill has some good provisions, but the unwillingness to budge on digital locks - even as the U.S. has created new exceptions - is easily its biggest flaw.”
For Geist, the bill is a mixed bag, offering up Canadians some positive reforms in the areas of fair dealing, education use and non-commercial mashups.
But for all that is good in the bill, he said, the majority of new provisions and protections for consumers and educators are undermined by the digital locks rule.
“Even the U.S. offers more flexibility than Canada, with an exception for DVD circumvention in some circumstances and a mandatory review of the digital lock rules every three years,” he wrote.
The stiff digital locks rule, Geist argued, is primarily about satisfying U.S. pressure. This pressure is not a secret, he said, “with criticism of past bills and regular demands for action on copyright in return for progress on other border and trade issues.”
Of course, not everybody is against the new bill.
Karna Gupta, president and CEO of ITAC, said the government's bill contains the “right elements for a balanced copyright regime.” Under current copyright laws, he argued, Canada has not been a welcoming environment for content creators to operate and invest in.
While music downloads, digital books and software sales are booming, he said, much of the content available to consumers is not being created in Canada.
As for the digital locks rule, ITAC does not believe its inclusion negates the balanced approach of the bill.
“By and large, this does create a balanced environment,” said Bill Munson, vice-president of policy at ITAC. “Companies are able to give their customers a workaround for whatever digital locks they provide.”
Munson added that the focus of the government seems to be on enforcing the digital locks rule for commercial scale offenders. “You can see it in some of the choices they've made in wording,” he said.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ITAC Welcomes Re-introduced Copyright Bill
Posted September 29, 2011
September 29, 2011. Ottawa. The Information Technology Association of Canada, the national association of Canada’s information and communications technology (ICT) industry, commends the government for re-introducing “An Act to Amend the Copyright Act” (now Bill C-11,) in Parliament today.
ICT is a fundamental enabler of any successful modern economy, and ITAC has been a central player in efforts to create a digital economy strategy for Canada and make Canada a world-leading digital economy. We believe this strategy must include a copyright regime that reflects the realities of the digital age.
“ITAC believes that Bill C-11 contains the right elements for a balanced copyright regime”, said Karna Gupta, ITAC President and CEO. “We expect that the Bill will generate controversy and even aggressive positions and comments, but have concluded that these criticisms do not justify a re-work of the principles of the Bill.”
ITAC is pleased that the Bill will be referred to committee for hearings, and looks forward to an opportunity to provide industry input. What is needed and what, in our view, is entirely achievable, is relatively minor rewording of specific sections to ensure that they achieve what is intended without generating unintended consequences.
ITAC supports the government's continued commitment to a balanced approach, recognizing the diversity of interests that need to be served. Without proper compensation and protection for creators, innovators and rights owners, the development of creative and innovative work will be stunted. Meanwhile, if customers are not able to derive full value from what they buy, Canada will not realize the revenue potential that will fund the creators, innovators and other participants in the supply chain.
“With every year that passes, the importance of modern copyright legislation increases. Commercial revenues from music downloading are booming, digital books are taking the market by storm and software and computing are being sold as digital services. Canada absolutely needs modern copyright legislation that clearly sets out the rules for rights owners and consumers,” Mr. Gupta said.
- 30 -
For further information, please contact:
Lynda Leonard
Senior Vice President, ITAC
(613) 238-4822 ext. 2239
leonard@itac.ca
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
CareerMash: Separating fact from fiction about today’s in-demand tech careers
Posted September 23, 2011
Toronto – September 15, 2011 – Today, the Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow’s ICT Skills (CCICT) launched CareerMash, a spectrum of outreach initiatives designed to challenge and change perceptions about the technology-related careers that Canada’s economy needs today and tomorrow. Over a million people work in tech-related jobs, roughly seven percent of the workforce, and it’s growing. Businesses depend on technology to compete in today’s digital economy and they face growing challenges finding the people with the right skills to innovate and implement technology-based solutions. People know about traditional tech jobs like programming. But few know that the growth is in jobs with a “mashed-up” skill set that combines tech with business, media, medical research, or anything you imagine.
CareerMash exists to take on a critical challenge. Not enough young people, and particularly not enough girls, are choosing the tech-related careers that meet the needs of today’s employers. CCICT and its members, some of Canada’s largest banks, retailers, manufacturers, IT, consulting and telecom firms, have come together in partnership with the Federal, Ontario and Quebec governments, as well as a number of leading industry organizations to change the perceptions and career choices of young people.
CareerMash Activities
The centerpiece of CareerMash is a new Web site - www.CareerMash.ca. that informs young people, and the adults in their lives, about these inspiring tech-related career opportunities. Its multimedia profiles of young tech leaders, innovators, builders and problem-solvers, combined with inspiring learning pathways, daily news feeds, and much more, will help students separate fact from fiction.
To engage students with CareerMash.ca, CCICT is launching an online CareerMash Scavenger Hunt. Students can win one of three grand prizes of $3,000 or one of 18 weekly cool tech prizes (tablets, cameras, gaming consoles) by correctly answering questions about the site. The contest runs from September 15 to October 28, 2011.
Not forgetting the personal touch, as part of CareerMash, volunteers will give presentations to high school students across the GTA and Kitchener-Waterloo as living examples of today’s mashed tech careers. CCICT member companies and post-secondary institutions will also open their doors to students to demonstrate today’s tech career mashups.
CareerMash reaches a crescendo on October 28 at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. Over 2000 high schools students will visit interactive booths hosted by a diverse array of companies, post-secondary programs and industry associations showcasing tech-related career paths.
“Today’s tech career mashups are far more interesting, fun, cool creative, and social than many people think”, says David Ticoll, CCICT’s Executive Director. “When we dispel the myth of boring desk-bound tech jobs, more young people – including young women – will opt for today’s exciting tech-related opportunities. This will enable Canada to be a leader in the 21st century knowledge economy.”
Founded by Bell in 2007, CCICT is an industry-led coalition of employers, universities and industry organizations dedicated to bringing 21st century tech-related careers to the forefront. In addition to CareerMash, CCICT has created a new undergraduate university program, Business Technology Management (BTM), to prepare young people for the leadership jobs of today and tomorrow. A dozen top-tier universities across Canada have adopted BTM.
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program and made possible by the participation of ICTC, Canada’s Information and Communication Technologies Council. CCICT receives funding from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, over 30 corporate members. CCICT is working in collaboration with its Québec partner. TECHNOCompétences, creators of the soon to be launched www.macarrieretechno.com. For more information about CCICT visit www.ccict.ca.
-30-
For more information, please contact:
David Ticoll
Executive Director, CCICT
(416) 802-5526
Janet Sandor
ICT Week Project Manager
(416) 840-6296
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
New Appointment at Shared Services Canada
Posted September 15, 2011
The federal government has created a new public agency, Shared Services Canada, to better manage how the government acquires ICT products and services.
On September 13, President of Shared Services, Liseanne Forand, announced that Benoît Long has accepted the position of Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Transformation at Shared Services Canada, effective September 12, 2011.
Benoît will be joining SSC from the Privy Council Office where he held the position of Lead, Internal Functions (Finance, HR, IM/IT), Administrative Services Review. He was on secondment from his position as Chief Technology Officer of the Government of Canada at Treasury Board Secretariat. Prior to joining the Federal Government, he held various positions in the private and public sector, including Vice President and CIO, Credit Valley Hospital and Trillium Health Centre. He has also held the position of VP Partnerships and Innovation and senior executive positions in insurance and banking, including Vice President, CIBC, Planning and Development, Internet Channel, and Senior Vice President, Strategic Development and Integration. He holds an Executive Program Certificate in Strategy and Innovation, MIT Sloan School of Management, a Master’s of Arts in Economics, and a Bachelor of Arts (Hon.) Economics, from Carleton University.
More about Shared Services Canada:
"Shared Services Canada will have a mandate to streamline IT, save money, and end waste and duplication," said Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada (the federal department responsible for the new agency).
The government will move to one email system, reduce the overall number of data centres from 300 to less than 20, and streamline electronic networks within and between government departments. This will improve services to Canadians, make ICT more secure and reliable, and save taxpayers' dollars in line with the Government of Canada's plan to return to balanced budgets. All resources associated with the delivery of email, data centre and network services are being transferred from 44 of the more IT-intensive departments and agencies to this one new agency.
ITAC fully supports the government's move to make its ICT spend as efficient as possible. We believe the federal government should be a leading user of technology - a model for organizations across all industry verticals to follow. To do this means investing in the ICT solutions our industry's members offer, and reaping the benefits of their ability to create truly innovative products and services.
Liseanne Forand, currently Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Chief Operating Officer for Service Canada, has been named President of Shared Services Canada, effective August 4, 2011.
Access the full government news release here (or copy and paste this link into your browser:
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?mthd=tp&crtr.page=1&nid=614499&crtr.tp1D=1).
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ITAC’s new president & CEO talks IT skills gap and more
Posted September 8, 2011
Watch the full video of this conversation here (http://video.itworldcanada.com/?bcpid=7044989001&bctid=1147997722001).
See the article on the ComputerWorld Canada website here (http://www.itworldcanada.com/news/meet-karna-gupta-itacs-new-president-ceo/143908).
There’s a new leader at the helm of Ottawa-based Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC). Industry veteran, Karna Gupta, takes over as president and CEO from predecessor Bernard Courtois who recently retired. In an interview with ComputerWorld Canada, Gupta shares the direction he’ll be taking ITAC, and addresses the issues of Canada’s IT skills gap and the need to promote IT careers to females.
ComputerWorld Canada: As you assume the helm at ITAC, what are your plans for the organization?
Karna Gupta: ITAC has been around for a good 60 years and as such they have done a lot of credible work in this area. My initial role is to take stock of what’s going on, continue the work in the policy domain, which is the primary focus of ITAC for most of our constituents and members. But, also to look at other areas in terms of technology, what we could do, adoption of technology both in private and public sector, showcasing Canadian technology globally.
CWC: There is ongoing discussion about an IT skills gap in Canada. What do you think must happen to help boost productivity and foster innovation in the Canadian market?
KG: Several things. A lot of things in the policy domain, a lot of things in the educational area. We need to have a good entrepreneurship program in universities, which brings in the private sector as the partner in the process. If you look at what has happened at Cambridge University, they have created a very good ecosystem for entrepreneurship. It’s promoted for new technology. So, Canada needs to adopt a lot of these things that have been tried in other countries. Also, look at immigration as a major issue. Then, you have the training programs that are available that need to also be beefed up and more robust.
CWC: On the issue of female professionals in IT, where to you see is the root of the problem and what can ITAC do to change that?
KG: Even before I joined ITAC, several of the major constituents in the Canadian corporations, some of the big players, have gone out and said diversity in the workforce is a major priority for them. We’ll continue to work with them in terms of how do we improve that. We have a diversity program within ITAC to bring in more female participation. At the end of day, it all comes down to training and promoting to that gender group that this is a profession that is to be looked at positively, it is a good career for both sexes. I think as you look at the younger age, that change is slowly shifting. You have to give it time as it percolates through the management ranks. But, we have already started to see the changes at the early stage entry levels.
CWC: Overall, what do you envision is the role of ITAC in the Canadian IT sector?
KG: ITAC is the pre-eminent voice of the Canadian technology sector. We’ll continue to play that role. We have a very large constituent base, companies that are very large, multi-national, local as well as mid-sector. So, we’ll play a major role in terms of promoting their causes in front of the government, and in technology adoption. So, the big role is promoting technology adoption both in public and private sector, showcasing Canadian technology not only locally but globally. And, we also need to create a forum where companies can exchange ideas, which is the whole notion of networking and integration between companies.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Karna Gupta, New President and CEO of ITAC
Posted August 10, 2011
August 10, 2011. Ottawa. Karna Gupta, a widely respected senior executive with over 30 years experience in the Canadian and international information and communications technology industry, will be the next President and Chief Executive Officer of ITAC, effective August 25, 2011.
Currently serving as an independent director of a number of technology firms, Mr. Gupta’s last CEO role was with Certicom Corporation, a Mississauga-based encryption technology company. Mr. Gupta led Certicom through a significant turnaround and also defended the company against a hostile takeover bid. He led the ultimately successful transaction which resulted in a friendly acquisition of the company by RIM.
“ITAC is delighted that we have been able to recruit a senior ICT executive with such distinguished credentials,” said David MacDonald, Chair of ITAC’s Board of Governors and President and CEO of Softchoice Corporation. “Karna’s experience includes significant contributions to large Canadian corporations like Bell Canada and global firms like Comverse. As a leader of a number of Canadian start-ups, he’s lived through virtually every significant hurdle and challenge to growth that emerging companies face. His experience will strengthen the authenticity of our advocacy for homegrown Canadian companies and he will be a major resource and counsel for SME’s and the whole ITAC community.”
Prior to joining Certicom, Mr. Gupta was President for the Real-Time Billing Division of New Jersey-based Comverse Technologies. Under his leadership, Comverse became the de-facto leader in telecom billing in emerging economies. He was also President of Sitraka Mobility, leading that company from start-up to a successful merger in 2001. He also held a number of executive positions with Bell Canada including Vice-President, Product Development and Management.
“The future of our industry in Canada lies with the business leaders who, in spite of a global recession, fierce competition and constantly changing technology, are working hard to build the next great global hi-tech companies,” Mr. Gupta said. “In Canada, we need to do a better job of improving their chances for success. ITAC is a respected and influential voice in public policy and is also a dynamic and strong business forum. I am excited to be working with our members to build a strong ICT industry in Canada.”
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ITAC Partners with Radford on Compensation Survey Update
Posted August 2, 2011
ITAC is excited to announce that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Radford, an Aon Hewitt company, as its provider of choice for Canadian compensation data. Radford's compensation surveys provide the pay data needed to help your company design and implement comprehensive programs to help you meet your goals in hiring and retaining key talent.
Through this partnership, ITAC members may participate in the Radford Global Technology and Global Sales Surveys in Canada only or in all countries of operations. A number of leading Canadian technology companies rely on Radford as their primary survey source to deliver the market insight required for making informed global compensation decisions.
Read the Compensation Survey brochure here.
More information about this partnership and Radford surveys is available on the ITAC Compensation Survey page.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Federal Government Announces Second Call for Canadian Innovations
Posted July 15, 2011
Calgary, Alberta, July 14, 2011 - The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, is pleased to announce that the Government of Canada is once again accepting applications from local businesses to help kickstart their innovative ideas by moving their products and services from the lab to the marketplace.
“In Canada, we have enormous entrepreneurial talent and through this program, we’re giving Canadian businesses an opportunity to move their ideas into action,” said Minister Ambrose. “Our Government is committed to delivering results for hard-working Canadians by staying focused on what matters most to them—jobs and the economy.”
Launched in 2010, the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program/Kickstart initiative (CICP) is a $40-million pilot program created to help Canadian businesses by testing their innovative products and services within the Government of Canada before taking them to the marketplace. Federal departments will test innovations that fall within four key areas: environment; health; safety and security; and technology.
The second call for proposals is now available on MERX, the Government of Canada’s electronic tendering service. Successful bidders will see their pre-commercial innovative products and services tested within government departments, and will be given valuable feedback from users participating in the pilot program.
In March, 19 innovations were announced as part of the first round of the CICP. Today, the Minister announced an additional eight pre-qualified Canadian innovations that government departments will be able to buy. These additional innovations were submitted under the first call for proposals.
The following eight additional businesses have pre-qualified for the first round of the CICP: Breviro Caviar Inc.(formerly Supreme Sturgeon and Caviar Ltd), Pennfield, N.B.; Amika Mobile Corporation, Ottawa, Ont.; Edgewater Computer Systems Inc., Ottawa, Ont.; Fluvial Systems Research Inc., White Rock, B.C.; blutip Power Technologies Inc. (formerly Hy-Drive Technologies Ltd.), Mississauga, Ont.; S5 Systems, Ottawa, Ont.; Synodon Inc., Edmonton, Alta; and Trusted Positioning Inc., Calgary, Alta.
There are now 27 pre-qualified innovations from Canadian companies that form a part of the CICP’s first round. Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is working with government departments to match innovations with the right test departments, and will be entering into negotiations with the selected companies to put contracts in place to test their innovations, should the right department be found. This will facilitate Canadian companies in moving their innovations into domestic and international markets.
The CICP is managed by PWGSC’s Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, whose mandate is to improve accessibility to government procurement opportunities for small and medium enterprises. Launched as part of the Government of Canada’s Budget 2010, the CICP is a new initiative to promote Canada’s economic growth.
For more information, please visit buyandsell.gc.ca/innovation or look for this opportunity on www.merx.ca.
For further information on the program, please refer to the CICP backgrounder.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
CSLS Study, Commissioned by ITAC, Shows Increased ICT Investment in Canada in 2010
Posted July 5, 2011
The Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) has released its report, commissioned by ITAC, “Overview of Developments in ICT Investment in Canada, 2010: Rebounding from the Recession.” The study shows that following a decline in ICT investment in 2009 due to the recession, ICT investment in Canada rebounded back in both nominal and real terms for all three components: computer equipment, communication equipment, and software investment.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Taking Stock of HST One Year Later
Posted June 29, 2011
July 1st will mark Canada's 144th birthday and the first anniversary of the introduction of harmonized sales tax in the province of Ontario. ITAC, through its Tax and Finance Committee, advocated the need for harmonization for a number of years. When the Ontario Government announced its decision to harmonize in 2009, we called the decision a major public policy breakthrough that would reduce business costs and complexity and generally improve competitiveness.
Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Sandra Pupatello, along with Madeleine Meilleur (Minister for Community and Social Services) and MPP's Yasir Naqvi and Phil McNeely joined a special meeting of ITAC's Tax and Finance Committee on June 28th at Telus House in Ottawa to take stock of the impact of HST on our industry so far. The new chair of the Tax and Finance Committee Karen Atkinson (also Partner Business Tax Services at Ernst & Young) welcomed the Minister and noted that HST continues to be viewed as a positive measure that has assisted in keeping the industry healthy through challenging economic times. Audrey Diamant, Partner Indirect Tax for PricewaterhouseCoopers also attended the meeting and reiterated that even though the industry is still incurring transitional costs and dealing with unforeseen issues arising from HST introduction, it is doing so optimistically because it believes that HST is a positive change that will make business more competitive.
Read Karen Atkinson's remarks here.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
STIC report says “Deploying our excellent talent will give us a chance to win”
Posted June 29, 2011
The Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) has released its 2010 report, "State of the Nation 2010: Imagination to Innovation." The report argues that harnessing an excellent talent pool is the key to lifting Canada into the top tier of innovation leaders.
For more information, read the complete STIC news release, or access the entire report, "State of the Nation 2010: Imagination to Innovation."
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Congratulations to all 2011 Ingenious Award Winners
Posted June 16, 2011
The winners of the Inaugural 2011 Ingenious Awards were announced at a gala in Toronto on Tuesday, June 14. They are:
In the Not-for-Profit Organization category:
- Children's Treatment Network of Simcoe York
Single Plan of Care and Electronic Client Record Project
In the Large Public Organization category (two winners):
- Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG)
DART—Data Analytics and Retrieval Technology
and
- Pointe-de-l'Île Community Health Centre
Remote Patient Monitoring
In the Small to Medium Size Private Business category:
- TinyEYE Therapy Services
In the Small to Medium Size Public Organization category:
- Ontario Telemedicine Network
In the Large Private Business category:
- The Globe and Mail
Catalyst Program
For more information on these winners, click here: https://ingeniousawards.ca/winners/
To read the complete news release, click here: https://ingeniousawards.ca/media/
Or to learn more about the Ingenious Awards program, click here: https://ingeniousawards.ca/about/
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Doug McCuaig Named ITAC Chair
Posted June 13, 2011
Toronto, Ontario: June 14, 2011. The Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) announced today that Doug McCuaig, Canadian President of CGI Group Inc, has been named as incoming Chair of ITAC for the 2011/2012 term. He succeeds outgoing Chair Robert Watson, President and CEO, SaskPower. Doug has served on the ITAC Board of Directors since 2008 and on its Executive Committee since 2009.
Speaking at ITAC’s Annual General Meeting today, Doug saluted Robert Watson’s contribution to ITAC and praised him for his drive to expand ITAC’s reach and relevance in Western Canada. Doug has purposeful plans for ITAC, setting ambitious growth targets for the association and expanding its programs and services to attract members of the ICT customer community as well as the industry itself.
“It’s certainly a great honour to follow in Robert’s footsteps. As Chair of ITAC, he has made considerable advances on many of our priorities,” said Doug McCuaig, incoming Chair of ITAC. “ICT continues to play a major role in the growth of Canada’s economy, regardless of industry. ITAC’s role as the national voice for ICT in Canada is evolving as we take a leadership role in advocating for increased ICT adoption from municipal, provincial and federal governments as well as ensuring that this industry remains an exciting career of choice for young people in Canada.”
CGI is one of Canada’s largest ICT companies. It is a world leading IT and business process services provider, operating in more than 100 offices worldwide. As President of CGI’s operations in Canada, Doug is responsible for driving the company’s strategy and growth across Canada. He joined CGI in 2004 from Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, where he held the position of Senior Vice-President and Managing Director, consulting services Canada. Doug completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Western Ontario and from Ryerson University. He holds an MBA in Marketing and International Business from McMaster University and received executive management training at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
The Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) is the voice of the Canadian information and communications technologies (ICT) industry. ITAC represents a diverse ICT community spanning telecommunications and internet services, ICT consulting services, hardware, microelectronics, software and electronic content. ITAC's community of companies accounts for more than 70 per cent of the 572,700 jobs, $155.3-billion in revenue, $6.2-billion in R&D investment, $30.4-billion in exports and $11-billion in capital expenditures that the ICT industry contributes annually to the Canadian economy. The ICT sector currently represents 4.9 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) and accounted for 9.4 per cent of all real GDP growth since 2002. ITAC is a prominent advocate for the expansion of Canada’s innovative capacity and for stronger productivity across all sectors through the strategic use of technology.
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For more information, please contact:
Lynda Leonard
Senior Vice-President
ITAC (613) 238-4822 ext. 223
leonard@itac.ca
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Auditor General Releases 2011 Status Report, Chapter Focuses on Large IT Projects
Posted June 13, 2011
On Thursday, June 9, the Office of the Auditor General released its 2011 Status Report. Chapter 2 of the report, "Large Information Technology Projects" reviews five of seven large IT projects that were previously audited in 2006. The report reads:
"Overall, the government has made unsatisfactory progress on its commitments in reponse to our 2006 recommendations. Although some improvements have been made, progress has been unsatisfactory in the important areas of governance and project business cases. Only two of the five projects we looked at... met most of our criteria for well-managed projects."
The report goes on to state, however, that all the organizations in question agree with the recommendations of the Auditor General, and their detailed responses to the recommendations are included in the report. This represents huge opportunity for the ICT industry in Canada to work together with the Canadian federal government toward increasing the productivity and efficiency of all its programs and systems.
Access Chapter 2, "Large Information Technology Projects," here.
The report also reviews regulation by Health Canada of the safety of medical devices. Access this chapter, titled "Regulating Medical Devices - Health Canada," here.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Harper Government Re-tables Budget 2011, Confirms Commitment to Digital Economy Strategy
Posted June 6, 2011
June 6, 2011. Ottawa. We have just seen the two major events in setting out a government’s priorities, not only for the coming year, but for the coming next few years. First, we had last Friday’s Speech from the Throne; and today we saw the tabling of the June 6, 2011, Federal Budget. As expected, neither the Speech from the Throne nor the Budget were much different from what had been announced prior to the election. The Conservative government was elected with a majority largely by promising to stick to these previously announced plans.
It is useful, however, to recap those elements that are of interest to Canada’s ICT industry and Canada’s digital economy. Both the Speech from the Throne and the Budget place significant emphasis on innovation. Both reiterate the government’s intention to release and implement a Digital Economy Strategy. The Speech from the Throne states:
In order to improve Canada’s productivity, enhance our economic competitiveness and increase our standard of living, our Government will continue to make targeted investments to promote and encourage research and development in Canada's private sector and in our universities, colleges and polytechnics. It will look for ways to support innovation while ensuring that federal investment in research and development is effective and maximizes results for Canadians. It will also release and implement a Digital Economy Strategy that enhances digital infrastructure and encourages Canadian businesses to adopt digital technologies and provide digital-skills training for their employees and new hires.
The Budget refers in a number of places to investments in the key drivers of economic growth: innovation, investment, and education and training. Under the heading, “Investing in Innovation, Education and Training: Driving Innovation – Canada’s Digital Economy Strategy,” the Budget states: “The Next Phase of Canada's Economic Action Plan sets the stage for the Digital Economy Strategy to make Canada a leader in the creation, adoption and use of digital technologies and content.”
It also outlines the following items which were also included in the March 22 Budget:
- $80 million in new funding over three years through the Industrial Research Assistance Program to help small and medium-sized businesses accelerate their adoption of key information and communications technologies through collaborative projects with colleges.
- $60 million over the next three years to promote increased student enrolment in key disciplines related to the digital economy.
- $100 million per year to the Canada Media Fund for investments in the creation of digital content across multiple platforms.
- An additional $37 million per year to support the three federal research granting councils.
- An additional $10 million per year for the Indirect Costs Program, for costs such as those related to operating and maintaining facilities.
- $53.5 million over five years to support the creation of 10 new Canada Excellence Research Chairs, some of which will be active in fields relevant to Canada's Digital Economy Strategy.
- $50 million over five years, beginning in 2012–13, to the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics to support its leading research, education and public outreach activities.
Both the Speech from the Throne and the Budget reiterate the determination to carry out a Strategic and Operating Review of government spending to focus on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of government operations and programs. This review will be overseen by a special sub-committee, chaired by Treasury Board President, Tony Clement, and including both HRSDC Minister Diane Finley and Industry Canada Minister Christian Paradis. It appears that the plan will be put in place in the coming year. The Budget states that: “The budgetary savings associated with the Strategic and Operating Review will be reflected in the Government's fiscal projections once these actions are determined and implemented in Budget 2012.”
There are a number of measures to support small business and entrepreneurs, including the previously announced $1,000 Hiring Credit for Small Business. There is a reiteration in both the Budget and Speech from the Throne of the desire to cut red tape, a process to be led by the Red Tape Reduction Commission (RTRC), including upgrading the BizPaL service – a key digital technology means of serving Canada’s SME community. Of note, the RTRC reports to the Minister of State, Small Business and Tourism, Maxime Bernier – a former Industry Minister well known to our industry.
Finally, the Budget repeatedly refers to Canada’s fiscal advantage and business advantage. ITAC supports the notion of thinking in terms of a competitive advantage in comparison to other nations in setting our priorities.
To read ITAC’s response to the March 22 Throne Speech and Budget, click here: http://itac.ca/site/media_details/1993.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Report Points in Wrong Direction for Canada’s Internet
Posted May 31, 2011
As the national association of Canada’s ICT industry, ITAC is vitally interested in the success of Canada’s digital economy. The internet is at the core of the digital economy.
On May 26, 2011, the organization OpenMedia.ca issued a report, Casting an Open Net, with a news release headed: “Report Reveals Big Telecom’s Failure to Invest in Canada’s Digital Economy.” ITAC strongly disagrees with the thrust of the news release and of the report. Because of the importance of the internet to the success of Canada’s digital economy, ITAC believes that this news release and report should not remain unchallenged.
The report chastises Canada’s carriers for “failure to invest,” but at the same time asserts that Canada’s internet does not need more than “mild and normal infrastructure upkeep reinvestment.”
Canada’s carriers invest more than $7 billion per year to increase the capacity and reach of their wireline and wireless networks, clearly much more than “mild and normal infrastructure upkeep reinvestment.” The notion conveyed in the report that projected growth in demand will not require very large investments runs contrary to the overwhelming evidence of traffic growth well beyond the capacity of existing technology and improvements in technological efficiency. Year after year, surveys show that Canadians lead the world in the use of the internet, and of applications that consume large amounts of capacity.
The report recommends a number of government interventions in the building and management of the internet, including (a) the investment of $2.2 billion by government to build internet infrastructure, and (b) that these investments should favour fibre.
The internet is essential to innovation, job creation and a twenty-first century economy in general. However, contrary to what the report suggests, ITAC believes that:
--> Canada’s internet should be built and managed by the private sector, rather than by government; and
--> Canada’s internet should make use of all technologies – wireline, wireless, and satellite – to be used where each is most appropriate.
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For more information, please contact:
Brendan Glauser
Manager, Communications
ITAC
(613) 238-4822 ext. 224
bglauser@itac.ca
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
PM Harper Announces Cabinet
Posted May 19, 2011
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced the Cabinet for the 41st Canadian Parliament. Many of the 39 ministers will be returning for their second consecutive Cabinet post. Key for ITAC are two new ministers:
- Former Minister of Industry, Honourable Tony Clement, is now President of Treasury Board, and
- Honourable Christian Paradis has taken over Minister Clement's role as Minister of Industry.
Parliament will sit on Thursday, June 2, with the Speech from the Throne scheduled for Friday, June 3.
Click here for a full list of all 39 Cabinet ministers.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ITAC Announces Ingenious Awards Finalists
Posted May 17, 2011
After a rigourous first month of judging, ITAC is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2011 Ingenious Awards Program. Of the 74 total entries submitted into the program, 19 will advance to the second and final judging round – headed by Ronan McGrath.
The Ingenious Awards Program is designed to celebrate Canadian organizations that have successfully enhanced their business productivity through the adoption of technology. Nominations were submitted under five categories: Large Private Business, Large Public Organization (enterprise), Small to Medium Size Business, Small to Medium Size Public Organization (enterprise) and Not-for-Profit. The CIO Association of Canada (CIOCAN) is responsible for overseeing the two-tiered judging process, 12 representatives from which worked together to select the 19 finalists.
The finalists are as follows:
Large Private Business
Globe and Mail Catalyst Program
J. D. Irving Limited – Enterprise Geographic Information System
Large Public Organization (enterprise)
DART – Data Analytics and Retrieval Technology
Manitoba EduTube
Code STEMI Project
buyandsell.gc.ca
Brampton Citizen Service Platform (CSP) Portal Initiative
Dramatic Improvement in Medical Imaging Results
Pointe-de-l’Île Community Health Centre
Small to Medium Size Business
TinyEYE Therapy Systems
NEI Data Warehouse
Diamond Taxi
MD Ambulance MobileLink
Small to Medium Size Public Organization (enterprise)
Ontario Telemedical Network
Ontario GeoPortal
OSAP Mobile Application
Not-for-Profit – all not-for-profit and non-government organizations that operate within Canada
Children’s Treatment Network of Simcoe York – Single Plan of Care and Electronic Client Record Project
Canadian Opera Company Website
.CA Registry Redesign
The 2011 Ingenious Award winners will be announced on May 30, 2011, and will be celebrated at an awards gala in Toronto on June 14, 2011. You may purchase your tickets to the awards gala here.
For more information on the Ingenious Awards Program, click here.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Watch Mandy Shapanksy and M. Elizabeth Cannon Speak on their Paths to the Corner Office
Posted April 11, 2011
Mandy Shapansky was appointed President and CEO of Xerox Canada in July 2010. That same month Elizabeth Cannon was named President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calgary. Both women pursued unconventional paths to their positions of leadership – Elizabeth through a distinguished career in engineering and geomatics; Mandy through her expertise in the realm of corporate finance. How they built their career paths was the subject of this ITAC/CWC Speakers Series event. Moderating the conversation was yet another distinguished Canadian CEO, Margot Micallef, Chair and CEO of the Vista Broadcast Group.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Branham Group Inc. Releases 2011 Branham300
Posted April 7, 2011
2010 brought cautious optimism and expected relief from the worst storm to hit the Canadian economy since the Great Depression. However, the reality is that Canada's ICT industry encountered many of the same challenges in 2010 as it did the previous two years. The Top 250 Canadian ICT Companies appearing on the 2011 Edition of the Branham300 increased revenues by 3.66 percent to $73.93 billion, up from $71.32 billion in 2009 but still trailing the $75.97 billion generated in 2008. While this year's Branham300 data does reveal some positive trends, it also indicates that the recovery of Canada's innovative ICT industry is still a work in progress.
Access the entire Branham300 report here.
Congratulations to all ITAC members who made the list!
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
CANARIE “DAIRS” Technology Entrepreneurs to Accelerate Innovation
Posted April 7, 2011
DAIR – "Digital Accelerator for Innovation and Research" is open to developers of:
- Multi-player online games
- Transactional software such as e-banking
- Telecom software such as billing
- Web-based apps such as social networking/marketing
- Other digital products, services and applications
CANARIE Inc. has announced it is accepting proposals frtechnology entrepreneurs and innovators to develop their products, services or applicaCanada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network.
This is a unique opportunity and competitive advantage for
CANARIE’s DAIR – the Digital Accelerator for Innovation and Research Program – is a shared R& D environment where users can design, prototype, validate and demonstrate pre-comtechnologies on demand and at no charge during the pilot phase of the program, which runs from May 2011 until March 2012.
“
“DAIR is a very welcome program,” said Mr. Matthews. “This will help a large number of developers in smaller ICT organizations who often lack thresources to test their solutions in an advanced R & D network environment.”
CANARIE announced DAIR in December 2010 in response to data showing
DAIR helps accelerate time-to-market for SMEs by providing access to an R & D environment consisting of a high-capacity fibre optic network, macro cellular and WiFi access, and compute and storage resources. This environment will offer SMEs the opportunity to move products qutowards commercialization, without incurring additional development costs.
Applicants are urged to submit their proposals by April 22, 2011, as these will be evaluated by May 2. Proposals accepted after that date will be evaluated within 5 business days. The first group of users is expected to access DAIR in May 2011. Selection criteria for the program includeexpected cost and time savings with respect to product development, and alignment of technicarequirements with DAIR resources.
Based on a successful pilot, the program will be expanded to incorporate additional users, such as multinational enterprises and academic researchers.
More information on DAIR, the DAIR Call for Proposals, and information on selection criteria mbe found at: www.canarie.ca/en/dair.
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For more information, please contact Kathryn Anthonisen, Director of Communications, CANARIE, (613) 943-5374, Kathryn.anthonisen@canarie.ca
About CANARIE:
CANARIE Inc. is
CANARIE keeps
Find us on Facebook and LinkedIn by searching for CANARIE Inc.
On Twitter, search for CANARIE_Inc.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Study Shows Vast Skills, Labour Shortages Looming for Canada’s Tech Sector
Posted April 1, 2011
TORONTO, ON (March 29, 2011) - Canada’s ICT sector, representing the country’s information, communications and technology employment base, is facing alarming skills and labour shortages in the next five years. Today’s release of Outlook for Human Resources in the ICT Labour Market, 2011-2016 by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) , in partnership with the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) , underscores the shortages, and paints a picture of a new job market for ICT that has radically changed. ICTC also reported that all stakeholders in the sector—industry and education, the associations that represent them, and government—recognize the looming shortages and are poised to act.
The new report underscores that in most regions in Canada and for most ICT occupations, demand will far exceed supply. Employers will encounter systemic shortages when recruiting for ICT jobs that require five or more years’ experience. The severity of these shortages will increase when employers are seeking to recruit ICT people with leading edge skills such as marketing, accounting and finance competencies.
The results also show a new job market for ICT, one that has radically changed. Industry now needs workers with the leading edge package of skills, for example systems analysis and design combined with marketing, operations management and HR management, or people with particular combinations of domain experience (such as e-health, e-finance and digital media) together with ICT expertise.
Over the next five years, Canadian employers will need to hire an estimated 106,000 ICT workers. Other key Report highlights include:
There is a pervasive mismatch between the industry skill requirements and the available skill supply in the labour market. This mismatch affects all regions of the country;
Information Systems Analysts and Consultants, the largest ICT occupation in Canada, will continue to drive the shortages with demand for this complex mix of skills being much greater than the available supply;
Recent graduates with co-op or internships as part of their education will, for the most part, be able to obtain relevant employment. Those graduates without co-op or internships will experience prolonged frustration in finding a relevant job;
The gender imbalance for ICT occupations (males make up approximately 75% of all ICT employees) limits the qualified pool of employees for industry recruitment. This compounds the skills shortage in Canada.
Recently arrived internationally educated professionals (IEPs), who have no Canadian experience, will have considerable difficulty in securing an ICT job that is commensurate with their qualifications, unless their English or French language skills are strong.
"The potential skills and labour shortage crisis has been identified as one of the most defining issues facing the ICT sector in Canada today, said Bernard Courtois, President and CEO of ITAC. Global job mobility, technological change, demographics, declining enrolments, and shifting investment patterns have combined to create a pending shortfall among skilled ICT workers. "ITAC and other sector stakeholders asked ICTC to help us understand the reasons for these trends and offer regional and occupational forecast," said Courtois, "and we are now armed with this fresh survey information and ground-breaking analysis by leading Canadian experts to assess current and forecasted trends, and to recommend and implement corrective actions."
The study reinforces the emerging trends that ICTC, ITAC and other national associations, the Government of Canada and the post-secondary education community have been noting. ICTC’s 2008 labour market outlook report released consistent findings, and the sector has been working since then to curb the severity of the skills and labour shortfall. More than 100 of these organizations, including ICTC and ITAC, have provided leadership and consultations to the Government of Canada’s Digital Economy Strategy, set to roll out in the coming months.
Furthermore, ICTC has focused on the integration of Internationally Educated Professionals into Canadian industry, educating and creating awareness of the opportunities that ICT jobs provide through its Focus on Information Technology (FIT) high school program, and ensuring that ICTC is capturing the complexity and changes in the ICT labour market by including eHealth and Digital Media into labour market information that is researched by the organization. In addition, ICTC is developing a comprehensive program that recognizes the professionalism of Canada`s ICT workforce based on ICTC`s national competency profiles.
But more work at a greater intensity is now required. "Moving forward, industry, government, education and associations must continue to mobilize in a concentrated effort to respond to what is needed to address this looming skills and labour shortages," said Paul Swinwood, president and CEO of ICTC. "These partnerships will form the necessary collaborations to develop and implement the integrated strategies and programs to address the challenges and issues we face today and over the next five years."
Five Levers for Change:
ICTC has identified five levers for change and accompanying recommendations to address the issues identified in the labour market study:
1. To meet Canada’s need for highly qualified ICT talent, the country has to maintain and, ideally, grow enrolment in ICT-related post-secondary programs beyond current levels.
2. The integration of Internationally Educated Professionals (IEPs) is a critical action The integration of Internationally Educated Professionals (IEPs) is a critical action that must continue to ensure that industry can access this already available labour pool.
3. Post-secondary education must shift to integrated, cross-discipline programs with practicum components and professional development opportunities to ensure graduates are equipped with the mix of skills employers are looking for.
4. Employers need to invest in "nearly qualified" candidates and make professional development accessible, flexible and focused on providing employees with the skills required to meet their rapidly changing needs.
5. Improved diversity and inclusion of under-represented groups in the ICT industry will provide critical productivity gains and competitive advantages for Canadian business in a global marketplace.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ITAC Gender Diversity Forum Provides Primer on Building an Inclusive ICT Workplace
Posted March 30, 2011
On March 9, ITAC convened its first ever executive forum on gender diversity. Over 20 speakers from our industry and our stakeholder community came together to share best practices and an array of strategies for building more inclusive ICT workplaces. Their presentations were captured on video and are available here. They serve as a primer on how to design programs that better engage and retain women and other underrepresented groups in the workplace.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Jim Muzyka, ITAC Diversity Champion and Vice President Xerox Global Services, Xerox Canada
The Business Case for Gender Diversity in ICT
Knowledge-based businesses that do not exploit the fullest range of experience, expertise and points of view from the available labour market seriously reduce their capacity for innovation, effective problem-solving and efficient project management. A gender-diversity champion from a leading organization will explain why it makes good business sense for ICT companies to do a better job of engaging women in every aspect of their business.
Speaker: Deborah Gillis, Senior Vice-president, Member and Global Operations, Catalyst Inc.
Women's Networks from the Top Down and from the Bottom Up
At 25% of the ICT population, women can often feel isolated in the workforce. One instrument for overcoming that isolation is women's networks that provide networking, professional development seminars, mentoring and other forms of support. This panel discusses the outcome of effective networks, how to get one going if your company does not have them, and how to derive personal benefit from them.
Panelists:
Catherine MacMaster, Principal, Deloitte Inc.
Angela Neill, CVP Software Engineering, Advanced Micro Devices
Sharon O'Shaughnessy, Senior Account Officer Manager, IBM Canada
Moderator:
Sandra Saric, Program Director, ICTC
Watch this video (Part 1), (Part 2)
Building a Diverse Board of Directors
Governance is a critical component of enterprise success. Building a diverse board that engages the expertise and insights of women can be challenging for ICT companies. But a surprising array of resources is available to help.
Speakers:
Stephanie MacKendrick, President, CWC
Karen Best, Leader Women on Boards Initiative, CWC
Diversity … for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced
Creating a fully diverse workplace and achieving the benefits diversity presents different challenges to companies at various stages of their evolution. This panel explores these challenges, including attraction, retention, succession planning and governance, from the perspective of an emerging company, a mature mid-sized company and a larger firm.
Panelists:
Fred Boulanger, President and CEO, Macadamian Software Engineering
Carolyn Kinzie, Director of Marketing, Canada, Pitney Bowes
Pascale Legros, Global Supply Chain Solutions/Global Business Controls, Regulatory Program Manager, HP Canada
Kevan McBeth, Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility, SaskTel
Moderator:
Karen Wensley
Strategies for Improving the Supply of Women in the ICT Labour Market
One of the greatest challenges we face as the ICT industry aims to increase the size of its female workforce is a critical shortage of women graduates from computer science, engineering, and business/technology programs. This session will explore current issues in enrollment and describe what Canada and other jurisdictions are doing to achieve change.
Speaker: David Ticoll, Executive Director, CCICT
Closing Remarks
Bernard Courtois, President and CEO, ITAC
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Harper Government Reaffirms Target for Release of Digital Economy Strategy
Posted March 22, 2011
In a climate of fiscal restraint against a commitment to return Canada to a balanced budget by 2016, the Federal Government nevertheless continued to make modest investments in the Digital Economy Strategy (DES) in its 2011 Budget.
The issue of Canada’s chronic under-use of information and communications technology in all sectors of the economy, especially the small and mid-sized business segment, is a central area of focus for the DES. This Budget has allocated an additional $80 million over the next three years to enable the NRC’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) to help small business accelerate their adoption of ICTs through collaborative projects with colleges.
Talent is another key plank in the DES. Canada has fallen well behind most other OECD nations in its graduation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates. Budget 2011 indicates that HRSDC will reallocate $60 million in existing funding to promote enrollment in these key disciplines over the next three years.
And, of course, digital content is another critical component of the DES. The 2011 Budget allocates $100 million per year to the Canada Media Fund, which invests in the creation of digital content across multiple platforms including television, applications for the internet, wireless and other emerging platforms.
The government will also continue to invest in public research allocating an additional $37 million to support the federal research granting councils including NSERC and CIHR. The Budget further announces the Government’s intention to invest an additional $53.5 million between now and 2016 in the creation of 10 new Canada Excellence Research Chairs.
The Budget also extends the temporary accelerated capital cost allowance rate for manufacturing machinery equipment for an additional two years to 2014.
There were no additional measures on either broadband infrastructure or SR&ED reform in this Budget. The Expert Panel on Government Support for R&D will make its report later in the year so no changes to SR&ED are anticipated before that. And the DES itself will be released in the spring and may potentially include further measures on broadband and spectrum.
"In its most recent Budget, the Québec Government included a Digital Economy Strategy as a key priority, emphasizing its importance to productivity and Québec’s economic future. Canadians from coast to coast will be looking forward to the unveiling of our national Digital Economy Strategy," said Bernard Courtois, President and CEO of ITAC.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ITAC’s View on R&D: Improve SR&ED and Venture Capital Climate
Posted February 18, 2011
Downloads
GrowingCanadasRandDIntensiveEconomy.pdfITAC's submission to the Expert Panel on the Review of Federal Support for R&D underscores the vital role that SR&ED credits and venture capital play in the innovation and commercialization ecosystem in Canada. It also makes recommendations for improving both. Read ITAC's submission here.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Ingenious Awards Will Showcase Excellence in the Use of Technology
Posted February 10, 2011
A new awards program created by ITAC, the Information Technology Association of Canada, will showcase excellence in the use of information and communications technology by organizations of all sizes in all sectors of the Canadian economy. The Ingenious Awards Program will seek out enterprises demonstrating clearly measurable evidence of productivity improvement, efficiency gains, revenue growth, overall business transformation or other major business outcomes through the use of technology. Awards will be presented in five categories honoring excellence in technology use in large private enterprises, large public organizations, small and medium-sized private enterprises, small and medium-sized public enterprises, and not-for-profit organizations. Awards will be presented at a gala dinner in Toronto on June 14, 2011. The stories of the winning entries will be published in an online magazine and distributed across Canada later in 2011.
The awards were created by ITAC to celebrate the ingenuity, adaptability and competitiveness of Canadian business. "Across the country Canadians in all walks of life are demonstrating a tremendous aptitude for using technology to drive business competitiveness, improve service delivery, reduce costs and address huge 21st century problems such as providing affordable healthcare, ending isolate and safeguarding the sustainability of our environment," said Bernard Courtois, president and CEO of ITAC. "In the process they are helping to build a stronger, more robust economy and a more just and equitable society. The ICT industry believes that this great contribution is something to celebrate."
Bell Canada, CGI, Cisco, Dell Canada and Intel of Canada are, along with ITAC, the founding sponsors of the Ingenious Awards Program.
"The founders of this program all share the belief that improving the productivity and competitiveness of Canada’s economy through the use of technology is imperative to our future prosperity," Mr. Courtois said. "We know that while there are many, many examples of excellence in the use of technology to innovate or to completely transform organizations, overall in Canada, we are not using technology at the same rate as other competitor nations. We also know that the most persuasive way to encourage organizations to use technology is through peer-to-peer exchange of best practices among companies and other organizations. The Ingenious Awards Program provides a mechanism for facilitating that peer-to-peer exchange in a sustained fashion."
The nominations process for this inaugural round of Ingenious Awards opened today. Contestants are required to submit a short project description and clear evidence of the correlation between the technology and measurable business outcomes. Nominations will be accepted until March 30. Judging will be conducted by panels of judges, by the CIO Association of Canada and by Ronan McGrath, a distinguished former CIO and past chair of ITAC.
Nomination forms, rules and regulations and other information can be found at the Ingenious Awards Program website (http://ingeniousawards.ca).
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ITAC Director, Jim Muzyka, wins CWC Leadership Excellence Award
Posted February 3, 2011
Canadian Women in Communications (CWC), on January 31, 2011, announced the 2011 recipients of the prestigious CWC Annual Awards. These cornerstones of CWC’s mandate recognize women of achievement in the communications and technology sectors and those who support their advancement.
Member of the ITAC Board of Directors, and Vice President and General Manager, Xerox Global Services, Jim Muzyka, was awarded a CWC Leadership Excellence Award in the "Champion of Women’s Advancement" category.
The honours include individual awards – CWC Woman of the Year Award and CWC Leadership Excellence Awards – as well as the CWC Employer Excellence Award in the Change Champion category. All will be presented Monday, April 4, 2011 at the CWC Annual Awards Gala Dinner at the Fairmont Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa.
"We are delighted to announce such an outstanding group of award winners this year," said Stephanie MacKendrick, President of Canadian Women in Communications. "The caliber of these recipients really underlines how much women contribute to our industry. Equally important this year, our awards spotlight the important work that individuals and organizations are doing to accelerate the career advancement of women, something that is rightly being recognized as an important business issue and a key aspect of our sector’s future competitive edge."
CWC is also very pleased that Farah Nasser, anchor at CP24 in Toronto, will emcee the Gala Awards dinner. "This year’s event will be one of our most exciting yet," said Ms. MacKendrick.
Canadian Women in Communications is a national, bilingual organization dedicated to the career advancement of women in the communications and technology sectors through strategic networking, targeted professional development and meaningful recognition.
Access award details and biographies of all 2011 winners here: http://www.cwc-afc.com/show-content.cfm?section=wha-awa&subsection=ann
For more information, please contact:
Terra Lariviere: 905 274 0259, terra.lariviere@rogers.com
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Prime Minister announces Red Tape Reduction Commission - SMEs to benefit from reduced admin. burden
Posted January 13, 2011
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, accompanied by Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), today announced the creation of the Red Tape Reduction Commission, which will work to reduce the burden of federal regulatory requirements on Canadian enterprises, especially small- and medium-sized businesses.
“Small and medium-sized businesses are a critical driver of the Canadian economy,” said the Prime Minister. “This initiative will help ensure that they can grow, prosper and create jobs without being impeded by unnecessary government regulations.”
The Red Tape Reduction Commission, chaired by Minister of State Moore, will help find effective and lasting solutions to support Canadian small- and medium-sized businesses. It will consult with Canadians and Canadian businesses to identify irritants that have a clear detrimental effect on growth, competitiveness and innovation. The Commission will also look at the cost associated with federal regulatory requirements that businesses face, and provide advice on permanent solutions for reducing the overall compliance burden.
“Canadian businesses spend billions of dollars each year adhering to regulations,” added Prime Minister Harper. “We need to look at where and how we can reduce these costs and this red-tape burden, especially on small businesses.”
The Commission will hold consultations with Canadians and Canadian businesses during a series of round tables later this month. An online consultation process will also take place (www.reduceredtape.gc.ca) before the Commission issues its recommendations to the Government in the fall of 2011.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Patti-Ann Marzocco on building two successful start-ups and one of the best sales teams in Canada
Posted January 12, 2011
It’s an understatement to say that Patti-Ann Marzocco has a strong career focus (she had four jobs before learning to drive and bought her first annuity by the age of 15). As Vice-President, Original Equipment Manufacturers, Microsoft Canada, she brings years of strategic career planning and entrepreneurialism to her role of building Microsoft’s business in Canada. She recently spoke to members of the ITAC community on December 2, 2010, and you can watch the video here.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
CANARIE Launches Pilot Program to Help Cdn High-Tech Firms Innovate and Accelerate Commercialization
Posted December 14, 2010
December 14, 2010. Ottawa. Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network (CANARIE) today announced it is launching DAIR – Digital Accelerator for Innovation and Research, a research and development environment where Canadian firms can develop, test and demonstrate innovative information and communications technology (ICT) products, services and protocols.
CANARIE’s DAIR Program will help small- and medium-sized ICT companies create new, complex, large-scale products, and demonstrate them to customers, without building a costly R & D infrastructure themselves. ICT researchers investigating next-generation Internet technologies will also benefit.
DAIR is slated to be operational in March 2011, initially as a pilot program that leverages CANARIE’s advanced research and education fibre-optic network, while continuing to support the research and education communities.
“CANARIE’s DAIR Program builds on the Government of Canada’s investment in CANARIE and touches on a key element of our digital economy,” said the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry. “This pilot program leverages that investment to help Canadian businesses be more innovative and more commercially successful in the global marketplace.”
“Canada’s ICT sector has underperformed compared to its global peers,” said Jim Roche, President and CEO of CANARIE. “CANARIE will leverage our network to stimulate the ICT sector and contribute to Canada’s digital economy. Researchers and innovators will have the opportunity to move Canada’s best ideas quickly from the research lab to the factory floor. Based on successful results of this pilot, we expect that the DAIR Program will form part of CANARIE’s next mandate, to support all aspects of the ICT sector.”
“This R & D environment will accelerate our product development and testing cycles, as well as provide the testing facilities for the infrastructure platforms that we expect to be the centrepieces of the next wave of the digital economy,” said Michael Schmalz, President of Digital Extremes, a leading developer of videogame experiences based in London, Ontario. “It will be of great benefit to our company and companies like ours.”
Other countries already provide advanced test environments to enable collaborative and exploratory research and pre-commercial testing. In the U.S., the Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI) provides a comparable environment. In the European Union, this environment is provided by such initiatives as Future Internet Research and Experimentation (FIRE) and Pan-European Laboratory Infrastructure Implementation (PII).
“CANARIE’s DAIR Program has the potential to unleash a tsunami of high-tech applications,” said Bernard Courtois, President and CEO of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC). “It is a tremendous resource for smaller ICT companies who have limited financial resources but unlimited technical creativity and market insight.”
Features of CANARIE’s DAIR Program, which will run on a dedicated portion of the CANARIE network, include:
- “cloud-based” computing where shared resources are provided on demand
- on-demand provisioning
- instant scalability
- wireless and virtual private network (VPN) access.
For more information, please contact:
Kathryn Anthonisen
Director of Communications
CANARIE
(613) 943-5374
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
About CANARIE:
CANARIE Inc. is Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network. Established in 1993, CANARIE manages an ultra high-speed network which facilitates leading-edge research and big science across Canada and around the world. More than 40,000 researchers at over 225 Canadian universities and colleges use the CANARIE Network, as well as researchers at institutes, hospitals, and government laboratories throughout the country. Together with 12 provincial and territorial advanced network partners, CANARIE enables researchers to share and analyze massive amounts of data, like climate models, satellite images, and DNA sequences that can lead to groundbreaking scientific discoveries. CANARIE is a non-profit corporation supported by membership fees, with the major investment in its programs and activities provided by the Government of Canada.
CANARIE keeps Canada at the forefront of digital research and innovation, fundamental to a vibrant digital economy. For additional information, please visit: www.canarie.ca.
Find us on Facebook and LinkedIn by searching for CANARIE Inc.
On Twitter, search for CANARIE_Inc.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Karen Wensley Addresses Federal R&D Panel
Posted December 10, 2010
Karen Wensley, the former chair of ITAC’s Tax and Finance Committee and one of the country’s leading experts on SR&ED tax credits, was recently invited to appear before the independent expert panel on how to cultivate support of business research and development. Karen’s presentation focuses upon an optional payroll-based approach to accessing SR&ED credits. Access it here.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
The mill to succeed
Posted November 22, 2010
“If you have the right training, the right equipment and the right knowledge, IT will do whatever you want it to do, easily.”
- Mario Arseneault, Human Resources, Chaleur Sawmills
Chaleur Sawmills in Belledune, New Brunswick, is one of Canada’s largest sawmills, employing 175 workers and producing over 150-million board feet of lumber annually.
The key to the company’s success is efficiency. And in the world of cutting and refining wood, efficiency is all about reducing your downtime to a minimum. The mill runs seven days per week, on two twelve-hour shifts from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.. Only one week per month does the mill not run a night shift, from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. – they reserve that time for regular maintenance work.
“Preventative maintenance is a huge reason why we’re so productive,” said Mario Arseneault, Director of Human Resources for Chaleur Sawmills. “I’m not going to say we never have breakages, but it’s very rare that we need to stop production because of something mechanical or electrical. Usually we find it before it breaks.”
In order to keep this rigourous schedule sustainable, Chaleur Sawmills has developed an extremely comprehensive preventative maintenance system. And until August of this year, this system involved a worker spending well over 10 to 12 hours per week manually scheduling and assigning maintenance tasks among the mill’s employees.
“It includes everything from checking bearings, tightening chains, aligning pulleys and belts, anything,” Arseneault said. “If a chain is being tightened three times a week, something is wrong. So preventative maintenance is all about asking what we do with that chain – is it a problem with the chain, the bearing, the belt in behind, the conveyor?”
The maintenance worker used to begin assigning all these various tasks to the mill’s employees Friday after work, and spend his entire weekend until Sunday night completing the task. Then the sawmill considered bringing in an ICT solution to help reduce the strain, and essentially automate what had become an extremely labour-intensive managerial process.
“We realized that our maintenance coordinator was taking at least 10 to 12 hours to run his regular schedule of tasks for all of his 14 millwrights,” Arseneault said. “We realized that he was starting on the Friday afternoon, continuing on Saturday, and finishing on the Sunday from home, to make sure all the tasks would be in for Monday.”
In February of this year, Chaleur Sawmills started looking into potential ICT solutions for how to make this process more efficient. They turned to local New Brunswick business IT solutions company, PLC Info, and by June, they had agreed to purchase and implement a software program designed to automate the mill’s preventative maintenance system.
“They came up with a program that could do all the tasks automatically, week after week after week,” Arseneault said. “All we need to do now is have the names and numbers of all our guys in a file, and it automatically distributes all the tasks to everybody. And now it takes about an hour and a half instead of 10 to 12 hours. So it’s more than a success story, it’s absolutely amazing what it’s done for us and our maintenance guy.”
The mill invested $25,000 into the software program, which was implemented in August, 2010. But what seems like a substantial investment upfront is already paying dividends. The mill estimates that it saves about $500 per week with the new system in place. At that rate, the investment will be completely paid off in only 50 weeks – less than one year.
Arseneault said it wasn’t an easy decision to invest in the program – it took months of development, then another 10 days or so to decide whether to buy once PLC Info had submitted their final proposal. He said in the end, it came down to thoroughly researching the opportunity, and being sure they had all the elements in place to best utilize the system.
“[Investing in ICT] certainly works, but you need to have the right stuff for it to work,” he said. “The biggest problem for anybody who wants to invest in IT is that they probably don’t understand what it can do for them. If you have the right training, the right equipment and the right knowledge, IT will do whatever you want it to do, easily.”
As for the mill’s maintenance coordinator, he’s just happy to have his weekends back.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Industry Minister outlines status of Digital Economy Strategy for Canada
Posted November 22, 2010
On November 22, at the annual conference of the Canadian Chapter of the International Institute of Communications (IIC), Industry Minister Tony Clement reported on the status of Canada’s Digital Economy Strategy (DES), and announced some key specific measures that are very much welcomed by ITAC and Canada’s ICT industry.
The Minister discussed five key elements of the DES:
- infrastructure,
- adoption of digital technologies by business,
- digitally skilled workforce,
- growing Canada’s ICT sector, and
- digital content in all media.
Minister Clement reaffirmed the importance of the DES to Canada’s overall economy, as well as the importance of these five key elements, upon which the government consulted Canadians thoroughly earlier this year. He confirmed that the strategy will be made public in the spring of 2011.
In the meantime, the Minister confirmed that the government has been taking action, and it will continue to take action, without awaiting disclosure of the overall strategy.
The Minister announced that the government would be launching consultations on the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz band, with the auction to take place by the end of 2012. He added that the government would make its determination about what to do about foreign ownership rules in the course of this process. He then announced that consultations on auctioning spectrum in the 2,500MHz band would be launched by the end of 2011. He also stated that Industry Canada would carry out a departmental review of rules on tower sharing and roaming, and make a determination on them by the spring of 2011.
The Minister announced that spectrum fees for personal communications systems (PCS) and cellular would be frozen at their current levels for the time being. He also indicated that the license period for future auctions and renewals would be extended to 20 years. ITAC notes that in the hundreds of submissions tabled in the DES consultation process, many parties – including ITAC – identified the importance of mobile and wireless technology and the availability of spectrum to the fundamental broadband infrastructure of the future. Our industry welcomes the measures announced by Minister Clement, and we note that the freeze on spectrum fees is entirely consistent with the policy of this government to avoid tax increases. On tower sharing and roaming rules, it is important to resolve any issues so as not to create uncertainty and impede investment.
On the question of adoption of digital technologies by business, the Minister announced an interesting initiative, by which the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has been asked to make ICT adoption a core part of its mandate and lending activities.
“Specifically, BDC will help companies evaluate their level of ICT integration and will offer new consulting services to enhance their capacity to use these technologies,” Minister Clement said. “BDC will also increase efforts to market its financial products that provide companies with the capital they need to purchase new equipment. The objective, therefore, is to have BDC loan proposals looked at from an ICT perspective – does the client’s business plan include sufficient ICT investment? And if not, how can the BDC assist in developing an ICT plan?”
In the area of a digitally skilled workforce, the Minister announced 25 Digital Economy Knowledge Synthesis research grants.
Finally, Minister Clement announced that he would be co-hosting with Clément Gignac, the Quebec Minister of Economic Development, a federal, provincial and territorial Economic Ministers’ conference, which will seek to enhance collaboration of our governments on economic issues, and notably, digital economy issues.
“Our vision – of a world-leading digital economy – cannot be achieved by the federal government acting alone. What’s required is a comprehensive and cohesive set of actions to create the right conditions for growth and innovation,” Minister Clement said.
“And while we have made important progress together, none of us can rest on our laurels. Not when other nations are making important decisions too. Not when success in a global economy requires us to be at the forefront of digital technologies. Not when there is so much at stake. The competition is simply too keen, the potential too vast and the opportunities too great to stall in our progress now. So let’s each play our part. Each assume our responsibilities. And each continue to pull the levers within our own grasp. If we do this – resolutely, creatively and collaboratively – we can, together, build a digital economy that will be the envy of the world.”
The full transcript of Minister Clement’s speech is available by clicking here.
More background information on this Digital Economy Strategy update is available by clicking here.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ICT Investment Gap between Canada and US Grows to 40%
Posted November 17, 2010
Canada, which has a long history of under investing in productivity-enhancing information and communications technology tools and services, particularly in comparison with the United States, showed no improvement in its performance in 2009. In fact, the investment gap has grown from 37.2 percent to 40.5 percent. According to a new study by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS), Canada’s rate of ICT investment per worker in 2009 was 59.5 percent of that of the United States. In 2008, it was 62.8 percent.
The CSLS has conducted groundbreaking research that directly links Canada’s under adoption of technology to the relatively poor productivity of our economy in comparison with competitor nations such as the United States. Many influential organizations concerned about Canada’s capacity for innovation and competitiveness have underscored the need to improve our performance in this important area.
In its April 2009 report on innovation, the Council of Canadian Academies noted that “Investment in advanced machinery and equipment is a principal source of productivity growth, both through its direct labor-augmenting effect and through its induced impact on innovation, including innovations in the business reorganization required to fully exploit the new machinery and equipment.” The report, from its Expert Panel on Business Innovation, goes on to point out that “… the ICT investment picture is consistent with the view that Canadian businesses on the whole … are technology followers, not leaders and are reluctant to adopt new practices until they have been well proven south of the border. In today’s fast paced world that strategy is unlikely to work as a well as it once did.”
The Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity has repeatedly expressed similar views. Its June 2010 report, “Beyond the recovery,” suggests “Canadian businesses continue to trail their US counterparts in investing in machinery, equipment, and software to make their workers more productive … the accumulated effect of this under investment by Canadian businesses each year means that their workers have less capital to support them on the job … Closing the investment gap offers the potential for closing the prosperity gap … Closing the prosperity gap would increase annual personal disposable income for the average Canadian household by $12,200.”
Improving Canadian business productivity is a central priority for ITAC, which commissions CSLS’ annual studies of the ICT investment gap. “Our member companies have all seen the transformational impact of ICT tools and services at the enterprise level,” said ITAC President and CEO, Bernard Courtois. “As an industry, we know that our relatively weak adoption of ICT is a major drag on Canada’s competitiveness and overall economic performance. As an association we have been trying to get the word out about the benefits of stronger ICT adoption across the whole economy. The work of the Centre for the Study of Living Standards provides us with a useful data point; I just wish the indicators were showing signs of improvement and not the reverse.
“The need for improvement in our use of technology has been central to discussions that our association has had with public policy makers at the Federal and Provincial levels,” Courtois said. “The accelerated Capital Cost Allowance provision for computer hardware announced in last year’s Federal Budget, and which expires at the end of January 2011, is a good indication that they understand this. But there is more that can be done. The government has thankfully declared ICT Adoption as a key focus of the upcoming national Digital Economy Strategy, so we are looking forward to having this issue formally addressed.”
Read the CSLS report in full by clicking here.
- 30 -
For further information, please contact:
Lynda Leonard
Senior Vice President, ITAC
(613) 238-4822 ext. 223
Brendan Glauser
Manager of Communications, ITAC
(613) 238-4822 ext. 224
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Video case studies for healthcare solutions
Posted November 12, 2010
Many healthcare organizations have adopted solutions from one of Canada’s largest telecommunications providers in order to improve efficiency and patient care. The company offers a number of solutions that can help any healthcare organization modernize its ICT infrastructure, improve efficiency and ensure greater well-being for patients.
To watch six videos that feature just some of the organizations that have benefited from implementing these healthcare solutions, click here.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
NRC Releases Video Footage of 2010 New Brunswick Innovation Forum
Posted November 1, 2010
The National Research Council Institute for Information Technology (NRC-IIT) in Fredericton, New Brunswick, has released video footage of its New Brunswick Innovation Forum 2010, “Atlantic Canada’s Fast Track to IT Opportunities.” The Forum brought together close to 200 delegates from across the world for two days of workshops in Saint John, NB, on October 5 and 6. ITAC was fortunate enough to attend the forum and support our partners at the NRC-IIT. Watch video footage of the forum’s panelists and presenters here: http://innovation2010.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/video-archive2010.php
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Christine Alford on Taking Risks, Developing a Personal Style and the Power of Now
Posted October 26, 2010
There aren’t very many Canadian women leading a team responsible for an $8 billion global business, but Christine Alford has entered that small group. Just a few days after being appointed Chief Operating Officer, Consulting Services for IBM, she was the featured speaker at the second ITAC/CWC Speakers’ Series showcasing outstanding female leaders in information and communications technology. In conversation with interviewer Adriana Zibiri (Senior manager, IBM Software Group) and a capacity crowd in the auditorium at IBM Canada’s Markham headquarters, Christine candidly shared her experiences and views on personal leadership. She encouraged her audience to view career risks as opportunities, demonstrating that the job changes she made in her career were some of the most successful risks that she took. Christine’s career started out “non-traditional” and pretty much stayed that way. She studied for a career in marine biology but a few summer jobs counting fish eggs and a minor in computer science diverted her to her first job with IBM as a software developer. After 12 years of that she was offered a chance to become an industrial engineering manager and then CIO of IBM Canada and finally an executive in services.
“I wasn’t an expert in any of these roles,” she noted. “But I learned that in any new job a key to success is your ability to deliver in the first 30 days.”
Watch the full video of this lively discussion and to learn why this series is rapidly becoming one of our most popular.
The next ITAC CWC Speakers Series event will take place on December 2. Our speaker will be Patti-Ann Marzucco, Vice-President, Original Equipment Manufacturers, Microsoft Canada.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Survey finds SMEs not investing enough in ICT
Posted October 22, 2010
A new survey commissioned by Intel Canada has found that while nearly four in 10 SME owners do “most” or “all” of their business online, over 80 percent say hiring/training employees to improve their digital/online business skills was “not a priority.”
Read more here: http://www.canadaone.com/ezine/briefs.html?StoryID=10Oct21_1
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
New Report Advances the Public Policy Discourse on Innovation
Posted October 13, 2010
Canada must become a nation of innovators, coalition says: report offers 10 steps to boost productivity,create jobs and raise Canadians’ incomes
Canada’s private and public sectors should move quickly to implement reforms that would strengthen the country’s innovation capacity and quality of life, a coalition of leaders from business, academia and supporting organizations said today.
The Coalition for Action on Innovation in Canada – chaired by The Honourable John Manley, President and CEO of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, and Paul Lucas, President and CEO of GlaxoSmithKline Inc. – says it is committed to building a national consensus on 10 key recommendations to boost productivity, create jobs and raise income levels for Canadian workers.
“We believe that the measures we are recommending would make a real difference in putting our country firmly on track toward an innovative and prosperous future,” the coalition says in a concise 10-page report. (Copies of the report are available at www.actiononinnovation.ca.)
Echoing previous studies by the Council of Canadian Academies, The Conference Board of Canada, the federal Science, Technology and Innovation Council and other groups, the report says that Canada’s prosperity is threatened on three fronts – by increasingly intense global competition, an aging population and chronically weak productivity growth.
The solution to all three challenges, the coalition says, is to boost Canada’s capacity to innovate.
Canada, the report adds, has a strong record of public investment in research and development.
“Where we are falling behind other countries is in the private sector. We often fail to recognize and develop the commercial potential of our academic discoveries. Businesses are doing too little research of their own and are failing to invest sufficiently in new, productivity-enhancing technology. Inventors who launch new companies find both venture capital and entrepreneurial expertise in short supply.”
“The result is a business community with far too few innovative companies that qualify as global champions.”
The report says governments, the private sector and the research community should move quickly to:
- Reform the existing system of tax incentives for research and development
- Expand the pool of risk capital for innovative start-ups and emerging knowledge-based companies
- Adopt the world’s strongest intellectual property regime
- Strengthen partnerships between businesses and educational institutions
- Tap private sector expertise in developing programs to promote R&D and commercialization
- Speed adoption of innovative products and services
- Launch a national learning and innovation initiative
- Make Canada a magnet for top researchers and high-potential students from around the world
- Nurture and strengthen innovation clusters
- Establish an independent advocacy body with the single mandate of promoting innovation by Canadian business
Each of these measures, the report says, could be implemented within the next 12 months at little or no cost.
Beyond these priorities, the report offers a series of measures that would provide powerful stimulus for innovation in Canada but that would require additional government spending: tax relief for investors aimed at increasing the flow of capital to innovative companies; tax relief for individuals aimed at increasing the supply of talent; and increased financial support for research institutions targeted at greater commercialization of discoveries.
“The innovation challenge Canada faces is complex. No single policy change will suffice,” the report concludes. “But we believe that each of these recommendations would move us in the right direction, and that it makes no sense to wait. The time for action is now.”
Access the list of coalition members here.
For more information, please contact:
David Rodier
Hill & Knowlton Canada
Tel: 613-786-9945
613-238-4371
Mobile: 613-371-9834
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
ITAC Hosts Industry Roundtable with Minister Rob Moore in Conjunction with 2010 NBIF
Posted October 8, 2010
Earlier this week in Saint John, New Brunswick, ITAC hosted an industry roundtable with Minister of State, Small Business and Tourism, Rob Moore, as well as a number of the province’s leaders in ICT.
The roundtable aimed to facilitate a discussion between the NB ICT industry and Canada’s federal government of how small- to mid-sized businesses based outside of Ontario can best do business with the federal government. Senior executives from several technology companies based in Saint John, Fredericton, Moncton and Halifax attended, as well as a number of ITAC representatives including past ITAC Chair, Tom Turchet of IBM, Morgan Elliott of Research in Motion (RIM), and ITAC President/CEO, Bernard Courtois.
ITAC hosted the roundtable in conjunction with the 2010 New Brunswick Innovation Forum, a technology and innovation conference put on by the National Research Council’s Institute for Information Technology in Fredericton, NB (http://innovation2010.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/welcome_e.html).
Access Industry Canada’s official media release here: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ic1.nsf/eng/05931.html
Photographed above are (from left to right): (back row) Blair Kuhn, Partner, Accreon Inc.; Neil Russon, CEO, Accreon Inc.; Ian Cavanagh, CEO, Ambir; Morgan Elliott, Director of Government Relations, Research in Motion (RIM); Richard Jones, President and CEO, Shift Energy; Keith McIntosh, CEO, PQA Ltd.; Jeff Roach, Executive Director, Propel ICT; Tom Turchet, Vice President – Software, General Business, IBM North America; Bruce MacLellan, Managing Director, Market Access International Canada Inc.; (front row) Doug Robertson, President and CEO, Tech SouthEast; Minister of State, Small Business and Tourism, Honourable Rob Moore; Bernard Courtois, President and CEO, ITAC; Larry Sampson, Executive Director, NBITC; Blain Adams, President and CEO, Red Ball Internet.
(Photo credit to Keith Minchin, courtesy of the NRC-IIT)
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
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Government of Canada launches national Cyber Security Strategy
Posted October 7, 2010
Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Vic Toews, and Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Christian Paradis, have officially launched the national Cyber Security Strategy for Canada. The strategy was mentioned in the 2010 Speech from the Throne as an important Government priority. It will enhance protection from cyber threats for Canadian citizens, industries and governments from coast to coast to coast. ITAC is pleased to have been asked to participate in the announcement on Sunday, October 3, 2010, and demonstrate full industry support of the strategy.
“We know the Government has been active in addressing the security of its own systems, in partnering with the private sector, including our members as well as other governments, and in bringing forth legislative measures on subjects such as ID theft and child abuse on the internet,” said Bernard Courtois, President and CEO of ITAC. “But it is important to have a strategy to coalesce the efforts of all concerned, and to reach out to Canadian businesses and citizens.”
ITAC supports the idea that it is important for the government to invest in this priority. As the strategy document says:
“Every year, we detect more attackers than the year before. And every year, those seeking to infiltrate, exploit or attack our cyber systems are more sophisticated and better resourced than the year before. They are investing in their capabilities. We must respond by investing more in ours.”
The strategy will invest in securing Government of Canada systems, as well as partnering with other governments and with industry to ensure systems vital to Canadian security, economic prosperity and quality of life are protected. It also includes boosting education and awareness to better help Canadians keep their personal information safe and secure when online.
“I commend the government of Canada on the drafting of this strategy,” said John Weigelt, National Technology Officer with Microsoft Canada. “A key part of the ongoing activities underway to safeguard Canada’s cyberspace, this strategy will help keep internet users safer and supports Canada’s vision of creating a world leading digital economy. This strategy provides a meaningful foundation for the government to build out the assurance of their networks, for industry to deepen their engagement through broader security information sharing, as well as reinforces the education and awareness efforts that help Canadians remain safe while online.”
The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, also announced that the federal government will invest $3.5 million in a round-the-clock government Information Protection Centre, designed to combat hackers and cyber attacks of all types. This investment is included in Budget 2010, which allocated $90 million over five years, and $18 million in ongoing funding, towards the Cyber Security Strategy.
The Cyber Security Strategy complements much of the work being done in other areas of the Canada’s Digital Economy Strategy, such as anti-spam legislation and amendments to the Criminal Code to create new offences related to obtaining, possessing and trafficking in identity documents or identity information.
To access Canada’s Cyber Security Strategy in full, visit: www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/em/cbr/ccss-scc-eng.aspx.
For more information on how to protect yourself online, visit: www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cyber.
Working with our membership, ITAC establishes and sets targets for where Canada's knowledge economy should be compared to key peer/competitor nations. Where we fall short, ITAC determines what we need to do to get there and ensure we do what is needed in areas such as: skills, capital, tax, science & technology, and collaboration.
ITAC believes Canadian businesses should be leaders in the use of ICT for competitive advantage, productivity and growth. Use of ICT by small and medium enterprises should increase towards that of our US counterparts. By partnering with other associations, as well as with Government, we work to ensure public policy supports these goals.
ITAC strives to ensure Federal, Ontario and other Canadian Governments are leaders in ICT use. ITAC positions itself as a trusted advisor to Government. We gather industry leaders and Government together and work to make it easier for our industry to sell to government.
ITAC believes the Canadian healthcare system should be a world-leading user of ICT to achieve superior patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as fostering development of a world-leading Canadian health ICT industry. ITAC works to correct chronic under-spend on ICT.
ITAC’s view is Canada’s laws should promote leadership in development and use of advanced technology. We want to ensure efficient and cost-effective measures to protect privacy and instill confidence in the e-economy.
ITAC believes that in order for Canada to continue to compete worldwide, we need to promote policies that will ensure a steady supply of talented men and women for our local ICT industry. We work with industry as well as with Federal, Provincial and local governments to establish initiatives to support this goal.
Become a Member
Applications Being Accepted for Graduate Enterprise Internship
Posted September 24, 2010
The Graduate Enterprise Internship provides financial support to eligible not-for-profit organizations and post-secondary institutions in southern Ontario, to arrange internships with structured mentoring opportunities for graduate students and recent graduates of undergraduate programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics with small- and medium-sized companies in southern Ontario.
Up to $80 million has been allocated to this program from 2010 to 2014.
Applications are being accepted on an ongoing basis for projects submitted by eligible not-for-profit organizations and post-secondary institutions.
Should you have questions or inquiries, further details about the Graduate Enterprise Internship are available at www.feddevontario.gc.ca, by calling 1-866-593-5505, or via e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).