It's HERE. Cold Weather Gear. - Exchange Magazine

WATERCOOLER
Waterloo Regional Grand River
Transit is in the process of
evaluating user services and
asking for users to comment on a new
Express Bus Route. The initiative,
launched during their fifth year as Grand
River Transit, is one stage in a much larger
plan to construct a light rail system
connecting North Waterloo to South
Cambridge. Increasing rider traffic is a
key component in the Region’s Growth
Management Strategy (see The Sleeping
Giant in this issue of Exchange) and in
initiating the Express Bus Service. The project will be evaluated according to ridership
level on the route, how many people have been attracted from auto use (as
opposed to simply using this route instead of other transit routes) and the amount
of greenhouse gas emission reduction. Preliminary targets aim for 3800 riders per
day in Year One, 5000 in Year Two and 5700 in Year Three. The new service is
intended to provide riders a quick and comfortable ride. In September, the area
tagged as the Central Transit Corridor (CTC) will operate the first new Express bus.
The ride will be enhanced with transit priority signals and trip planning services
The bus – with limited stops – will operate Monday to Friday, running at 15 minute
intervals during rush hour and 30 minute intervals during mid-day. The new system
will provide real time information for web-based trip planning. WRGRT is asking
regional businesses to help to promote the Express Bus. Suggestions range
from signing up for the Corporate Pass program where employees take transit at a
discounted rate; providing information about transit service at the work location;
selling transit tickets on site; and providing secure bike storage at the worksite for
employees who combine bus'n' bike during their commute to work.
Research In Motion and mobilkom austria have announced that BlackBerry®
Connect will be made available for the Nokia 9300 Smartphone and the Sony Ericsson
P910i. BlackBerry Connect enables users of the Nokia 9300 and Sony Ericsson
P910i to connect to popular BlackBerry services operating on the mobilkom austria
network. This is a first for Austria and mobilkom austria.
Interest in Bible versions of popular board games has increased over the last several
years, as result of “a re-emphasis on traditional core family values,” reported a
recent release. “We've seen a positive growth in games over the past three years –
especially since the turn of the millennium,” notes Brent Hackett, President of
Forerunner Marketing, a wholesale distributor located in Cambridge, Ontario.
“Overall, people are focusing more on
family time, and building relationships.
Games certainly play a role in the building
process”. The growing demand for
religious-themed games has prompted
many game manufacturers to launch
Bible versions of some well-known
games. Some bestselling games currently
on the market include Scattergories Bible
Edition, Outburst Bible Edition, Bible
Mad Gab, Bible Blurt, Bible TriBond,
Bibleopoly, and even Settlers of Canaan
– based on the popular Settlers of Catan
Board Game. A brand new game is set
for release this Fall: Guesstures Bible
Edition.
The province is giving up ownership of
Ontario's 14 agri-food research stations
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and three agricultural colleges to a
Crown agency in Guelph. The move,
which includes the transfer of the
Ontario Agricultural College, is
designed to boost private-sector investment
in agricultural research in the
province. The
Agricultural
Research
Institute of
Ontario will
have full run
of the infrastructure
and
resources of
the stations
and colleges,
Alastair Summerlee which are all
part of the University of Guelph. The
move, which takes effect April 1, was
hailed as a way to boost research investment.
“This important decision reaffirms
the continuing outstanding support of
the agri-food industry as shown by this
government and the value of our
enhanced
partnership,”
said Alastair
Summerlee,
president of
the University
of Guelph.
“ARIO is
delighted with
the news,”
said Ginty
Jocius, chair Ginty Jocius
of the Agricultural Research Institute of
Ontario. “It is anticipated that the
upcoming transfer of facilities will help
the Ontario government maximize its
research investment by creating an environment
conducive for more industry
and federal funding.”
OCTOBER 2005 l exchangemagazine.com l 31

“Research is critical to the future of
Ontario's agricultural industry,” said Helmuth
Spreitzer, chair of the Agricultural
Research Coalition. “Farmers
have said that to move forward, we need
a research system that is in sync with
change. With the transfer of these facilities
to ARIO, the door is open for industry
and government work together to
ensure we have a research system that is
second to none.”
CAW members who work at the Big
Three automakers have voted overwhelmingly
to give union negotiators
the mandate to strike, if necessary, to
achieve their bargaining demands in
the upcoming round of contract talks.
The posted results from votes across
Ontario on August 28: CAW members
at General Motors voted 97.1% in
favour of a strike; at Ford, 95.5%, while
at DaimlerChrysler, 97.9% supported
a strike, if necessary.
During the third quarter, COM DEV
International Ltd. showed a positive
net income of $1.6 million or ($0.03 per
share) on revenue of $31.2 million. This
compares to the second quarter when
net income was $1.8 million on $32.4
million in revenue. For the year to date,
COM DEV's revenue stands at $93.8
million, up 9% from the same time a
year ago. CEO John Keating reported,
“We saw a strong order performance in
the third quarter with $44 million in
orders representing a 50% increase
from the prior period and resulting in a
solid book to bill ratio of 1.4. However,
the company's expectations were for
these orders to arrive sooner, and thus,
to have more effectively utilized the
resources within the organization. The
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Waterloo, ON N2L IT2
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32 l exchangemagazine.com l OCTOBER 2005
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delays in closing on these orders
caused the organization to be less efficient
and our margins for the quarter
showed the result of this. Another consequence
of the delays in closing new
orders is that we now expect to fall
short of our 10% year over year revenue
growth expectation. Our forecasts
now indicate that our growth will be
approximately 6% in fiscal 2005. While
this decrease in our 2005 growth projection
is disappointing, we still continue
to see growth in our core markets.”
John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre
joined Waterloo Regional Police Chief
Larry Gravill to mark the Province's
funding of $200,000 to expand the
work of the Hate Crimes/Extremism
Investigation Team to Waterloo
Region. The Waterloo Regional
Police Service is one of the 10 police
services across the province to be part
of the Joint Forces Hate Crime and
Extremism Investigative Team. The
team delivers public education and
training programs and provides specialized
investigative support on matters
involving hate propaganda, the
promotion of genocide, hate-motivated
crimes and criminal extremism.
Canadian investors are back at the real
estate table, having grabbed almost all
the big real estate properties in the first
half of the year, a study shows. A record
$7.7 billion in trades were completed in
the first six months of 2005, up from $6.6
billion last year, figures released by CB
Richard Ellis show. Of that, just $268
million in real estate, or 4.7%, was purchased
by foreign investors, down sharply
from $2.8 billion, or 20% of all deals in the
first half of 2004. The report also predicts
that this year will meet or surpass the
record $14.6 billion invested in commercial
real estate last year. “The Canadians
have been stepping up,” said Blake
Hutcheson, Canadian president of CB
Richard Ellis. He said Canadian investors
have become more aggressive in chasing
deals after watching foreign players come
in and pick off major portfolios over the
past few years. The past three years have
seen a dramatic increase in interest by
foreign players in the Canadian market,
led by groups from Germany and Israel.
Last year, foreign money was behind several
high-profile transactions, numbers
supplied by Richard Ellis show. That
includes the $717 million purchase of the
Metro Capital portfolio of apartment
buildings by Al-Ed Canada Group and the
$580 million deal to buy a half interest in
six Ivanhoe Cambridge shopping malls by
German-based CGI. Hutcheson predicted
that, by the end of this year, the representation
of foreign investors will likely
increase above 5%, but doubts it will
equal last year's level.
The Provincial Ministry of Health
and Long-Term Care is providing $1.2
million to Waterloo Regional Homes to
provide new Assertive Community
Treatment Team services in Waterloo
region. There will be a full sized ACTT
team employing more than a dozen
people full time, serving up to 110 people.
“We are investing in mental health
services to give Ontarians with mental
illness better access to quality care,”
said MPP John Milloy. “This also
translates into the hiring of more people
to work in this very important
capacity”. Wendy Czarny, Executive
Director of Waterloo Regional
Homes for Mental Health said, “We
are very excited at the news of this lat-
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many people in Waterloo Region with
serious mental health issues who
require intensive treatment and support
services such as those provided by
assertive community treatment teams.”
Alison and Hannah McIver of
Agribiotics have been named finalists
for the prestigious Ernst and Young
Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the
health sciences category for the
Ontario region. Recognized for the path
of innovation it has forged within the
agricultural industry, Agribiotics
researches and develops cutting-edge
Alison and Hannah McIver
agronomic products that enable growers
to increase crop sustainability and
enhance crop production. “It is an
honor to be recognized as a finalist for
the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur
Award,” said Hannah McIver, Agribiotics
Chief Executive Officer. The Ernst
and Young Ontario Awards Banquet
will take place October 6, 2005 at the
Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
With reports of yet another train derailment
since the beginning of August,
United Steelworkers' National
Director Ken Neumann is calling for a
full public inquiry into the practices of
Canadian National Railway Company.
“We have 3,500 members who are
front-line CN track workers,” said Neumann.
“Since privatization 10 years ago,
available manpower has been a growing
problem. Cutbacks and downsizing
have been compounded by the ongoing
practice of deferred maintenance, so
that not only is our members' health
and safety at risk, they are spending
more and more of their time on emergency
repairs instead of on scheduled
maintenance tasks. This means more
potential for exposure to dangerous
materials that may be released in a
derailment. This is a health and safety
issue that concerns every worker and
every citizen living along the CN line.”
The highly anticipated Marcus Evans
Canadian Pensions Investment
Summit will run October 23-25, 2005,
at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto.
The Summit focuses on conventional
and alternative methods that can be
employed to combat the pension deficit
crisis and maximize returns, while
ensuring effective and compliant corporate
governance.
The AIA Eastern Regional Conference,
“What's Brewing in the Automotive
Aftermarket,” will be held October
3-4, 2005, at the Holiday Inn, Guelph.
The Conference is designed specifically
for automotive service providers and
jobbers and offers practical business
sessions, networking opportunities,
and affordable pricing.
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MKS Inc. announced a partnership
with Mountaintop Software Corporation,
a Bel Air, Maryland-based
application integration consulting firm
specializing in software application
installation, configuration, data conversion
and enterprise integration.
Wild ducks, especially Mallards, carry
more than a half-dozen different types
of avian flu virus and could be used to
track and predict outbreaks, Dutch and
Swedish researchers say. Flu strains
taken from the birds might also be used
to make up a stockpile of potential vaccines
against outbreaks in both animals
and people, the researchers said. Writing
in the journal Emerging Infectious
Diseases, the researchers said their
study confirmed the conventional wisdom
that wild birds carry the relatively
harmless viruses that eventually mutate
into highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The world's top search company,
Google Inc. has launched a free customized
information tool similar to
Yahoo's popular MyYahoo customized
Web page service, in an effort to challenge
both Yahoo and Microsoft.
“Google's Sidebar, available starting
Monday, can include weather forecasts,
stock quotes, headlines and photo
slideshows, and sits alongside whatever
else the user is viewing,” The Wall
Street Journal reported.
Spheral Solar Power, of Cambridge,
Ontario, and Carmanah Technologies
Corporation, of Victoria, British
Columbia, were chosen by the Japan
Association to receive Global 100
OCTOBER 2005 l exchangemagazine.com l 33

Eco-Tech awards. These awards recognize
companies making an effort to
address global environmental challenges.
A division of ATS Automation
Tooling Systems Inc., Spheral Solar
Power develops and manufactures
Spheral Solar Technology for use in the
construction, transportation, recreation,
and power generation industries.
The technology involves the use of
lightweight, flexible solar cells which
require sunlight to generate electricity.
“Solar energy will continue to experience
dramatic growth through the end
of this decade
and beyond,
with many
experts predicting
growth
at over 35%
annually. The
market is
ready for progressive
new
technologies
like Spheral
Milfred Hammerbacher Solar, which
can be adapted and integrated into
many different types of building materials,”
said Milfred Hammerbacher,
President of Spheral Solar Power.
Following the
Manufacturing
20/20 initiative
that culminated
in February with
the release of
the Canadian
Manufacturers
& Exporters'
call to action
plan, the CME
requested a
online survey
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from manufactures and exporters. A
recent letter sent to all manufacturers
and exporters across Canada from CME
president Perrin Beatty (see Exchange
Magazine March/April 2004), states
that manufacturers and exporters “are
facing a number of significant challenges
that are threatening not only
profitability, but our competitiveness.”
The survey is designed to collect data
that will provide a powerful tool to support
CME's advocacy efforts on manufacturers
and exporters behalf. The survey
can be found at: http://www.survey
logix.com/take_survey?surveyID=9173.
Family-owned Canadian transport
industry success story The Erb
Group of Companies (Exchange
June/July 1999) is pleased to be the
first carrier in Ontario, and the second
in Canada, to receive a coveted Certificate
of HACCP Compliance for best
practices in food safety. This HACCP
Certification includes all of the Erb
Group facilities: terminals in seven
Ontario cities, as well as one each in
Quebec, Manitoba and Pennsylvania –
Baden, Barrie, North Bay, Ottawa,
Thunder Bay, Toronto, Trenton, Montreal,
Winnipeg and Elverson (USA).
Hazard Analysis Critical Control
Points is a safety valve for the
increasingly complex journey that our
food makes from farm to table. To
ensure that consumers are protected,
food safety measures are being put in
place at the different links involved in
the food chain. The Canadian
Trucking Alliance developed the
Trucking Food Safety Program in partnership
with Kasar Canada Ltd. The
program's goal is to deliver a practical,
cost-effective and results-oriented
program for ensuring food safety
within the Canadian trucking community.
HACCP is the food safety selfauditing
system at the core of the
Trucking Food Safety Program.
The combination of sustained economic
growth, an aging workforce and the
changing values and needs of individual
workers will create turbulence in
Canada's employment markets during
the next decade. Employment will shift
from a buyer's market that benefits
organizations to a seller's market that
favors workers. Marie Guthrie, a labor
market expert with DBM, a global
human capital management services
firm, told a Human Resources Thought
Leader Forum that labor market forces
are converging and will threaten
organizations' ability to compete in
global markets. “The shortage of skilled
labor is real in certain sectors of the
economy. Turbulence in employment
markets is beginning to churn already.
Employers who address these and
related workforce issues seriously will
be considerably more strong, successful
and profitable than those who
choose to ignore these issues and bury
themselves in denial,” she said. Guthrie
listed 10 forces that are converging to
create labor market turbulence:
Employment turnover; Shift to sellers'
market; Global talent war; Evaporation
of retirement; Importance of meaningful
work; Growth of training and education;
Expansion of flexible employment;
Leadership deficit; Independence of
workers; Need for corporate agility.
“Talent management will increasingly
become the mandate for Human
Resources professionals in organiza-
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tions. Traditional candidate pools will
begin to evaporate and the ability to
tap new sources of labor will grow in
importance. The creation of flexible
organizations that can react to business
demand with speed and agility
will be the principal task of executive
management,” Guthrie concluded.
CTV Inc. announced it has completed
installation of two over-the-air High
Definition transmitters in Canada's two
largest English-language markets,
Toronto and Vancouver. With both
transmitters now fully operational, CTV
becomes the first national conventional
broadcaster transmitting over-the-air in
High Definition.
Keller Williams Realty Inc., the fifthlargest
and fastest growing real estate
company in North America has opened
a franchise in Kitchener-Waterloo
under the name Keller Williams Golden
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Keller Williams Realty Inc. is an international
real estate company with 450
offices located across the United States
and Canada. The firm distinguishes
itself in the industry by its unique culture,
leading-edge education, and an
economic model that rewards its
46,000 associates as stakeholders and
partners. Keller Williams Realty, which
began franchising in 1990, is growing
by more than 1,500 agents per month.
It was reported that Communication,
Energy, and Paperworkers Union is
calling for a boycott of all TorStar products,
as a result of a six-month strike of
60 inserters, press operators, and preproduction
staff working at Brabant
Newspapers. Brabant is owned by the
TorStar property, CityMedia Group,
which publishes the KW Record and
community newspapers. The report said,
“The company hired strike breakers, and
waited six months before closing the
inserting operation in Brabant, firing all
26 women seeking pay equity, and
threatening to fire any remaining strikers
who did not surrender.” The report
claims that Torstar “silenced” the news
of strike by not reporting it in the media.
The report further stated that “In June,
ten of the fired women workers occupied
TorStar CEO Rob Pritchard's Yonge
Street offices, forcing him back to the
table. TorStar returned to the table only
to make a final offer with no improvements,
without even allowing for the reinstatement
of fired workers.” Twentysix
of the strikers are women, who
earned a maximum of $8.99/hour, about
$1.52 less than male counterparts.
President and CEO Jim Hankinson
announced that Ontario Power Generation
has decided not to proceed
with the refurbishment of Pickering A
Units 2 and 3. Instead, it will devote its
resources and expertise to maximizing
the performance of its ten existing
nuclear units. OPG's Board of Directors
accepted management's recommendation
that the refurbishment of
Units 2 and 3 not go ahead and
advised the Ontario Government of its
decision. “For several months we have
studied the economics of the Pickering
A Units 2 and 3 return to service,
including third party reviews,” said
Hankinson. “Our mandate is to operate
our assets as efficiently and as
cost-effectively as possible. We don't
see a sound business case for returning
Units 2 and 3 to service.”
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Marlene Karenen
of Waterloo took
three of her closest
friends to play 18
holes at Grey Silos.
Karenen was the
winner of the
Exchange Magazine
Golf Contest.
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OCTOBER 2005 l exchangemagazine.com l 35

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
continued from page 38
Receiving a giant symbolic ticket from Centre In The Square Board Chair Dave Schnarr (far left) are
(from left to right): Donna Buchan, Lutherwood, Jennifer Berry, Catholic Family Counselling Services,
Maria de Boer, Extend-A-Family, Marilyn Cromier, KW Counselling Services and Brian Hunsberger,
House of Friendship, the author of this Exchange feature story.
through the program are among “the
best seats for the best shows. They’re
not left-overs that we couldn’t sell otherwise,”
he emphasizes.
Schnarr and Grant credit Mary Joy
Aitken with being a driving force behind
the development of the idea. “We
believe it to be a unique program in
Canada,” notes Grant, “and it’s something
we’re very proud of.”
Funds for this year’s program were
raised last year through the sale of the
monopoly-style board game, Kitchener-
Waterloo On Board. A total of $66,000
was raised, with the proceeds being
split between the Community Ticket
Program and the School Program. The
School Program presents day-time curriculum
and school-based programming
to elementary school children across
the Region of Waterloo.
Response to the Community Ticket
Program has been very positive. Jennifer
Berry, Director of Communications at the
Catholic Family Counselling Centre
(CFCC), comments that the program has
received a warm reception from their
clients who have received tickets. “People
are really thrilled to have the opportunity
to attend these shows. They get a lot of
affirmation from being part of a larger
community event that they otherwise
couldn’t participate in. We have seen several
instances where refugees and recent
immigrants have really been drawn into
our community through the program.”
Jasna Mudrinic, a Counsellor at CFCC,
told Exchange that a 57-year-old client
who saw Moments to Remember, featuring
show tunes from a by-gone era,
raved about how it took him back to his
childhood since his father was saxophone
player in bands during that time.
“It had a big impact on him emotionally,”
Mudrinic commented.
Paul Horst, a tenant at House of
Friendship’s Eby Village supportive
housing project, who enjoys singing,
was especially impressed by the quality
of the musicians in the Moments to
Remember show. “Their ability to harmonize
was tremendous. I thoroughly
enjoyed the show from beginning to
end and I’m very grateful to the Centre
in the Square for making this possible
for me,” he remarked.
The Centre in the Square Board is now
looking to secure the funding necessary
to be able to continue the program. “We
have no doubt about the value of the program,”
Aitken commented. “Our challenge
now is to sustain it going forward.
We’re looking for a lead sponsor to cover
the cost for the coming year. It provides
lots of value and profile. Since the Centre
covers the administration, 100 percent of
a donation goes to the program.” Aitken
invites potential sponsors to contact her
to discuss this opportunity further. Individuals
and community groups are also welcome
to donate to the Community Ticket
Program at any time.
CUSTOM MILLWORK
With old-world craftsmanship and
state-of-the-art equipment, our
highly skilled millwork experts and
carpenters produce a wide range
of custom cabinets, store fixtures
and displays.
Through programs such as this, the
Centre is fulfilling its mission by making
the arts accessible and by creating memorable
experiences for everyone in our
community.
Readers wanting more information
about the Centre in the Square’s Community
Ticket Program can visit their website
at www.centre-square.com or contact
Mary Joy Aitken at mjaitken@centresquare.com.
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OCTOBER 2005 l exchangemagazine.com l 37

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
The arts are for everyone!
The Centre in the Square’s
Community Ticket Program
is making memories that last
a lifetime accessible to all
BY BRIAN HUNSBERGER
Jamie Grant (left), General Manager of Centre in the Square and Mary Joy Aitken, Manager of Development and Marketing.
What is the best live performance you’ve ever seen?
Chances are a particular concert immediately pops to
mind. It may be a show you saw 25 years ago – but
your memory is still vivid and you have been a huge fan of that
artist ever since.
Jamie Grant, General Manager of Kitchener’s Centre in the
Square, says that our local performing arts centre works –
from the premise that “outstanding performances
not only entertain for the
moment, but can change lives and make
memories that last a lifetime.”
Mary Joy Aitken, Manager of Development
and Marketing for the Centre concurs.
“After 15 years of working in the arts, I
have seen, many times, the impact that great
performances have on people. It inspires
them, provides positive experiences and promotes
social unity. People who feel good
about themselves are better citizens.”
But the perception that the arts are only for
a certain ‘high-brow’ segment of society,
combined with the reality that the cost of a
ticket is a barrier to those with low incomes,
has meant that these memorable experiences
have not been accessible to all.
The Centre in the Square set out to
change both the perception and the reality
through its Community Ticket Program, launched last spring. Its
goal is to make great seats for great shows available to those
who otherwise could not afford to go. Grant says the idea grew
out of a board discussion in 2004 about how to celebrate the
Centre’s 25th anniversary this year. “The issue of access kept
coming up,” he recalls. “We have had great success with our
38 l exchangemagazine.com l OCTOBER 2005
“Outstanding
performances not
only entertain for the
moment, but can
change lives and
make memories that
last a lifetime.”
School Program and the board really wanted to broaden that to
include low-income people.’
Board Chair Dave Schnarr adds, “The idea stemmed from
our mission, ‘Creating Memorable Experiences’. We want
everyone in our community to be able to attend the Centre and
have a memorable experience.” Promotional material describing
the Community Ticket Program reinforces Schnarr’s comment.
“Providing access for the widest possible
audience and attracting a diversity of
users is part of the Centre in the Square’s
mandate. We believe that the experience of
live theatre is an integral part of a balanced
life for all citizens and our goal for the Community
Ticket Program is to remove some of
the barriers faced by disadvantaged members
of our community and to thereby
increase access to live theatre.”
The tickets are being distributed this year
through five local social service agencies:
Lutherwood, Catholic Family Counselling
Centre, K-W Counselling Services, Extend-A-
Family and House of Friendship. These agencies
distribute the tickets to participants in
their programs. The intention is that each
year a different group of agencies serving
low-income families and individuals in
Waterloo Region will be selected to distribute
tickets. Shows seen by ticket recipients include Judy &
David (Family Fun Series), Rich Little (Comedy Series), Laughter
in Bloom – Jack Benny (Afternoon Series), Moments to
Remember, and the Magical Odyssey.
According to Grant, a key concept is that tickets distributed
continued on page 37

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