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 Coverage of the 2008 Canadian Election
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
Digital Commerce Forum Podcast
To kick-off the ITAC Digital Commerce Forum, Open Text CIO (and ITAC Board member) Eugene Roman made a compelling presentation on the vision and mandate of the Stratford Institute for digital media and global business. A podcast of Eugene’s presentation is available below.
http://webcast.streamlogics.com/audience/index.asp?eventid=45426576
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
National Study Reveals Metrics on Health Informatics and Health Information Management Labour Market
ICTC, the sectoral council for the information and communications technology industry in Canada has released a new study on the labour market for the health information and health information management segments of our industry. Among other things the study reveals that approximately 32, 450 HI and HIM professionals work in Canada. Demand for these professionals will grow as the roll out of electronic health information systems proceeds creating a need for an additional six to 12 thousand professionals. The full report and the news release are available here: English Francais
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
15th Executive Forum on Microelectronics
Upbeat (if not downright ebullient) describes the mood at the 15th annual Executive Forum on Microelectronics beginning with dynamic kick-off from Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Sandra Pupatello. Minister Pupatello outlined the many steps Ontario has taken to build a competitive tax regime and a strong business climate in the province. Bill McLean, the President of IC Insights, followed with one of the most optimistic outlooks for the microelectronics industry that the forum has seen in recent memory. Jacques Beauvais of the Universite de Shebrooke detailed plans for the new Microelectronics Innovation Centre in Bromont and IBM’s Scotty Ginn reported on the vision and rapid growth of the “Albany Cluster”. A number of industry leaders including Kirk Mandy of Zarlink, Paul Russo (formerly of Genesis Microchip), Xerxes Wania of Sidense, Victor Menasce of Wavesat and SCM chair David Lynch (VP of sales and marketing at Sigma Design) weighed in on topics as diverse as global market expansion, new strategies for raising capital and new business models for microelectronics firms. The presentations from the forum are now available here. Thanks to the organizing committee; Ben Bar-Haim (AMD), Alan Ferguson, Brian Gerson (PMC Sierra), Ian McWalter (CMC) and David Lynch. Thanks also to sponsors DALSA, AMD, CMC, IBM, RIM, STMicro, Zarlink, Sigma Design, PMC Sierra and SiDense.
Visit the event page for presentations and additional materials.
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
CCIO of Ontario shares the strategic directives for each of the CIO clusters
At a breakfast meeting on October 22, 2009, David Nicholl Ontario’s Corporate Chief Information Technology Officer addressed 175 ITAC members and business people at the Toronto Board of Trade at what has become the best briefing available to businesses who sell to the Ontario Government. This meeting, the last in a series of similar meetings for 2009, opened with David Nicholl identifying his request to CIOs to report on their program of work and how they plan to achieve strategies set for their clusters. These reports also scope the planned RFPs for each area and provide an opportunity to ITAC members to submit ideas and proposals that can help the cluster achieve objectives.
Reporting at the October 22 session were:
Rob Hollis, CIO, Land and Resources Cluster
John Di Marco, CIO, Justice Cluster
Samantha Liscio, CIO, Central Agencies Cluster
Marty Gallas, Chief of Infrastructure Technology
Visit the event page for presentations and additional materials.
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
Preparing for eHealth Transformation Projects
The health care system in Ontario is undergoing a transformation which includes the procurement and implementation of large information technology infrastructure projects. The province has outlined a $2.3 billion agenda to address immediate clinical priorities and to build infrastructure which will provide the foundation for a province-wide electronic health record system. Infrastructure Ontario will be handling the procurement for these large projects. Infrastructure Ontario normally uses a Design Build Finance & Maintain (DBFM) procurement approach for its projects - an approach familiar to bidders in other forms of infrastructure projects but new and challenging to most ITAC members. Osler’s recently sponsored a special event to inform ITAC members of intricacies of DBFM. Presentations from this event are now available on the ITAC web 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
An Overview of Developments in ICT Investment in Canada in 2008
The Centre for the Study of Living Standards has released its annual analysis of developments in Canadian ICT investments in 2008. The report shows strong growth in total ICT investment per Canadian worker - particularly in communications technology. The full report is available 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
Getting Ready for Harmonization
After years of calling for a value-added sales tax, Ontario businesses will finally get their wish on July 1, 2010. And as Audrey Diamant, PricewaterhouseCoopers Indirect Tax Partner, pointed out, it’s not too early to begin planning for the arrival of harmonization. Audrey along with her colleagues, Brent Murray and Graeme McMillan as well as CGI’s Senior vice-president, Claude Seguin, provided their expertise and insights to a gathering of members of the ITAC community on October 8. The forum took a “whole of business” approach to harmonization reviewing contract, systems and marketplace issues in addition to accounting matters in a comprehensive review of the subject. The presentations, which are a treasure trove of information, are now available 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
ITAC Joins the Smart Taxation Alliance
Downloads
Download the News Release Here (DOC)Ottawa. October 9, 2009. Recognizing that the harmonization of sales tax is a vitally important tax reform measure to ensure the competitiveness of knowledge-based industries, ITAC has today joined the Smart Taxation Alliance. This alliance is a non-partisan coalition of leaders from the business community that has united to support sales tax reform in Ontario.
ITAC has been an outspoken advocate for the harmonization of retail sales tax. As Bernard Courtois, President and CEO of ITAC, told a group of ICT executives yesterday, “A great deal of our energy at ITAC is spent advocating for effective tax policies that will promote the health of our industry and Canadian business in general. The transcendent request in all this advocacy has been for harmonization. We believe that the ORST represented the single greatest barrier to achieving the competitive tax rates that would give Ontario businesses a fair chance at surpassing our global rivals.”
ITAC fully supports and applauds the Honourable John Wilkinson’s statement, made at the same forum yesterday, that harmonization will benefit the information and communications technology industry. It will make our companies more competitive and it removes the hindrances to innovation imposed by a consumption-based tax. Harmonization will drive innovation and create 21st century jobs.
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 572,000 jobs, $149.4 billion in revenue, $6.22 billion in R&D investment, $22.6 billion in exports and $11.8 billion in capital expenditures that the ICT industry contributes annually to the Canadian economy. 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.
For further information, please contact:
Lynda Leonard
Senior Vice President, ITAC
(613) 238-2250 ext. 223
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
Coral CEA: A Vibrant Ecosystem for Communications Enabled Applications
Downloads
The Honourable Jim Watson, Minister of Municipal Affairs, today announced that the Ontario Government will invest $9.3 million over the next five years to accelerate the implementation of a new commercialization model for the development of communications enabled applications. Coral CEA is a non-profit company created by Carleton University, Eclipse Foundation, IBM Canada, Nortel and ITAC. Its mandate id to assist companies of all sizes with the commercialization of communications enable applications. Coral CEA provides a “sandbox” of world-class technology assets that participants can use to develop end-user enterprise applications. Peter Carbone, former ITAC vice chair and Nortel executive is Coral Cea’s chair. For more information on Coral CEA read the press releases here.
http://www.mri.gov.on.ca/english/news/SOP100209.asp
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
Exploring “Disappeared” Firms
Downloads
Jeffrey Crellinsten and Douglas Barber were on hand at the annual ITAC Ontario gathering on September 9 to present the results of their latest study, “Understanding the Disappearance of Early-stage and Start-up R&D Performing Firms”. Their study reports on the results of a series of interviews Doug and Jeff conducted wtih the principals and financiers of of a number of venture-backed firms that no longer operate. The presentation provided useful insights into the barriers and challenges knowledge-based entrepreneurs face, notably a lack of commerce competence, lack of sales or customers and poor governance. The study, supported in part by ITAC is available 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
Canada, Quebec, IBM and DALSA Commit $218 million to Create Microelectronics Innovation Centre
Downloads
Quebec Premier Jean Charest and the Honourable Christian Paradis, Federal Minister of Public Works and Development announced a major commitment of funding to establish a microelectronics innovation centre at the University of Sherbrooke. The centre will be established in a facility in Bromont, Quebec. It will assemble 250 university and industry researchers to conduct R&D on packaging the next generation of microchips. Its role will be to choose technologies for cutting out microchips, linking them electronically to innovative packages (like 3-D packages), managing heat dissipation and testing them for shipment. The centre will also work on designing packages for future generations of microelectronic systems such as MEMs. Read the news release regarding this announcement 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
ITAC’s 2009 Pre-budget Submission
Downloads
ITAC has filed its recommendations for the forthcoming Federal Budget with the Ministry of Finance. We call for continued improvements to measures to accelerate the adoption of ICTs, refundability of the SR&ED; tax credit and more aggressive measures to address the venture capital crisis. Click the link to download the full submission.
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 Sale of Nortel
As the organization serving Canada’s information and communications technology industry, ITAC has been asked by its members and other stakeholders for its position on the sale of the assets of Nortel. ITAC’s membership includes Nortel and many of the interested parties currently engaged in the sale. ITAC does not as a general practice comment on the business matters of any individual member. It cannot and will not comment on the merits of any particular bid.
The association’s interest lies in the maintenance of a strong and highly innovative and competitive ICT industry in Canada. Nortel has played a profound role in positioning Canada as a contender in the fiercely global ICT marketplace. It has spawned at least two generations of homegrown ICT companies. And it has contributed immensely to Canada’s sense of itself as a contender among innovation-driven economies.
ITAC’s aspiration for the Nortel sale is for an outcome that preserves as much of this tradition as possible while providing maximum continuity of the role Nortel has played as an employer and major contributor to Canada’s business investment in research and development.
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 Emerging Technologies Fund Launched
The Ontario Emerging Technologies Fund (OETF) was officially launched on July 31, 2009. Please see attached fund guidelines and FAQ’s for OETF administered by the Ontario Capital Growth Corporation (MRI). Background on the OETF and contact information is provided for reference below.
Additional forms are also available at the web link below for angel investors, corporations, pledge funds, venture capital/private equity funds, or co-investors to apply for recognition under the program.
http://www.ocgc.gov.on.ca/site/en/funds/ontario-emerging-technologies-fund/
BACKGROUND - Ontario Emerging Technologies Fund
The Ontario Emerging Technologies Fund (OETF or the Fund) is a direct investment fund established by the Province of Ontario in 2009. The Government has announced that the OETF will be a $250 million fund over five years, to a maximum of $50 million per year for each of the 5 years, to co-invest alongside Qualified Investors into innovative, high-growth, private, Ontario companies.
The Fund is managed by the Ontario Capital Growth Corporation (OCGC), an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.
The OETF is designed to respond to the challenges faced in raising capital by innovative, private, Ontario-based companies in the clean technology, life sciences and advanced health technologies, and digital media and information and communications technology sectors.
The OETF is intended to increase the amount of investment made directly into Ontario-based companies in solely the sectors noted above, and to become self-sustaining by allowing it to reinvest any returns from its investments.
It is a discretionary, non-entitlement investment fund. Notwithstanding the satisfaction of all criteria, OCGC may exercise its discretion not to approve any particular application for Qualified Investor or Eligible Investment.
The Fund model is based on a number of design principles that are consistent with achieving the government’s goal and objectives for the Fund:
o Market-based investment decisions – identification of investment opportunities will be undertaken by qualified investors that have a proven track record of success and have been pre-qualified by Ontario
o Rapid deployment of capital – the Fund will have the ability to make investments directly into companies within a short time frame
o Focus on key industry sectors for Ontario – the Fund will focus its investments on sectors of strategic importance to the province
o Government’s role as a catalyst – Ontario will act as a catalyst to leverage private sector capital.
o Ability to make additional investments into an investee company – the Fund will be able to make both initial and follow-on investments to support the ongoing growth of high potential, innovative 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
BC Jumps on the Harmonization Bandwagon
On July 23, 2009 Premier Gordon Campbell and Finance Minister Colin Hansen announced that the province of British Columbia (“BC”) intends to harmonize the provincial sales tax (“PST”) with the federal goods and services tax (“GST”) effective July 1, 2010. BC’s harmonization follows Ontario announcement on March 26, 2009 to harmonize its PST with the GST. The new single sales tax rate for BC value added tax (“BCVAT”) will be 12%. However, the BC and Canadian federal governments have agree that after two years from the date of implementation BC can increase or decrease the BCVAT rate.
The BCVAT will be administered by the Canada Revenue Agency. In principle, the BCVAT will follow many of the underlying concepts of the GST and will adopt many of the customizations introduced by Ontario. Nevertheless, the BCVAT will have some BC-specific elements as described below.
Temporary Restriction on Claiming Input Tax Credits for Large Businesses
Similar to the restrictions relating to the recovery of input tax credits (“ITC”) adopted by Ontario and Quebec, large businesses in BC (annual taxable sales in excess of $10 million) and financial institutions will be unable to claim full ITCs for the provincial portion of the BCVAT on certain purchases the details of which are to be announced in the near future. However, the denial of ITCs – up to 100% of the provincial component - will not apply beyond the list of restricted purchases currently in place under the Quebec Sales Tax. Similar to Quebec, Ontario proposed to restrict ITCs on the following purchases made by large businesses:
• Energy
• Telecommunication services (other than internet access fees or charges for toll-free numbers)
• Automobiles and other road vehicles weighing less than 3,000 kilograms; parts, certain services, and fuel for such vehicles; and
• Food, beverages, and entertainment expenses.
BC has agreed to a maximum period of ITC denial of five years for the select expenses followed by a phase-in period of up to three years. Further details are anticipated as the legislation is drafted and as we approach the implementation date.
Point of Sale Relief
BC announced that it will provide point of sale rebates and tax credits for the provincial portion of the BCVAT, for purchases including:
• Gasoline and diesel motor fuels, including biofuel components;
• Books
• Children’s-sized clothing and footwear
• Children’s car seats and car booster seats;
• Diapers; and
• Feminine hygiene products.
New Housing Rebate
BC has indicated that new homes up to $400,000 will bear no more tax than under the current PST regime and therefore a partial rebate of the provincial component of the BCVAT will be included in the legislation. Homes over $400,000 will qualify for a flat rebate of about $20,000.
Rebates for Public Service Bodies – Charities, Non-Profit Organizations and the MUSH Sector
The BCVAT will also provide rebates to charities, eligible non-profit organizations and municipalities to avoid tax increases for these sectors as a result of harmonization. The federal GST rebates for these sectors are currently set at the following rates:
Charity 50%
Hospital authority 83%
School authority 68%
University/college 67%
Municipality 100%
Insurance Premiums
BC presently levies an insurance premium tax of 7% under the Insurance Premium Tax Act. The budget announcement does not suggest that this will be harmonized with the 10% tax levied under Part 1 of the Excise Tax Act.
Audrey Diamant
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
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
Upping Our Game - 2008/2009 ITAC Annual Review Now Available
At ITAC, the community of Canada’s information and communications technology, we devote a great deal of energy, thought and discourse to these aspirations, this hope for a stronger nation and a better world, for we believe that the tools, products and services that we produce are enablers of prosperity, innovation, equality and excellence in all dimensions of modern life.
Click the link to access the PDF. Please contact Lynda Leonard, Senior Vice-President at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with any questions
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 Health Meets with eHealth Ontario
On June 30, 2009, Bernard Courtois, President and CEO of ITAC and Brendan Seaton, President of ITAC Health met with senior officials from eHealth Ontario (eHO) including: Rita Burak, Chair; Ron Sapsford, A/CEO; David Hallett, A/Chief Operating Officer; Deanna Allen, SVP, Stakeholder Relations and Communications; and Abid Malik, Director, Vendor Relations. eHealth Ontario wants to continue to engage the vendor community to help promote and deliver Ontario’s ehealth vision as articulated in Ontario’s eHealth Strategy as published by eHealth Ontario. Issues discussed included an update on eHealth Ontario’s management and priorities, procurement plans and communications with the vendor community.
Both Rita Burak and Ron Sapsford reinforced the government’s commitment to eHealth Ontario and to moving forward with the ambitious agenda to achieve the clinical and foundational priorities outlined in the eHealth Strategy. As evidence of this commitment, Infrastructure Ontario issued, on the same day, a notice to the vendor community that it intends to release in July a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to pre-qualify applicants to deliver the Diabetes Registry chronic disease management application and portal services. In addition, initiatives currently in progress, such as the expanded Electronic Medical Record deployment for physicians, will continue in accordance with established timeframes.
It was agreed that eHealth Ontario and ITAC would continue the successful breakfast consultation sessions recommencing in the fall. We will also explore new ways to facilitate dialogue between industry and eHealth Ontario. ITAC Health will continue to work closely with eHealth Ontario over the summer to ensure that the needs of the vendor community are supported as the ehealth agenda moves forward.
For more information please contact Brendan Seaton by telephone at (647)880-6381 or by email at .(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
IT Hero Awards: WiFi-enabled canine search and rescue pack, Web-based CT scan bag awards
By: Nestor E. Arellano - ITWorldCanada.com (NA) (24 Jun 2009)
Ryerson professor Alexander Ferworn and GE Healthcare win the ITAC IT Hero Awards.
Saving lives appeared to be the theme of this year’s choice of winners for the 9th Annual ITAC IT Hero Awards as judges picked developers of canine search and rescue pack that turns a dog into a mobile WiFi node and a Web-based CT (computed tomography) scanning system as the 2009 recipients of the awards.
Winner of the Community IT Hero Award is Professor Alexander Ferworn, director of graduate studies at the Department of Computer Science of the Ryerson University in Toronto.
Ferworn and his team developed the first WiFi-enabled low-light/infrared camera pack which can be carried by search and rescue dogs. Images captured by the camera can be transmitted back to handlers and rescue workers via ruggedized WiFi networks.
Ironically the canine-based rescue device is called CAT (canine Augmented Technology).
Winner of the Corporate IT Hero Award is GE Healthcare IT which together with eHealth Ontario and London Health Services Centre developed a Web-based transfer and storage system for neuro-treatment head scan images. With the help of the Emergency Neuro Image Transfer System (ENITS), health workers in remote areas can quickly transmit CT scan images to a data centre accessible via online connection to physicians and specialist anywhere in the province.
Being able to receive fast and accurate diagnosis can help health workers save patients’ lives or eliminate unnecessary patient evacuation.
The awards, which were presented at the annual ITAC (Information technology Association of Canada) Chair’s Dinner on Tuesday, celebrate and recognize the creative application of information technology that significantly improves the lives of Canadians and demonstrates social and economic benefits. Intel is a major sponsor of the event.
For full article, including a video with ITAC President and CEO Bernard Courtois, go to: http://www.itworldcanada.com/a/Daily-News/d64f63c0-976c-41ec-8870-4414a9035119.html
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
Neurological image transfer system and canine rescue technology take home IT Hero Awards
Downloads
The Community IT Hero Award, sponsored by Innovapost, which recognizes an individual, group or not-for-profit organization that can demonstrate the creative application of information technology in improving the lives of Canadians, went to Professor Alex Ferworn of Ryerson University, who has driven the research and development of Canine Augmentation Technology (CAT), which fits urban search and rescue (US&R) dogs with Wi-Fi-enabled video systems that allow rescuers to see into areas that may be inaccessible by a human.
GE Healthcare IT won the Corporate IT Hero Award for its deployment of an Emergency Neuro Image Transfer System, which allows neurosurgeons and CT technicians to communicate and consult remotely between hospitals throughout Ontario, reducing the need for unnecessary hospital transfers and providing patients with added peace of mind.
Winners were determined by a panel of judges who assessed the nominees and their projects for innovation and creativity, as well as initiative and leadership, positive and measurable impact on Canadians, and effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability.
“As I reviewed the community and corporate nominees for this year’s IT Hero Awards, I felt privileged to play a role in recognizing some incredibly creative and innovative applications of information technology in Canada,” said awards judge Emma Cochrane, VP of strategy and operations, Tyze Personal Networks. “Technology is so often just used for technology’s sake, but our nominees clearly demonstrate the power of technology to fundamentally improve the lives of Canadians ... through everything from improvements in healthcare to addressing environmental concerns and expanding educational opportunities.
“I am always amazed by the excellent quality of the nominations. We are now into our ninth year of the IT Hero Awards, and the great stories just keep on coming,” said Bernard Courtois, ITAC President. “These awards continually demonstrate Canada’s great pedigree in developing technology unselfishly designed for the benefit of others. Hats off to the two winners, they fully deserve the recognition and are a credit to us all.”
Corporate IT Hero Award – winner profile
Without a provincial image exchange system to support tele-consult, diagnosis and emergency medical transfer decisions, it is estimated that 35-50 percent of transfers are unnecessary. The impact of this lack of technology can be measured in undue stress to many patients as well as millions of dollars in time and transfer costs. Furthermore, this shortcoming particularly affects rural areas that tend not to have timely access to neurosurgical specialists.
Working together with eHealth Ontario and London Health Sciences Center (LHSC), GE Healthcare IT embraced the challenge of building the Emergency Neuro Image Transfer System (ENITS), which allows the transfer and storage of neuro-treatment head-scan images from facilities throughout Ontario to a central site from which experts can access the images, determine treatment options and provide consultation at once for patients across the province.
ENITS is built using GE’s high-availability Centricity Enterprise Archive (EA), which allows for web-based distribution of images to collaborating hospitals and enables neurosurgeons to access stored images over the internet from any remote location.
By leveraging data centre infrastructure already established in the LHSC in South-Western Ontario, GE is set to complete the 12-month delivery of an Ontario-wide system, connecting 175 CT scanners in 130 hospitals across the province. The technology will provide nearly 70 neurosurgeons and approximately 200 CT technicians with the ability to communicate and consult remotely throughout Ontario.
The first phase was rolled out in December 2008 and connected 9 sites across Ontario. The remaining sites are on schedule to be connected. This initial rollout was an immediate success, with 40% of all neurosurgical referrals being processed through ENITS to date. Of those referrals, approximately half would have normally resulted in unnecessary transfers, resulting in a savings of approximately $9 million and providing peace of mind for patients and family members.
“We are delighted to have been recognised by ITAC with an IT Hero Award, and would like to thank eHealth Ontario and the leadership at LHSC for their close cooperation and collaboration on this project,” said Mike Clarke, general manager, GE Healthcare IT Canada. “With ENITS, we have developed a system we are very proud of as it improves the quality, access and cost of neurosurgical care throughout Ontario and saves patients and their families the hardships and the stress of unnecessary hospital transfers.”
Community IT Hero Award – winner profile
Frequently, when urban search and rescue dogs are used to search through the debris and rubble of buildings that have suffered a structural collapse, they are able to access areas that their human handlers and other rescuers are unable to. For the past four years, Professor Alexander Ferworn of Ryerson University has been working with the Provincial Emergency Response Team (PERT) of the Ontario Provincial Police on technology designed to enhance the ability of canine units to find and help trapped disaster victims.
Professor Ferworn’s work has resulted in the creation of Canine Augmentation Technology (CAT), which essentially turns rescue dogs into mobile web servers. By fitting durable fisheye cameras on to the dogs, the encoded video streams can be transmitted to emergency workers via a ruggedized Wi-Fi network, allowing them see what is around the dog, even when they may not be able to follow where the dog goes. Developing CAT required overcoming significant challenges such as the substantial stresses and impacts associated with being attached to a rescue dog, while simultaneously guaranteeing that the animal will not be impeded or potentially harmed in any way by the system. There are also significant complications with maintaining a continuous Wi-Fi connection with a freely roaming dog to allow real-time video streaming.
In addition, Professor Ferworn has developed the patented Canine Remote Deployment System (CRDS), which uses bark-recognition technology to automatically deploy a payload, such as food, bandages or a radio, when the dog finds a trapped person.
The chances of surviving a structural collapse are greatly improved if rescue can occur within 24 hours, and Professor Ferworn’s work goes an extra step to improving the chances of urban-disaster victims in Canada and across the world. His technology has been tested by the OPP and by four of the five Canadian Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces, and he has developed relationships with other organisations such as the U.S.’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Professor Ferworn’s outstanding work in this area was recently recognized by the OPP when he was invited to join the PERT team as an auxiliary member.
“It’s wonderful to have been recognised by a great organisation like ITAC for a project that I essentially do for free, as we don’t get much funding for this kind of work,” said Ferworn. “I’d like to thank the research students that work with me in this area, in particular Salah Sharieh for nominating me, and also thanks should go to Constable Kevin Barnum, a canine handler at PERT, who believed in the product from the very beginning, even when I wasn’t sure if I did!”
About the ITAC IT Hero Awards
The ITAC IT Hero Awards, presented by Intel, celebrate and recognize creative applications of information technology that significantly improve the lives of Canadians and readily demonstrate social and economic benefit. The IT Hero Awards program was developed in 2001 by ITAC in partnership with Industry Canada. By naming winners in both Corporate and Community categories, the awards celebrate and recognize the achievements of people across Canada who used technology in innovative ways to help others. The award was launched as a feature of IT WEEK, a time to reflect on the successful impact of IT on society. For more information, visit http://www.itheroawards.com.
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Media contact:
Danny Sullivan
inmedia Public Relations
Tel: 613-686-5657
Email: .(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
2009 IT Hero Awards Nominees: BC’s Gitga’at First Nation band together on smart met
Courtesy ITworldCanada
By: Nestor E. Arellano - ITWorldCanada.com
The Gitga’at who’ve lived on the Northwest coast of British Columbia for thousands of year have always worshiped and nurtured the land and water in which they live in. But despite with their strong ties to age old customs and traditions the Gitga’at are turning to 21st century technology to harness and conserve electric power and sustain the environment.
The Gitga’at Hartley Bay Band, a community of about 180 people living in a waterfront village in Great Bear Rainforest some 600 kilometers north of Vancouver, have recently installed networked energy smart meters throughout their village.
When fully operational this smart grid will help the community save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower pollution levels in the area, “according to David Benton, Gitga’at band manager.
“We have this vision to be the greenest First Nation village,” Benton said.
The band is also looking into harnessing the water of the nearby Gabion River to produce hydro electric power and retrofit buildings with geothermal furnaces to will wean away the village from heavy dependence on coal and diesel generator.
“Because of our remote location, we rely heavily on diesel-powered generators. Last year, our diesel consumption was about $500,000”, Benton said.
In 2008, the community worked with Indian Northern Affairs Canada, the Province of BC and contracted Pulse Energy to install the networked energy metering devices.
The Gitga’at Hartley Bay Band is among the several Canadian individuals and organizations that were nominated for the 9th Annual ITAC IT Hero Awards presented by Intel.
The IT Hero Awards will be presented at the annual ITAC Chair’s Dinner on June 23, 2009. The IT Hero Awards program was developed in 2001 by ITAC in partnership with Industry Canada to celebrate and recognize the achievements of people across Canada who used technology in innovative ways to help others. The award was launched as a feature of IT WEEK, a time to reflect on the successful impact of IT on society. There are two aware categories: The Community IT Hero Award, sponsored by Innovapost, recognizes an individual, group or not-for-profit organization that is able to creative use IT to improve the lives of Canadians. The Corporate IT Hero Award recognizes a for-profit public or privately-owned business that can demonstrate the creative application of IT in improving the lives of Canadians. For more information, go to: http://www.itheroawards.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
2009 IT Hero Awards Nominees: CPKN online training helps TO police deal with real-life situations
Courtesy ITworldCanada
By: Nestor E. Arellano - ITWorldCanada.com
Balancing the need to deliver relevant and up-to-date training for police officers and provide adequate police coverage of city streets is a constant concern for many law enforcement agencies.
In the Toronto Police Service’s efforts to solve this challenge, the use of self-directed online learning modules from the Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN), a non-profit learning provider, is a vital tool.
For instance, CPKN’s recently released course titled Recognition of Emotionally Disturbed Persons, has helped Toronto police officers to conveniently access information and training on a subject that would have been difficult to obtain without research and classroom instructors.
The Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island-based CPKN is among several Canadian companies that were nominated for the 9th Annual ITAC IT Hero Awards presented by Intel.
The IT Hero Awards will be presented at the annual ITAC Chair’s Dinner on June 23, 2009. The IT Hero Awards program was developed in 2001 by ITAC in partnership with Industry Canada to celebrate and recognize the achievements of people across Canada who used technology in innovative ways to help others. The award was launched as a feature of IT WEEK, a time to reflect on the successful impact of IT on society. There are two aware categories: The Community IT Hero Award, sponsored by Innovapost, recognizes an individual, group or not-for-profit organization that is able to creative use IT to improve the lives of Canadians. The Corporate IT Hero Award recognizes a for-profit public or privately-owned business that can demonstrate the creative application of IT in improving the lives of Canadians. For more information, go to: http://www.itheroawards.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
Audrey Diamant Recognized as the ITAC Volunteer of the Year
On June 23, at the ITAC Annual Chairs’ Dinner, Audrey Diamant was recognized as the 2009 ITAC Volunteer of the Year. Audrey is the Indirect Tax Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and is also considered ITAC’s resident expert on Ontario Retail Sales Tax.
Since 2002 Audrey has been working to change the rules surrounding the application of RST to ICT goods and services, which are at best notoriously difficult to navigate.
Working first as the co-chair of ITAC Ontario’s sales tax sub-committee and more recently, with ITAC’s Tax and Finance Committee, she has worked diligently to soften the impact these rules have had.
In recent years, the rules governing the application of RST have shifted, creating even more confusion, unexpected audits and significant penalties for the producers of custom software in Ontario. Audrey has written a number of papers on this and has, with ITAC, advocated strenuously for a rationalization of the rules. She has made the point many times with the Ministry of Finance that the custom software producers, and the ICT industry as a whole, craves clarity and simplicity above all, and the best way to achieve this would be retail sales tax harmonization.
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 Calls for a National ICT Strategy for Canada
Ottawa. June 18, 2009. ITAC, the Information Technology Association of Canada, has called for the creation of a national ICT (information and communications technology) strategy for Canada. And, in a white paper, it released today, it has outlined some of the measures that it believes are the essential elements in the formulation of this strategy.
“Upping our Game: A National ICT Strategy for Canada” http://www.itac.ca/uploads/news/upping_our_game_may2509.pdf addresses the issues and makes recommendations in several key areas including the formation of a strong Canadian talent pool, expansion of our innovative capacity and our use of ICTs, ensuring a competitive tax regime, access to capital and a smart regulatory regime in Canada. In addition, the paper calls for a 21st century view of infrastructure that includes electronic components such as broadband networks, a national electronic health record and the digitization of all Canadian content.
“Like many other nations in the world, Canada is currently facing a challenging economy,” said Bernard Courtois, President and CEO of ITAC. “History has demonstrated numerous examples of hugely successful enterprises that emerged from periods of economic turmoil. What these companies have in common is a strategy and the fortitude to make the right investments in technology to help them outperform their rivals. We’ve seen this repeatedly in the marketplace. And we’ve seen it at the national economic level as well. Canada already punches above its weight in ICT. But no matter how good they are, competitors – including competitive economies – generally compete better when they have a strategy than when they don’t. Canada needs a national ICT strategy now.”
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 592,600 jobs, $149.4 billion in revenue, $6.22 billion in R&D investment, $22.6 billion in exports and $11.8 billion in capital expenditures that the ICT industry contributes annually to the Canadian economy. 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 further information, please contact:
Lynda Leonard
Senior Vice President, ITAC
(613) 238-2250 ext. 223
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 Appears Before the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
Downloads
ITAC appeared before the Standing Committee on Government Operations to provide input on the study of how government deals with SMEs who are providing products and services to the government. ITAC argued government must buy outcomes rather than inputs and said government should seek innovative approaches to procurement including encouraging use of value add SMEs in large contracts.
ITAC has actively participated in discussions with PWGSC officials. We are pleased with the consultation process PWGSC has undertaken. We are also working closely with the OSME to ensure our SME members are well represented. Any member who is interested in discussing these issues further is encouraged to contact Linda Oliver at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Additional Resources:
Please click the link for the PDF version of the full government report “IN PURSUIT OF BALANCE: ASSISTING SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN ACCESSING FEDERAL PROCUREMENT”
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 CRTC New Media Decision
Ottawa. June 4, 2009. ITAC, the Information Technology Association of Canada, welcomed the CRTC decision to extend the exemption of new media broadcasting services from its regulation as wise public policy.
“When the CRTC decided in 1998 to exempt Internet-based services from regulation, it propelled Canada into a leadership position among nations establishing policies regarding what was then a relatively new phenomenon,” said Bernard Courtois. “A decade later the Internet has evolved tremendously. Yet the fundamental wisdom of viewing the Internet as outside the requirement for broadcasting regulation remains sound. By reiterating that decision today, the CRTC has helped to ensure that Canada’s regulatory framework does not unduly hamper the ongoing evolution of the Internet. It will contribute to Canada’s leadership in this vital area of 21st century public policy.”
“We also are pleased to hear the CRTC call for a national digital strategy for Canada,” Mr. Courtois said. “ITAC has called for the creation of a comprehensive national information and communications technology strategy. Ensuring the right regulatory framework for the Internet is a vital element of such a strategy.”
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 572,000 jobs, $149.4 billion in revenue, $6.22 billion in R&D investment, $22.6 billion in exports and $11.8 billion in capital expenditures that the ICT industry contributes annually to the Canadian economy. 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.
- 30 -
For further information, please contact:
Lynda Leonard
Senior Vice President, ITAC
(613) 238-2250 ext. 223
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
Upping our Game: A National ICT Strategy for Canada
Downloads
ITAC has released a white paper outlining the information and communications technology industry’s vision for a more competitive Canadian economy predicated upon more widespread deployment of technology. “Upping our Game” also details the key elements necessary for a sound national ICT strategy for Canada. It also lists a number of metric-driven objectives and recommendations to build this strategy.
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
First Edition of the Tremblant Venture Forum: an Inspirational Success
Montréal, Quebec, May 25, 2009 – The first edition of the Tremblant
Venture Forum, held on May 13 and 14, 2009 at the Fairmont Tremblant
Hotel, was highly successful. Eastern Canada’s premier company
financing event provided a forum for leading North American venture
capitalists representing a total of over C$10 billion, including BDC
Venture Capital, Desjardins Venture Capital, Solidarity Fund QFL,
Arcapita Ventures, Internet Capital Group, Entrepia Ventures, Emerald
Technology Ventures, J.L. Allbright Ventures and BlackBerry Partners
Fund, to assess investment opportunities in the most promising
Canadian early-stage innovative technology companies. For the event,
16 entrepreneurs from the Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) sector and the Clean Technology (Cleantech) sector presented
their business plans to secure C$2 million to C$15 million of
financing for their development and marketing operations. Three of
them won a $5,000 award presented by Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche,
the platinum sponsor of the event.
Experienced speakers and high-quality projects guarantee success
“In today’s uncertain economic climate, we must rely on innovation
and know-how. The timing was therefore right for our event, which
achieved its objective of setting the stage for financing
opportunities” stated Claude Lemay, Chairman of the Tremblant
Venture Forum 2009. “We were really privileged for this first
edition. Investors were impressed with the quality of the investment
projects, and by the experience and diversity of our speakers,
moderators and panelists. Participants’ enthusiastic response
reinforces our decision to hold the event again in 2010.” Renowned
guest speakers completed the picture: Jean-François Barsoum, Managing
Consultant and Innovation Catalyst, Green Technologies, IBM Canada;
John S. Quealy, Managing Director, Equity Research Sector Head,
Sustainability, Canaccord Adams, as well as explorer and motivational
speaker Bernard Voyer.
Award-winning promising and innovative projects
The three award-winning entrepreneurs were: Hassan Chaddad, President
and CEO of Green Vision Media (Best company in the ICT sector for its
suite of mobile applications integrated into hotel rooms); Élise
Villeneuve, COO of Bio-Terre Systems Inc. (Best company in the
Cleantech sector for its technology to transform waste into energy);
and Jeremy James, President and CEO of Frontline Robotics Inc.
(Special jury award for its robotic engine allowing unmanned ground
vehicle fleets to execute self-directing security applications).
Tremblant Venture Forum 2009 was made possible by its partners: Banff
Venture Forum, the Centre de recherche informatique de Montréal
(CRIM), the Canada’s Venture Capital & Private Equity Association
(CVCA), Réseau Capital (Quebec Venture Capital Association), Ottawa
Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI) and Communitech (Waterloo).
2010 edition
The second edition of the Tremblant Venture Forum has already been
announced for next year, and will be held on May 5 and 6, 2010 at the
Fairmont Tremblant Hotel. More than twice as many companies are
expected to present their business plans.
About the Tremblant Venture Forum 2009
The Tremblant Venture Forum is Eastern Canada’s premier company
financing event. It is organized by the Information Technology
Association of Canada (ITAC). It brings together leading North
American venture capitalists, over 15 of the most promising Canadian
early-stage and growth-stage companies in the Information and
Communication Technology and Clean Technology sectors,
prominent investment professionals, CEOs and entrepreneurs. The
Tremblant Venture Forum was held on May 13 and 14, 2009 at the
Fairmont Tremblant Hotel. To learn more about the event, please visit
http://www.tremblantventureforum.com
About ITAC
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
572,000 jobs, $140.5 billion in revenue, $6.0 billion in R&D
investment, $31.4 billion in exports and $11.4 billion in capital
expenditures that the ICT industry contributes annually to the
Canadian economy. 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. http://www.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
Introducing ITAC’s Digital Business Forum and Blog
Eugene Roman, the CIO of Open Text, provided an excellent inauguration for ITAC’s new Digital Business Forum. He outlined the vision and structure of the new Stratford Institute in digital media and global commerce. You can learn more about the forum and the institute by accessing the new ITAC Digital Business Forum Blog, where forum co-chair Ross Chevalier blogged about the event. Contact Jason Grosse (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) if you would like to learn more about or participate in future forums.
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
2009 IT Hero Awards Nominees: Vocantas Inc.
As part of the lead up to the 9th Annual ITAC IT Hero Awards presented by Intel, ITAC will be profiling some of the award nominees over the coming weeks. Our first nominee Vocantas Inc. deployed its CallAssure interactive voice recognition system at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute with the goal of helping patients. Click to read more.
The IT Hero Awards will be presented at the annual ITAC Chair’s Dinner on June 23, 2009. The IT Hero Awards program was developed in 2001 by ITAC in partnership with Industry Canada to celebrate and recognize the achievements of people across Canada who used technology in innovative ways to help others. The award was launched as a feature of IT WEEK, a time to reflect on the successful impact of IT on society. There are two aware categories: The Community IT Hero Award, sponsored by Innovapost, recognizes an individual, group or not-for-profit organization that is able to creative use IT to improve the lives of Canadians. The Corporate IT Hero Award recognizes a for-profit public or privately-owned business that can demonstrate the creative application of IT in improving the lives of Canadians. For more information, go to: http://www.itheroawards.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
The State of the ICT Industry: Duncan Stewart
Duncan Stewart - Director, Deloitte Canada Research
Among the areas Duncan identified as ripe for success in this economy are smart grid technologies, netbooks, electronic content management, social networking and telecom network components.
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 State of the ICT Industry: Julie McQueen
Julie McQueen - Director of Research - Accenture Institute for Public Service Value
When governments think about customer service, they need to take the wider, multipurpose relationship into account. There is a tendency to focus on service delivery, whereas this is only one area of contact between citizen and government.
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 State of the ICT Industry: Vito Mabrucco
Vito Mabrucco - Senior Vice President, Worldwide Consulting & Managing Director, IDC Canada
As the managing director of IDC Canada, Vito Mabrucco devotes a great deal of his time to numbers… collecting, analyzing and discussing the numbers that provide the key indicators of the performance of Canada’s ICT industry. Sometimes the numbers he studies are sobering, sometimes they can even look scary.
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 Leaders Confer with Prime Minister Harper and Minister Clement
Downloads
Photo: Deb Ransom
On May 13, the leaders of 15 of Canada’s ICT companies met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Industry Minister Tony Clement to discuss the importance of the ICT sector and the adoption of ICT tools to Canada’s economic recovery. The meeting was the first step toward a national ICT strategy for Canada. The next step will be an Industry Canada sponsored summit scheduled for June 22 in Ottawa. ITAC has drafted a white paper containing the industry’s recommendations for components in this strategy. (Download it here). For more information contact Linda Oliver .(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
The State of the ICT Industry: Robert Courteau
Robert Courteau - ITAC Chair and Chief Operating Officer, SAP North America
On February 2, 2009, ITAC inaugurated what we hope will be an annual event for public policy makers in the Federal and Provincial Governments. The “State of the ICT Industry” briefing responded to a specific suggestion from senior government leaders to present a coherent view of what’s new and exciting in the world of technology to key members of the public service.
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 President and CEO Bernard Courtois on CTV’s Tech Now
Downloads
As part of his regularly scheduled appearances, ITAC CEO and President Bernard Courtois sat down with CTV’s Paul Brent, the host of Tech Now. The discussion centered on innovation, research, and technology and how Canada is keeping up with the rest of the world. In terms of global competitiveness, Bernard said, Canada is not where it should be. He said that for Canada, our future prosperity is going to be based on innovation. Click the link to download the audio file (.mp3) (3.5MB)
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
IBM and Chipworks Exchange Views on Advanced Packaging
Dave Danovitch (senior engineer at IBM’s Bromont facility) reprised his presentation on advanced packaging solutions at the spring Strategic Microelectronics Council’s Best Practice Forum in Ottawa on May 12. Sinjin Dixon-Warren, Manager of process analysis at Chipworks, provided a user perspective on solutions like flip-chip packaging and system-on-a-chip. The session was hosted by Synopsys.
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
IBM and Chipworks Exchange Views on Advanced Packaging
Dave Danovitch (senior engineer at IBM’s Bromont facility) reprised his presentation on advanced packaging solutions at the spring Strategic Microelectronics Council’s Best Practice Forum in Ottawa on May 12. Sinjin Dixon-Warren, Manager process analysis at Chipworks, provided a user perspective on solutions like flip-chip packaging and system-on-a-chip. The session was hosted by Synopsys.
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.