Increase Productivity by Opening Export Markets
Jeremy Leonard opines in the Financial Post that although Canada leads the G7 in GDP and employment growth during the past decade, labour productivity growth is lagging. Labour productivity growth slowed to an average of just 0.7% per year int he past decade, less than half its rate in the 1990s, and below the 2.4% […]
Canada Needs to Grow Through Innovation in Global Economy
In his recent article, Craig Alexander, the senior Vice President and chief economist for TD Bank Group, voiced his concern about Canada’s slow growth as it struggles with artifacts from the recent financial crisis, unsustainable fiscal balances, and aging populations. The Canadian government is actively seeking out global free-trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, to […]
OECD Economic Survey: Research and Development Outlook in Canada
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the June 2012 results of the OECD Economic Surveys for Canada’s macro-economic state of affairs. The report indicates that the economy is picking up, with a positive outlook for continued moderate output growth and inflation. The OECD also cites innovation as a priority on the government’s […]
EVERY DROP COUNTS: Green Week Conference 2012 – Conserving water through innovation.
Water is essential for sustaining life, as well as our economy. With less than one percent of the world’s fresh water currently accessible for direct human use, water supplies are now a major global concern impacting not only our daily lives but also our business strategies. Throughout last week, thousands of individuals had gathered for […]
Reactions to The U.S. Bioeconomy Blueprint: Innovation and concerns loom on the horizon.
The 2012 U.S. National Bioeconomy Blueprint was announced on April 26th with the purpose of assessing strategic objectives to maximise on the U.S. bioeconomy potential and to highlight ongoing efforts to meet those objectives. However, many are concerned that the blueprint predominantly focuses on economic development while insufficiently addressing regulations to minimise social and environmental impact. The […]
Open Source and Innovation
What exactly is “Open Source”? The open source production model is a model where the source materials for the end products are available to the public. In the case of software, where this term is mostly heard, it means that the source code of the software is available for others to view – this has […]
StatsCan’s Survey of Innovation and Business Strategy
On November 22nd, 2010, StatsCan released the results of a survey of innovation and business strategy, looking at strategic decisions, innovation activities and operational tactics used by Canadian enterprises. What were some of the findings? The majority of firms in Canada (77.1%) focus on already existing products – how to promote them, how to improve […]
The Secret Truth About Executing Great Ideas
Have you heard about The 99 Percent? It’s a web magazine, annual conference and book that offers articles, videos, and more on helping people in all industries go from coming up with ideas to actually executing those ideas. One of the most recent videos posted is of a talk given by Frans Johansson, and in […]
Aerospace Sector Soars Above Economic Turmoil
The aerospace and defense industry is one of the few sectors in manufacturing that is currently not only surviving but thriving amid the recession, despite the grim predictions for job losses and bankruptcies among other Canadian manufacturers, plummeting oil prices, and the ever fluctuating CDN dollar. Employment rates and revenue are even continually on the […]
How Will The Federal Election Impact the SR&ED Program?
[ Image courtesy of the Toronto Star ] During the Leaders’ english debate on October the 3rd, one issue that was broached was the federal SRED (Scientific Research and Experimental Development) business incentive program. Under the existing federal SR&ED program, non-profitable corporations with large revenues may receive research and development tax credits that cannot be applied. Liberal leader […]