Category / Business & tech

by Krystle K.

Protecting customer data key priority, industry insists

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal newspaper and website.
Feb. 5, 2007

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

Bankruptcy lawyer Stanley Kershman.
Bankruptcy lawyer Stanley Kershman.
Photo by DARREN BROWN for the Ottawa Business Journal

While it may seem like these are dangerous times for consumers who shop with credit and debit cards, the retail industry’s players say they are working hard to protect consumer data.

Consumers had a few security breach scares recently, first in mid-December when Winners and HomeSense parent company TJX Cos. discovered that hackers had stolen customers’ credit and debit card information from its network. This was followed by Talvest Mutual Fund’s mid-January announcement that it had lost a backup file containing sensitive client information.

“It’s happening quite often, and it’s worrisome for the consumer,” says bankruptcy lawyer Stanley Kershman of Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP. “The consumer has reason to worry because if their information goes out online, it could potentially be used by fraudsters.”

Mr. Kershman says companies must be accountable for these breaches, and that more resources
have to be put into safeguarding consumer information because it’s “really gold.”

“If (the consumer information) were gold, people would put it into a safe and lock it up … they should do the same for this information,” Mr. Kershman comments, adding that hackers realize that accessing that data is “like getting into Fort Knox.”

The retail industry is far from being ignorant of this fact, says Retail Council of Canada spokesperson Derek Nighbor, although Mr. Nighbor acknowledges that the recent incidents have served as a wake-up call for businesses to do more to protect customers. Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

Fed’s Shirley’s Bay complex a boon to local tech firms

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published on the Ottawa Business Journal website.
Jan. 26, 2007

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

In spite of a recent report criticizing the condition of its aging buildings, clients of the Communications Research Centre seem quite happy with the services they receive from the federal facility.

An audit obtained by Canadian Press earlier this month reported that the buildings at the CRC’s Shirley’s Bay facility were falling apart, as the centre was dipping into its maintenance budget to meet payroll demands after a hiring spree during the tech boom.

The report said the CRC was experiencing Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

To Vista or not to Vista?

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal newspaper and website.
Jan. 15, 2007

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com (published Jan. 5 2007).

Microsoft has just launched its new Windows Vista operating system, and while some people may be groaning aloud at the thought of upgrading their operating systems yet again, many IT support firms are welcoming the change.

The software giant launched its new operating system in Canada on Nov. 30, five years after the release of its last operating system, Windows XP.

While the new version of Windows boasts prettier graphics, better security and more networking options for the mobile employee, how necessary is it Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

Accessibility: Change can’t come quickly enough for some

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal newspaper and website.
Jan. 15, 2007

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

The wheels are in motion to make Ontario businesses accessible for people with disabilities by 2025, but Ottawa’s disabled community is expressing concern about what’s going to be done for buildings in the historic ByWard Market.

The province introduced a bill a couple of years ago to improve customer service for people with physical, mental, and intellectual disabilities within the next 20 years, which includes making sure that businesses, workplaces and accommodations will have ramps and wide doorways to make entry possible for people with disabilities.

However, advocates within the disabled community say Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

OTI spared from shutting down, will discuss funding with province

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal newspaper and website.
Jan. 3, 2007 (Jan. 8 in the newspaper edition)

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

OTI executive director Gary Davis.
OTI executive director Gary Davis.
Photo by DARREN BROWN for the Ottawa Business Journal

The Ottawa Talent Initiative will continue to operate its Action Centre in the new year, despite recent funding worries in the wake of a new agreement to transfer federally funded employment and training programs to the province.

The tech-focused employment services agency says it is optimistic that the province will continue to support its operations, although it agrees that it will probably be in a scaled-down capacity.

“We’ll have to make some changes to our programs, of course, but the province has given us every indication that it is going to support us,” says OTI executive director Gary Davis.

OTI’s funding arrangement with the federal government expired Dec. 31, coinciding with the new Canada-Ontario Labour Market Development Agreement which transferred $525 million in federal employment and training programs to the province on New Year’s Day. As such, the agency had had worries that it would not be able to apply for new funding with the province until after the agreement was completed, by which time it would have closed its doors.

However, Mr. Davis says he is confident that the province is interested in dealing with the problem of matching up tech workers with employers and ensuring that the skill sets needed are up-to-date.

“I’ve never been more optimistic,” he says. “The province is taking the strategic view in sitting down to deal with the specific concerns of the high-tech sector and the transfer of knowledge for the industry.”

Mr. Davis says the agency is looking forward to continuing what it’s been doing to help help laid-off high-tech workers get reintegrated into the industry, as well as to discussing a long-term strategy with industry representatives, the education sector, and the government to deal with tech employment issues.  Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

Ottawa’s tech sector still looking for its heavyweights in 2006

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal newspaper and website.
Dec. 18, 2006

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

Year 2006 was a solid one for the tech sector, marked by the purchase of several vibrant, growing local companies and strong employment levels, but also by the tightening of venture capitalists’ purse strings.

“On a scale of one to 10, it was maybe a seven,” says Robert Ford of tech law firm Gowlings.

Mr. Ford notes that there have been a lot of exciting deals in the market, including Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

Pfizer’s fizzle helps pave way for local firm’s cholesterol drug

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal newspaper and website.
Dec. 11, 2006

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

Local biopharmaceutical company Liponex Inc. says it is now well-positioned to take the lead in the good-cholesterol drug market after the fall of Pfizer’s torcetrapib drug last week.

Liponex is currently conducting its first Phase 2 trials in heart patients for its CRD5 drug, which increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good cholesterol.”

Dr. Daniel Sparks, the company’s chief scientific officer, says CRD5 had already shown the ability to increase HDL by 20 per cent in its two-week Phase 1 trials with no apparent side-effects, even before the company had come out with its latest formulation.

The drug was also shown to lower triglycerides – the storage fat in bodies which also contributes to heart disease – by about 40 per cent.

He adds that there are no other compounds Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

Local manufacturing sector stable, report shows

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal newspaper and website.
Nov. 20, 2006

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

Although it’s no secret that the strong Canadian dollar is squeezing the manufacturing sector all across the country, a new survey indicates that Ottawa’s manufacturing industry is still performing solidly.

The Ottawa Manufacturers’ Network (OMN) released a report this week on the state of the city’s manufacturing industry.

The report notes that the industry employs approximately 41,000 people in 700 companies in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec, out of a total labour force of 673,400 in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Of the 700 companies, computer and electronics manufacturers represent 27 per cent of manufacturing firms and nearly half the employment in the sector.

OMN spokesperson Roy Sunstrum says a focus on specialized electronics manufacturing – rather than consumer electronics such as personal computers – has helped Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

The votes are in, and the winner is…

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Breaking news story, published on the Ottawa Business Journal website.
Nov. 13, 2006

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.


Ottawa mayor Larry O’Brien.
Photo by DARREN BROWN for the Ottawa Business Journal

The new mayor of Ottawa is Larry O’Brien.

Mr. O’Brien, the former CEO and founder of Calian Technologies, was declared the winner of the mayoral race at 8:25 p.m. Monday night, with nearly half of all votes.

At the end of the night, the mayor-elect got a total of 141,262 votes.

The new mayor beat out Alex Munter and incumbent Bob Chiarelli despite coming into the race six months later than both his opponents.

The race was a fairly close one although much less of a nail-biter than expected, with Mr. Munter getting just a little more than 36 per cent of the vote with 108,752 votes, and Mr. Chiarelli trailing behind at approximately 15 per cent or 46,697 votes. The level of voter turnout was almost unheard of, at more than 60 per cent.

Going into the polls, Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Munter were neck-and-neck at 45 per cent and 41 per cent respectively.

“We’re pretty excited,” said Gord Hunter, Mr O’Brien’s campaign manager. “We ran an incredible campaign and an incredible candidate, but we never expected anything like this. Larry will make a great mayor of Ottawa.”

The new mayor walked into his campaign headquarters at Broadway’s Bar & Grill on Prince of Wales Drive and raised his arms above his head with a resounding “Yes!”

He was joined shortly after by Mr. Chiarelli, who pledged his full support to the winner of the mayoral campaign and said his opponent had run a “smart campaign.”

“I’m declaring Larry the champ,” said the incumbent to cheers from Mr. O’Brien’s supporters. “We all know he’s been a tremendous community leader and business leader and… will become the greatest mayor Ottawa has ever had.”

Mr. Chiarelli added that being mayor was a “complicated job,” and said it was important for a full consensus in council to “make (Ottawa) a G-8 world capital.”

“I want to make a plea to the public, council and the media… to come together and build consensus behind this mayor,” Mr. Chiarelli said. “(Mr. O’Brien) ran a very great campaign and (he) had a very short time to do it. I’ll do whatever he wants me to do, for transition and to help the city.”

In his acceptance speech, the mayor-elect thanked the people of Ottawa for voting for change.

“The city is not a business but (the people) want to see it run like a business,” Mr. O’Brien said.

Mr. Munter opened his congratulatory speech with a joke about how it was probably a good thing he hadn’t been elected mayor as his supporters were causing a noise violation.

“We had a lot of tiger in the tank, but unfortunately Larry O’Brien had more,” he said. “As he enters at this crucial time, it’s important he succeed, and I’m here to help him succeed.”

As Mr. O’Brien heads to City Hall, he is facing an upcoming city budget, as well as the hotly debated light rail transit issue.

The other mayoral candidates – Piotr Anweiler, Robert Larter, Barkley Pollock and Jane Scharf – took a total of 3,328 votes.

by Krystle K.

Spotwave’s new chief exec focused on aggressive growth

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal newspaper and website.
Nov. 13, 2006

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

With his 20-year background in the wireless industry, Larry Jennings is no stranger to Spotwave Wireless’s products.

“I was attracted initially by Spotwave’s products, having followed trends in wireless (during my career),” says the former chief operating officer of the U.S.-based emergency services software provider Intrado. “But I’m also really interested in the passion and commitment Spotwave’s employees have shown.”

Mr. Jennings was appointed as the new president and CEO of Spotwave Wireless on Nov. 6. He says the first order of business is to improve distribution the company’s brand-new residential indoor antenna system.

“This is a great consumer product, and we’ve had very strong feedback for it,” says Mr. Jennings. “We’re going to be focused on how to better penetrate the market by improve relationships with distribution partners and working with Internet marketing.”

Mr. Jennings has worked extensively Continue reading →