Innovation + Job News

SwapSity, a new website based in downtown Toronto, aims to allow Canadians to barter with one another instead of simply buying products.

"I wanted to make swapping accessible for Canadian consumers," says company founder Marta Nowinska. "There's lots of bartering that takes place among corporations, but up until now there's been nothing for consumers."

Nowinska suggests that the website could be a boon for job-seekers, who might swap labour in exchange for goods while they are between stops on their career path.

The business is free for consumers and posters, and works on a Free Economics model that charges for advertising and premium features.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Marta Nowinska, founder, SwapSity

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The Ontario Electronic Stewardship announced Phase II of its ambitious and growing recycling program late last week. At 500 locations across Ontario -- including dozens in the GTA -- people can now drop off electronics including mp3 players, radios, computers and televisions.

The OES, based in Toronto's financial district, is an industry organization of retailers and manufacturers formed to divert toxic material from landfill and to comply with the provincial Waste Diversion Act in 2007. Phase one of the program, dealing with household hazardous waste, was launched in April 2009.

"Nearly four in five Ontario households (78 per cent) have at least one electronic product that is not working or not being used. This program makes recycling easier and encourages consumers and businesses to do what they can to help," said Carol Hochu, OES executive director, in announcing the program. "The reason to participate is simple -- it helps keep hazardous electronic equipment out of landfill, which leads to a greener, healthier environment."


Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Carol Hochu, Executive Director, Ontario Electronic Stewardship

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Chemical Engineering students at Ryerson have designed a waste water treatment process using commercially available technology that would remove 90 per cent of pharmaceuticals and "Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds" from the water supply. The presence of drugs in waste-water -- and eventually in municipal drinking water -- is a growing concern, particularly around healthcare facilities where medical drug use is high.

The process, which won an honourable mention at the 2010 Ontario Engineering Competition, uses membrane biological reactors and advanced oxidation process to destroy harmful toxins. There are currently no sewage treatment plants in North America that use a process to adequately remove such toxins.

Kirill Cheiko, one of the four students who designed the process, said in a statement, "In Canada, the government doesn't enforce the removal of pharmaceutical drugs and EDCs... As a result, municipalities don't currently pursue removal, since it would incur extra expense. That said, it could also potentially reduce healthcare costs."

The students are now seeking funding to test the proposal in a laboratory.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Heather Kearney, Public Affairs, Ryerson University

Got an innovation and job news tip? Email [email protected].

With a staff of just over 100, Markham-based technology distributor Samtack punches above its weight -- in 2009 it saw over $130 million in revenue. And according to company President Royson Ng, a lot of that success can be attributed to the fact that more than 90 per cent of his staff are immigrants to Canada.

Samtack was recognized this week at the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council Immigrant Success Awards, on a stage with companies many times their size. The award, the RBC Immigrant Advantage Award shared with fellow winner Pitney Bowes, recognized how the company "leveraged skilled immigrant talent to respond to changing needs of mass merchant customers; increased market share with smaller, local, diverse retailers and purchased parts from overseas suppliers."

Samtack was founded in Markham 20 years ago but has seen business boom significantly since it went public on the Hong Kong stock exchange six years ago. It now has 27 per cent of the Canadian market in computer parts, supplying such giants as Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

Ng says that hiring people who are immigrants to Canada helps a company to better do business in an international environment. "Immigrants, regardless of where they come from, have a better understanding of local markets around the world," he says. That has helped Samtack set up supply chains and source parts from various global locations, especially China.

And the company isn't about to rest on its laurels. Currently, according to Ng, Samtack is looking to crack South American markets, and so is looking to hire people who speak Spanish.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: TRIEC; Royson Ng, President, Samtack

Got an Innovation and Job News tip? Email [email protected].

High Park Nutrition saw a gap in the market when it launched its online health and wellness store last September. "We noticed that a lot of companies had tried the national play," says George Papayiannis, company founder and president. "We ship across the country, but we really focus on Ontario, and the GTA in particular."

The local focus -- which Papayiannis says is based on the importance of trust when buying health products online -- is reflected in the company's web address, hpn.to, and in taking its name from the Toronto neighbourhood where Papayiannis lived when he launched the initiative. Today based in a warehouse in Brampton and employing three staff seven months after launching, the company is embarking on an aggressive growth strategy.

Key to those growth plans is a new mobile e-commerce store (hpn.to/m), which the company claims is a Canadian first for a health and nutritional company. Based on observations that people were wary to place large orders when they were unfamiliar with the company, High Park Nutrition has also introduced a no-shipping-charge policy for all Ontario orders. It could lead to losses on many orders, but Papayiannis says he expects the move to build all-important customer trust.

Those initiatives introduced, the company will spend the next few quarters expanding its product offering from 1,500 to 10,000 items for sale, pursuing a long-tail strategy that takes advantage of the web's diversity and relationships with local suppliers.

And if growth meets his expectations in the coming months, Papyiannis expects to be hiring soon. "I definitely hope to hire in the next six to 12 months. Things are hectic at the moment, and we'll need some help as we expand."

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: George Papayiannis, President, High Park Nutrition

Got an Innovation and Job News tip? Email [email protected].

Allyson Amster says that she and the other five co-founders of Bike Sauce all have experience working at DIY bike repair shops elsewhere in the city, and when they decided to open a new one in the east end, they came to a realization: the gearhead environment could be a drawback.

"We recognized that it could be intimidating to a lot of people who wanted to be involved in cycling, and in building the city through cycling advocacy," Amster says. So they hit on the idea of combining the repair shop with a social space and an advocacy approach -- a space she says will be "stacked with cycling literature" alongside wrenches and spokes.

The new organization at 717 Queen Street East -- at the corner of Broadview Avenue -- is set to open April 17, but will host a fundraising party featuring local bands and "Bike Jazz with dancers" on April 9. The fundraising component is important, since Bike Sauce is, for now, a non-profit organization entirely run by volunteer labour.

Amster says the six co-founders personally provided seed money to launch the organization, and have attracted a dedicated crew of 20-30 volunteers so far. The business model, she explains, depends on revenue from the sale of refurbished bikes -- which Amster says is already booming even prior to the opening -- plus sales of bike parts in the shop and donations, which are also already strong.

The fundraiser takes place Friday, April 9 at 9pm, at Blue Moon, 725 Queen Street East. Admission is on a $5-$10 sliding scale.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Allyson Amster, Co-founding Director, Bike Sauce

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Cipher Pharmaceuticals, based in Mississauga, has had its drug CIP-TRAMADOL ER, a pain-killer, accepted for review by Health Canada. The company expects the review to be completed by early 2011. The product has already received tentative FDA approval in the United States. It is an extended release version of tramadol, which already has a $50 million market in Canada (up 30 per cent in one year).

Cipher President and CEO Larry Andrews says it is one of three new drug products the company has in late-stage development. The company's lead compound, a prescription medication for managing cholesterol, is already marketed in the United States under the trade name Lipofen. The third new product, the acne medication isotretinoin, is in Phase 3 trials in the US.

The company went public in 2004 and employs 14 people today, and expects to grow revenue significantly as its products go to market. Given the typically glacial pace of the pharmaceutical research industry, Andrews says the current situation is a relief to be in. "It's nice to see some light at the end of the tunnel," he says. Encouragingly, in a business where financial health is often measured by the ability to generate new capital, the company has a low burn rate. With cash reserves of $9 million, the company spent only $1 million in 2009. Andrews says they are currently able to fund their work through their own revenues.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Larry Andrews, President and CEO, Cipher Pharmaceuticals

Got an Innovation and Job News tip? Email [email protected].

In January, Zipcar became the first car-sharing service to be approved by the City of Toronto for on-street parking. Now their competitor, the locally-based AutoShare, is getting in on the action too, with 22 vehicles parked in six different locations in downtown Toronto and North York. AutoShare President Kevin McLaughlin says the move reflects an important shift for the city. "Symbolically, it means the city is taking another step to thinking about the transportation infrastructure we need for the future," he says. More practically, for the company, it will serve to increase awareness through visibility in addition to the obvious benefit delivered by new locations.

McLaughlin says the industry in Toronto has been experiencing explosive growth. "Four years ago we had 2,000 members," he says. "Today we and our competitor combined have 20,000 people participating in car sharing service. That's a tenfold increase." AutoShare itself has about half of that market, with over 10,000 members on its roster.

The company has gone from five to 16 employees in that same four-year span, and is looking to hire two new employees right now. McLaughlin sees only more growth as the city approves more and more flexible spots for his service and others like it, and as people become more aware of the environmental and economic costs of individual car ownership.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Kevin McLaughlin, President, AutoShare

Got an Innovation and Job News tip? Email [email protected].

On March 26, the Ministry of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages announced the April 1 launch of the Canada Media Fund, which will invest $350 million across the country in "innovative Canadian content and software applications for current and emerging platforms through financial support and industry research."

Though the fund is not intended primarily as a job-creation strategy, the investment in innovation is likely to create or sustain a significant number of high-value knowledge jobs in software and digital development, says Canadian Media Fund Director of Marketing and Communicatons Betsy Chaly. The fund will invest $27 million into an "experimental stream" to develop leading edge application and content for internet, wireless and mobile devices, as well as emerging platforms. The rest of the money will be allocated to the "Convergence Stream," which targets television shows and related digital media content in the drama, documentary, children's, variety and performing arts genres.

"In launching the Canada Media Fund, we've taken an important step towards supporting a truly modern, multi-platform, industry and a digital content strategy for Canada," said federal Heritage Minister James Moore in the announcement of the fund.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Betsy Chaly, Director of Marketing and Communications, Canada Media Fund

Got an Innovation and Job News tip? Email [email protected].

When WIND mobile launched in December 2009, it was the first cellular network provider to launch in Canada in more than a decade. Now, just months later, a second new service has launched retail operations in preparation for switching its network on in mid-May.

On March 18, Public Mobile opened 15 stores in Toronto and 10 more in Montreal to sell phones and service prior to the network's launch. Public Mobile media relations person Lisa Papas says that the company has been staffing up, conducting research and building its network since its inception in 2008. She points out that the company is hiring now (17 Toronto positions are listed on its website) and says the pace of growth at this stage has been hard to keep up with -- "We've been so busy during the launch I haven't even had a chance to post a position I'm hiring for."

Public Mobile CEO Alek Krstajic said in his announcement of the store openings that the company will double the number of locations open to the public before the launch of its network's service in mid-May of this year. The company is pitching its service based on local unlimited talk and text plans for $40 per month, and has stated that it does not see itself competing with the gizmo-happy web, video and application-based  smartphone services the traditional mobile providers in Canada have focused on.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Lisa Papas, media relations, Public Mobile

Got an Innovation and Job News tip? Contact Edward Keenan at [email protected].

When the National Society of Black Engineers brings its conference to Toronto March 31-April 4, it expects to contribute up to $30 million to the local economy (including 9,000 hotel room nights).

The Toronto conference is the first time the 33,000-member US-based organization has held its annual meet-up outside the United States. The society's Pamela Sharif says Toronto was chosen because of the large number of the organization's members in Canada, and because the key corporate partners of the organization -- cutting edge engineering employers -- generally have offices in Toronto. "The fact that Canada -- and Toronto in particular -- is an international leader in the technology sector is a huge factor," Sharif says.

During the conference, local high school students from Mother Theresa and Cardinal Newman Catholic schools in Scarborough will have the chance to participate in hands-on activities (including, Sharif says, robot and car design and construction) meant to introduce them to the profession.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Pamela Sharif, Media Relations, National Society of Black Engineers

Got an Innovation and Job News tip? Contact Edward Keenan at [email protected].

Global technology giant Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and the Ontario government have announced a five-year, $432.8 million innovation project for the company's Markham, Ontario campus that will employ 637 people, including 100 new hires.

The R&D project will aim to "merge high-performance computer and graphics processors that excel at processing multimedia, like video or 3D games, onto a single silicon die." The project will receive $56.4 million in funding from the Ontario government and see $376.4 million in investment from AMD. The company's Markham office currently employs 1,600 tech professionals, and the company says 527 of those will be retained to work on this project, while an additional 100 new staff will be hired.

"Dirk Meyer, AMD president and CEO, says, "AMD Fusion technology is set to enable significant breakthroughs in personal computing and our R&D facility in Markham, Ontario is playing an instrumental role in creating this technology." He calls the company's Markham office  a wellspring of technical innovation.

The Ontario government hopes the investment will make Markham a hub for the global graphics industry. Minister of Economic Development and Trade pointed out the "immense potential" that the industry represents for Ontario's economy, given the growth of digital animation and video games.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Eric Shapiro, Communications, Government of Ontario

Got an Innovation and Job News tip? Contact Edward Keenan at [email protected].

The Professional Access and Integration Enhancement program held a ceremony March 23 to celebrate the graduation of 45 internationally-trained professional engineers from its bridging program. The program, just completing its fourth year, gives Canadian newcomers with international training and experience in environmental engineering a chance to gain Canadian contacts and experience through, among other things, a year-long paid training work placement with Canadian employers.

The program is run by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and funded by the provincial and federal governments. Authority CAO Brian Denney said in a statement that the program brings an experienced, global perspective to technical environmental challenges here in Toronto. "The inclusion of sustainable communities and social equity ... is a testament to our role as a leader and innovator within the environmental field."

TRCA media relations supervisor Rowena Calpito says that while the final, firm numbers are not available, it is expected that around 70 per cent of the program's participants have secured work in the field.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Rowena Calpito, Supervisor of Media Management, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

Got an Innovation and Job News tip? Contact Edward Keenan at [email protected].

Open Text, Canada's largest independent software company, will embark on a five-year, $225 million research project at its Waterloo, Ottawa and Richmond Hill offices, it announced last week. The undertaking includes a grant of $33.75 million from the Ontario government and is expected to create 400 jobs across the province.

The company -- whose current products are used by 100 million users in 114 countries -- specializes in digital data storage and management. This new project will conduct research into emerging market sectors, including green computing and mobile applications.

According to company media spokesperson Stephanie Fazio, the new jobs will be overwhelmingly for R&D professionals, though she said that at this time the company was unable to project exactly how many of the new employees would work from Open Text's GTA hub in Richmond Hill.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Stephanie Fazio, Media Relations, Open Text

Got an Innovation and Job News tip? Contact Edward Keenan at [email protected].

The central-west Toronto neighbourhood of the Junction is strollerville these days -- competing with Riverdale, Leslieville and Bloor West Village for the title of hipster-parent central. Two of those local parents in The Junction, partners Jennifer Turkenburg and Pierre Kasonga, are opening the High Park Family Fun Place to provide a community centre for all those young families to congregate.

The founders say the space was inspired by "our dream of having a community recreational meeting place that all local residents can enjoy." The facility will include an indoor playground, a full-scale fitness gym, an arts and crafts centre and events spaces for education and community events and parties.

If the programming seems ecccentric, it's because it represents the things the founders wish they had in their own community. Turkenburg says, "The High Park Family Fun Place is a truly a labour of love and has been created to better serve a wide community of great parents, grandparents and caregivers. We want to build the community hub we are all longing for."

The centre opens April 3 with a staff of 18. A full day of activities are planned for the kickoff party April 3, including puppet shows, magicians and music.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Pierre Kasonga and Jennifer Turkington, Founders, High Park Family Fun Place

Got an Innovation and Job News tip? Send it to Edward Keenan at [email protected].