In The News

Toronto has been named the world's lowest risk city for global employers, according to a report by Chicago-based insurance giant AON Corporation. The study compared demographics, education, employment practices and government regulations in order to rank 90 cites worldwide .

"Toronto and Montreal were among the lowest-risk cities "primarily due to Canada's low level of corruption; strict enforcement of equal opportunity laws; health and retirement benefits; and high quality and broad availability of training facilities," Aon said."

"Toronto wasn't No. 1 in any category even though it ranked top overall, according to the report. Canada's most populous city ranked 14 in demographics and 12 in employment practices. Even the lowest risk cities are not perfect," Rick Payne, chief research officer, said."

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original source Bloomberg News

The Times of India reports on an innovative behavioural study conducted by University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) researchers. The Toronto scientists have collected evidence that suggests when we talk to ourselves before making a decision we exhibit greater self control and greater restrain from impulsive behaviour.  The study advances science's understanding of the workings of our inner voice.

"The research, carried out by the University of Toronto Scarborough, shows that inner voice plays an important role in controlling impulsive behaviour."

"We give ourselves messages all the time with the intent of controlling ourselves � whether that's telling ourselves to keep running when we're tired, to stop eating even though we want one more slice of cake, or to refrain from blowing up on someone in an argument," says Alexa Tullett, lead author on the study."

"We wanted to find out whether talking to ourselves in this ''inner voice'' actually helps," Tullett added."

"Through a series of tests, we found that people acted more impulsively when they couldn't use their inner voice or talk themselves through the tasks," Inzlicht said. "

"Without being able to verbalize messages to themselves, they were not able to exercise the same amount of self control as when they could talk themselves through the process."

"Tullett said: "It's always been known that people have internal dialogues with themselves, but until now, we've never known what an important function they serve."

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original source Times of India

University of Toronto student Todd Reichert has been making international headlines for creating the first ornithopter--an engineless, wing-flapping aircraft--capable of sustained flight. As reported by the BBC, Reichert's plane flew nonstop for 19.3 seconds on the 2nd of August  2010. The record breaking feat, performed at The Great Lakes Gliding Club in Tottenham, Ontario, is expected to be confirmed by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale at its October meeting. 

"Mr Reichert, a PhD student at the University of Toronto, said the Snowbird "represents the completion of an age-old aeronautical dream."

"Throughout history, countless men and women have dreamt of flying like a bird under their own power, and hundreds, if not thousands have attempted to achieve it," he said in a statement. "This represents one of the last of the aviation firsts."
 
"Other craft with flapping wings have taken off, but the team claim theirs is the first to actually power itself in flight...To keep it light, lift-off mechanisms were not built in.Instead, a tow car helped lift it clear of the ground. But then Mr Reichert took over, using his feet to pump a bar that flaps the wings."

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original source BBC News

The Toronto Star features Fluf, a Toronto-based custom pillow company that has successfully transformed from a small Queen West boutique into a prosperous wholesale business. The company's founders, Torontonians Terra Kushner, 34, and Nathalie Butterfield 38, were able not only to grow their company during a recession but to make the switch to exclusively eco-friendly products.

"Looking back, Butterfield says the timing was lucky. In the fall of 2008, when the worst of the recession came, Fluf had already reduced its overhead and moved into a small office in Liberty Village."

"By then, all their products were not only design-savvy but also eco-friendly. The inspiration for creating greener products came from their families. "We were making a lot of those [eco-friendly] changes at home because we had young families," says Kushner who, like Butterfield, has two young children. "

"Early on, the duo had trouble finding printed fabrics made with eco-friendly dyes and fabrics, such as hemp and organic cotton, to make into pillows. So they launched their own line of sustainable printed fabric. The fabric line, which is locally hand-printed, includes several nature-inspired patterns with names like Blizzard and Rainfall. There are also playful patterns, such as one with drawings of desserts."

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original source Toronto Star

Dr. Diane Doran, a professor at UofT's Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, was awarded a research grant worth more than $1 million from The Canadian Patient Safety Institute. As reported by The Medical News, Dr. Doran and her team received the prestigeous grant in order to study patient safety and home care services across Canada.

"The existing literature on the safety of home care in Canada is still vague," says Doran. "This study, which will be the largest pan-Canadian home care safety study of its kind, will attempt to fill in those gaps."

"The Canadian Patient Safety Institute, along with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institutes of Health Services and Policy Research, Aging, Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, and Circulatory and Respiratory Health; The Change Foundation; and the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, awarded the funding to help generate new knowledge to help improve the safety of home care clients."

"We know that adverse events affect thousands of patients every year in Canada," says Hugh MacLeod, CEO, Canadian Patient Safety Institute. "That is why this research in home care is important to assist with better patient safety outcomes in the continuum of care."

"Results of this research will be released over the next two years. The final report will be released in January of 2013 with the aim of informing change in policy, practice and behaviour in the home care service setting."

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original source The Medical News

Film reviewer Roger Ebert, recently in Toronto for TIFF, has taken to twitter to express his love of the city, declaring, among other things "King and Queen streets in Toronto all by themselves are reason enough for this city to exist". The Torontoist has complied some of the Chicago Sun-Times reviewer most glowing tweets.

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original source Torontoist

BlogTo features Pixel Print, Toronto's newest print shop located on Dundas West between Ossington and Dufferin. Pixel Print, a store that "isn't interested in just churning out a bunch of plain business cards or brochures" sets itself apart from the competition by combining eco-friendly printing, personalized service and innovative design.

"What gives Pixel Print a bit of an edge over their competitors is their eye for style and design. All of their own promotional materials are whimsical and eye-catching, so hopefully they would lend the same artistic flair to others' printing needs. The world does not need another tried-and-true business card, so it's refreshing to know that there are some shops that clearly work to provide some quality to the design and make sure that finished materials have enough appeal and wit to stand above the crowd."

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original source BlogTO

The September issue of Counselor Magazine has published a ranking of the the "Best Places to Work" in the ad specialty industry. As reported on Human Resources.com the list of 75 includes ten Canadian companies. Toronto-based Genumark Promotional Merchandise, a company that specializes in promotional product distributors, were among the Canadian businesses that made the list.

"Loyal staffs, trustworthy management, solid benefits and team effectiveness helped land 75 companies on Counselor magazine's 2010 list of best places to work in the ad specialty industry."

"Every company on the list provides typical health-care and financial benefits. But some also infuse their corporate culture with unique benefits such as an incentive program offering $1,000 to employees who buy eco-friendly cars. Other companies use food to win over workers, including wine tastings and family barbeques."

"Ten Canadian companies are included on the list: Metromedia Marketing (Edmonton), Talbot Marketing (London), Akran Marketing (Ottawa), Image Group (Vancouver), Immediate Sales Agency (Waterloo), Cotton Candy (Mississauga), Genumark Promotional Merchandise (Toronto), Rightsleeve (Toronto), The Promotional Specialists (Markham), and Bag Designs (Concord)."

"The list appears in the September issue of Counselor, the "voice" of the promotional products industry. The accompanying cover story was written by Counselor Editor Andy Cohen and Staff Writer Dave Vagnoni and includes an interactive map."


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original source Human Resources

The Globe & Mail writes on the vacancy rates in downtown Toronto that have "defied logic". Despite a real-estate slowdown in the rest of the city, office space in Toronto's core remains a sought after-commodity.

"While landlords are struggling to lease space in the rest of the city, demand in Toronto's business core has been so strong that developers are considering building new towers, a sharp shift in sentiment compared to last year when commercial real estate analysts were predicting vacancies could surpass double digits for the first time in a decade."

"Downtown vacancy fell to 5.8 per cent from 6.6. per cent in the past quarter, according to commercial real estate analysts at Cushman & Wakefield, thanks to a "tremendous acceleration" in leasing activity. City-wide, vacancy decreased to 7.7 per cent in the third quarter from 8.1 per cent in the second quarter."

"There is a demand for new product in a way that we haven't seen for 15 years," said Paul Morse, senior managing director at Cushman & Wakefield. "I think it is quite realistic that we'll see new development, and those decisions will likely be made in the next six months."

"Downtown Toronto defied logic with its brisk leasing activity and demand growth in the third quarter," Mr. Morse said. "The results go against the grain of many other North American cities that are just beginning to emerge from the grip of the global recession."

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original source Globe & Mail

The 2010-11 Times Higher Education rankings, a global universities ranking system, has included nine Canadian universities on this year's list. The University of Toronto is the highest ranking Canadian institution to make the cut, placing 17 out of 200.

"Although 2010-11 is the seventh year that Times Higher Education has published its annual rankings, these tables represent a new level of sophistication. In light of this, the top 200 list and the six subject tables we are publishing should be considered the first of a new annual series, for we have completely overhauled the methodology to deliver our most rigorous, transparent and reliable rankings tables ever. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2010-11 were developed in concert with our new rankings data provider, Thomson Reuters, with input from more than 50 leading figures in the sector from 15 countries across every continent, and through 10 months of extensive consultation. We believe we have created the gold standard in international university performance comparisons."

"We are confident that the 2010-2011 world university rankings represent the most accurate picture of global higher education we have ever produced."

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original source Times Higher Education

The Economist has named York University's Schulich School of Business one of the world's top ten MBA programs. Schulich moved up two spots after coming 12th in 2009 and is the only Canadian University to crack the top ten.

"Buisness schools do not much like being ranked by outsiders. In recent years several have boycotted the lists drawn up by pesky media organisations, such as The Economist. But prospective students love these lists. Before plonking down $100,000 for a two-year MBA, they like to have some idea of what they are getting. Insiders at Bloomberg Businessweek joke that the magazine's ranking of MBA courses is its "swimsuit edition": like the issues of Sports Illustrated with scantily-clad women on the cover, it sells well."

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original source Economist

Ryerson University, already a hotbed of high-tech innovation, has launched a new pilot project that nurtures emerging entrepreneurs and connects them with perspective companies. Called the Digital Media Zone, the program provides free office space and guidance to Ryerson students and alumni with high-tech business ideas. As reported by the Globe & Mail, Digital Media Zone has already helped launch 10 businesses since it opened eight months ago.

"A campus breeding ground for high-tech entrepreneurs is turning for inspiration to Canada's original digital renaissance woman.

Gerri Sinclair was a Shakespeare scholar who became a Web pioneer, sold a company to Microsoft  and went on to advise governments and businesses on tech strategy. Now the 63-year-old Vancouver entrepreneur wants to unlock the innovation power on Canadian campuses and ultimately shake up the way they do research. One of her first stops is Ryerson University."

"To help build the school's digital strategy, Ms. Sinclair will work with the new Digital Media Zone, an experiment that nurtures students' high-tech business ideas and matches them with companies looking for technology development. At a time when innovation is on the tip of every politician's tongue, Ryerson is nurturing student ideas to see if it can kick-start new companies and keep talent in Canada. As well as working on their own projects, the Digital Media Zone plans to become a kind of test lab for businesses with technology challenges."


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original source Globe & Mail

The Toronto Star looks at the two-decade long career of entrepreneur Corey Mandell, owner of Mandell Entertainment Group and "veteran of Toronto's event entertainment industry". Mandell Entertainment, one of North America's premier entertainment companies, book DJs, bands and emcees for corporate and private functions across North America.

"Over two decades, the veteran of Toronto's event entertainment industry has transformed his company several times. With each evolution, Mandell's passion for breaking new ground continues to grow"

"Mandell, now 40, started out as a DJ on Toronto's bar and bat mitzvah circuit when he was 17. Long before MP3s, Mandell had to fast-forward and rewind cassette tapes to find the songs he wanted to play. To cover up the lag between songs, he talked to audiences at parties, which led to a growing reputation for interactive DJ shows."

"At 21, Mandell founded his own company, Mandell Entertainment Group. At first, he was the only employee. Five years later, the company had several hundred DJs, emces and dancers on contract who performed at bar and bat mitzvahs, proms, school dances and weddings. "

"Today Mandell Entertainment continues to produce entertainment for corporate events and galas, such as the One Love for Haiti fundraiser, which was held in February and featured performances by Rita Marley and Jully Black."

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original source Toronto Star

As reported by Business Week, Canada's banking system was recently ranked the world's soundest by the World Economic Forum. This is the third straight year Canada had topped the Geneva-based organization's list.

"The study, released today by the Geneva-based oragnization, places Canada's banks ahead of New Zealand, Australia, Lebanon and Chile in its executive opinion survey. Canadian lenders including Royal Bank of Canada and Toronto-Dominion Bank withstood the financial crisis without taking government bailouts, and recorded only a fraction of the $1.3 trillion in writedowns taken by banks and brokers worldwide."

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original source Business Week

This week marked the start of the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the grand opening of its brand new Head Quarters, the Bell Lightbox Theater. The new theater, located at the corner of King and John, has shifted the festival focus from Yorkvillle, where its been centered in past years, to the entertainment district. According to the Chicago Tribune, the $200 million mixed-use complex "gives film festivalgoers of Chicago, New York and L.A. (and everywhere in between) plenty of reasons to be envious."

"The Toronto International Film Festival's long-awaited new "cathedral of cinema," as one TIFF programmer, Thom Powers, put it, opened its doors to the public Sunday. And it looked good. Very good."

"The sooner this place becomes home base for North America's premier festival, the better it'll be for everyone's cinematic sake."

Designed by Toronto's Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, the Lightbox � representing a $200 million dollar burst of civic and cultural pride �anchors a 42-story mixed-use development known as Festival Tower. The land was donated by director Ivan Reitman and his family. So. This is a cathedral built on a foundation of "Meatballs" and "Ghostbusters."

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original source Chicago Tribune