News

Canada’s New World (CNW) is a Canadian publication which follows Canadian entrepreneurs to a new foreign market in each of its six-annual publications with an aim of reflecting on Canada’s role in a globalized economy as told through the individual stories of Canadians abroad. Click on the arrow to read the latest edition focused on Australia.

In a historic accord, the members of several leading national geothermal trade and business associations have joined together to establish an International Geothermal Business Coalition. The coalition co-founded by the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC), the U.S. Geothermal Energy Association (GEA), the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA), the Australian Geothermal Energy Association (AGEA), and the Chilean Geothermal Energy Association, will represent the leading companies in developing geothermal resources to meet energy needs across the world.

Using the BlackBerry mobile phone, Researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth, Western Australia, have started a world-first trial of an artificial pancreas which could revolutionise the way type 1 diabetes is managed in children.

Building Canadian Paths to Prosperity the report charts progress from a baseline set in the first State of Nation report in 2008 and compares Canadian performance to global science, technology and innovation leaders. The report also proposes a core list of 20 indicators for future monitoring. The report shows that Canada's strengths are a strong talent pool and a robust public research capacity. Its two main challenges are to increase private sector investment in innovation and to improve Canada's capacity to transfer knowledge into the marketplace.

According to the OECD "better life index" - Australians and Canadians are the happiest group of people in the world. The index launched on May 24, allows comparisons between the member countries that go beyond the traditional economic measures, such as gross domestic product.

The extraordinary Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania has adapted Canadian technology from Montreal based IT company “Purelink” into its’ interactive gallery guide, known as the “O”. This world first is enabling visitors to the gallery to explore the collection in new ways via the custom-made interactive guide. Sophisticated follow-up and tracking capabilities enrich the experience for the visitor and also provide valuable visitor information feedback to the museum.

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is now available in Australia in three Wi-Fi® models – with 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB of memory storage – from Harvey Norman along with carriers Optus, Telstra and Vodafone. On August 1^st, Research in Motion (RIM) announced the PlayBook tablet has received certification for use by the Australian Government. The certification means Government agencies can now use the tablet with data classified up to the restricted or protected levels — a first for any tablet device available in Australia, according to RIM.

The soon to be 100 year old Alberta based Survey and Civil Engineering firm has opened an office in Brisbane. Stewart Weir Australia has established a partnership with Queensland based Schlencker Mapping and Survey Group. Originally gaining access into the Australian market through their pipeline expertise, Stewart Weir brings to Australia experience across numerous industry sectors. “Our proven survey experience on large construction projects with industries such as pipelines, railways, power transmission, industrial plants, roadways, is an invaluable asset in a region experiencing unparalleled growth,” said Steve Dixon, General Manager, Australia. “The Australian marketplace is about to experience many of the same challenges and rewards Alberta has experienced over the last 40 years and our experience will help our clients to succeed in these exciting times."

Canadian company Dynamotive released a joint announcement with Virgin Australia, Renewable Oil Corporation and the Future Farm Industries Co-operative Research Centre to develop a sustainable aviation biofuel that also have benefits for the Australian farming community and the environment. In a world first, the consortium plans to use innovative fast pyrolysis technology developed by Dynamotive to process mallees, a eucalypt tree that can be grown sustainably in many parts of Australia. The partnership brings together companies with special expertise in growing, harvesting and processing feedstock into aviation fuel to support the development of a full scale commercial plant in Western Australia.

LED Roadway Lighting Ltd. (LRL) fixtures will soon be lighting up streets and roadways across Australia, thanks to a new partnership between LRL and PECAN Lighting Ltd., an Australian based street lighting company specializing in solar applications. Together, LRL and PECAN will bring energy efficient and environmentally friendly lighting solutions to the streets of Australia.

Following on from a successful Canadian Apparel Federation mission to Australia in November 2010 one of the participants, Picadilly Fashions, has appointed the Australian company Garland & Garland Fashion to be their national fashion agent. They will represent 3 labels from the stable, Picadilly, Picadilly Gold and Adam Jacobs. Early indications are that the future for these labels in Australia is promising.

Trican Well Services has extended its operations to Australia, buying Viking Energy, a privately owned cementing and environmental services company based in Brisbane. The pressure pumping company, which holds the largest Canadian market share in cementing and coil tubing services, said the deal will accelerate Trican’s entry into the Australian and regional markets. “Significant growth is expected in the Australian coal seam and shale gas plays in both the near and long term,” Trican said in a statement.”

Recent months have seen a couple of major announcements from ATCO Ltd. - their AUD$1 billion investment to acquire Western Australia Gas Networks (WAGN) which has over 12 800 km of gas mains and associated infrastructure, and the announcement that their Structures & Logistics division has begun construction of a 1,700-person workforce accommodation facility for the Queensland Curtis LNG Project.

Alter NRG Corp has sold an exclusive licence to Moltoni Energy Australia for US$5.75M. The agreement provides Moltoni with the exclusive rights to use Alter NRG’s Westinghouse Plasma gasification technology in Australia and New Zealand. Moltoni has a portfolio of more than a dozen projects in Australia that it is actively developing, including a large waste to energy facility being developed near Perth, and a joint venture (with General Motors Holden and Caltex) called FlexEthanol in Melbourne that would convert municipal solid waste into renewable ethanol.

Bombardier have announced a number of contract wins recently in Australia including orders from AVWest for their global business jets, an order to supply new rail cars for the Adelaide surburban network, and an order for trams in Melbourne. Bombardier Transportation is also part of the winning GoldLinQ consortium to build the first stage of the AUD$1 billion Gold Coast light rail system from Griffith University to Broadbeach via Southport.

Ted Kantrowitz, Vice President of the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition is a guest speaker at a series of KPMG Geothermal Tech workshops being held around Australia in early August. Mr Kantrowitz will be giving a presentation on Canadian geothermal expertise in building applications. For specific dates and details of workshops in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, and Brisbane, please contact Robert Gow, robert.gow@international.gc.ca

Come, celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the founding of SUGUNA at the 21st SUGUNA Annual Conference, in Vancouver, BC. Vancouver is one of the finest cities in the world and August is a prime season to visit, to renew friendships and make new friends. This year the conference is being held on the campus of University of British Columbia from Thursday to Sunday, August 4-7, 2011. For full details on the program, which includes the traditional evening ‘Welcome’ reception, guided tours, plus a range of social, cultural and sporting pursuits, click on the arrow to your right.

A delegation of Canadian mining equipment and service providers are coming to Australia for the Asia-Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX) in Sydney, September 6-9, and to connect with prospective buyers, clients and partners in the Australasian market. For more information on participating companies, please contact Greg Luz, greg.luz@international.gc.ca

We are currently accepting expressions of interest from Australian companies to join a green building industry mission to Vancouver and Toronto. In addition to participating in one of the world's largest green building conferences - the USGBC's Greenbuild - in Toronto this year - mission delegates will be able to join networking events, enjoy guided site visits and connect with members of the Canadian green building industry and Canada Green Building Council. For more information, please contact Pam Wearing, pamela.wearing@international.gc.ca

ICMAN5 is the international three day conference on the science of nutraceuticals being held in Brisbane in October. The Manitoba Agri-Health Research Network Inc (MAHRN) is proud to be a silver sponsor of the conference. MAHRN is globally recognized for its track record in the commercialisation of novel bioactives derived from plant and animal sources. MAHRN will bring a delegation of researchers and companies from Manitoba, Canada, to ICMAN5, to facilitate global partnerships in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases through the development of nutraceuticals and functional foods.

Recruitment is underway for the Canadian Clean Energy Trade Mission to Australia October 10-14, 2011. In addition to the Canadian exhibits at ALL–ENERGY Exhibition & Conference in Melbourne, networking events are being planned for Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and individualized programs of one-on-one meetings will be developed for delegates. For more information, please contact Robert Gow, robert.gow@international.gc.ca

The Consulate General of Canada in Sydney organized a thirteen company Oil and Gas Trade Mission to Brisbane in June in collaboration with the Government of Alberta and partners in Australia. This was the second outward oil and gas trade mission to Australia in 2011, a follow-up to the first ever delivered jointly by the Consulate and the Government of Alberta in February. The four-day program in Brisbane took place from June 7-10, 2011 and consisted of: group meetings with senior procurement managers from major operators, a networking reception, roundtable luncheon, and seminars on the Australian industry.

In collaboration with the Lowy Institute for International Policy on May 10th, and on May 11^th with the Committee for Economic Development (CEDA) - Brisbane, Canada's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy for the Canadian International Extractive Sector was a key discussion point in respect of how various communities of interests in Australia and Canada -- as middle powers, major players in the extractive industry -- view CSR, its competitive advantage, and the key role it can play in supporting transparency, performance excellence, accountability and reporting.

Eric Byres, Founder and CTO, Byres Security, visited Australia in May as a keynote speaker at the 10th annual AusCERT Information Security Conference (AusCERT2011) at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on Queensland's Gold Coast. Eric also participated in the SC Magazine Round Table Media Event titled "Is Australia Prepared for Cyber War?" on Sunday, May 15. Byres Security Inc. provides industrial network security and SCADA security products.