Category: Economic

As one of Canada’s first real estate crowd-funding campaigns, Athena Organic Farm + Eco-Retreat is paving the way to a social revolution and giving the power back to the people for a sustainable future. Through the acquisition of an already profitable and certified organic farm, operating at 30% this project boasts immediate returns, is holistic, sustainable, and nurtures our planet – can an investment get better?

A Social Revolution Brings the Power Back to the People for a Sustainable Future

Crowd-funding Campaign Unites People, Planet, and Profit.

WireService.ca Press Release (10/16/2014) Vancouver, BC – Join the social revolution on October 23 with Athena Organic Farm + Eco-Retreat through their crowd-sourced, profit sharing project in Southern B.C. By leveraging crowds-funding technology with Kickstarter this 6 week public awareness campaign is focused on the resurgence of giving the power back to the people for a sustainable future by giving them the power to choose- the power to invest in projects that have an immediate return, support the community, are holistic, sustainable, and preserve the planet.

Athena Organic Farm + Eco-Retreat marks a historical moment in time as one of Canada’s first real estate and agricultural crowd-sourced campaigns. The project involves the acquisition of a fully-functional and profitable 50-acre certified organic farm in Similkameen River in the Okanagan Valley. The farm has its own water source and expansion plans for agri-tourism, crop expansion, and a 6,000 sq.ft. eco-retreat set to launch Spring 2015.Through this public awareness campaign, Athena plans to entice investor newbies and veterans alike to get involved with this ethical, and social ROI. With as little as $10 investors can co-create this social revolution and support buy local, farm-to-table initiatives that nourish the planet and support the community.

“I’ve always been fascinated with building holistic projects that serve the needs of the people, creates abundance for all, and preserve our planet through living art.” says Kyrstine McInnes; Visionary Steward of Athena Organic Farm + Eco-Retreat. “And my fascination with the crowd-funding, P2P lending space has been growing since the discovery of companies like Kiva Micro-loans and Kickstarter. I see the connection between the shifting of wealth from the few to the many, along with the merging of the social and sharing economies and the breakthroughs in technology that are allowing these kinds of platforms to be massively successful” McInnes continues. “Companies like Uber, AirBNB, Kickstarter, and Patch of Land – we see the emerging market and we know this is not just a fad, this is a revolution in the way we communicate, gain support for and fund projects.”

According to McInnes “Athena Organic Farm + Eco-Retreat has all of those elements merged together in a project her team is incredibly passionate about. These ideological pressures that say if you want to make money, you need to destroy the earth, take more so others have less, hoard and pillage to isolate what’s yours – they are incredibly antiquated not grounded in truth and are destroying our planet, and our hearts”. McInnes continues “We know that you can make money, take care of the earth and create abundance for all. Athena isn’t just a project, it’s not just an idea – it is truly a revolution. A chance for us to stand up and shout out to these ideological pressures, the kill-or-be-killed, the antiquated system of thought that has truly been destroying our hearts, our community, and our planet to say there is another way! “

Athena Organic Farm + Eco-Retreat provides an ethical investment platform, one you can trust, is transparent, nourishes the environment, supports local community, and believes organic farming is synonymous with opportunity for all. There is no need to invest in faceless conglomerates run in secrecy, join Athena on October 16 through their Kickstarter campaign and join the social revolution. For more information visit www.athenaorganicfarm.ca

Follow Athena Organic Farm + Eco-Retreat online:

Facebook: facebook.com/athenaorganicfarmecoretreat
Hashtag: #AthenaOrganicFarm, #AthenaFarm
Twitter: twitter.com/AthenaFarm
Website: athenaorganicfarm.ca

Source:: http://www.wireservice.ca/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=12692&title=crowdfunding-takes-it-to-the-farm-in-bc-oct-23

Initiatives Prince George (IPG) is hosting the final Business Readiness workshop to be offered in 2014 on October 20th and 21st.

WireService.ca Media Release (10/16/2014) Prince George, BC – This workshop will help businesses prepare to provide excellent customer service under the pressure of increased customer traffic during the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Ted Topping of Creative Insights Inc. will lead the “Delivering Service and Customer Experience under Pressure” workshop, which will be offered three times to accommodate the busy schedules of business owners.

“The Canada Winter Games in February 2015 offer exciting opportunities for Prince George’s retail, hospitality and other service businesses to generate additional business,” says workshop leader Ted Topping, President of Creative Insights Inc. “But the days will pass quickly, and a business could miss out by not offering guests a consistently high level of service and customer experience. This workshop will show them how to do that.”

Each offering of the three-hour workshop is open to every business in Prince George. Topping will help managers and supervisors who attend the workshop create a plan for preparing their staff for an influx of new customers over the 17 days of the 2015 Games. This workshop will include an update on the activities available to visitors during the 2015 Games, and a special “how to” section on Implementing and Coaching your service strategy. During this workshop, Topping will assist businesses by providing details about how to:

Deliver a unique experience through your place, product, process and people;
Define appropriate service standards for both the 2015 Games and the longer term;
Maintain those standards under pressure using the process of “service netting;”
Manage high-volume traffic effectively and avoid potential “system stress;”
Think “2015 Games big” relative to the service that your business normally provides.

The “Delivering Service and Customer Experience under Pressure” workshop is the fourth and final in a series of workshops being offered by IPG during 2014 in its role as the Official Business Engagement Partner for the 2015 Games. IPG is offering this workshop in partnership with Northern Development Initiative Trust, Downtown Prince George and Community Futures Fraser-Fort George.

Businesses can register to attend one of the workshop sessions at a cost of $15 per person by visiting https://cwgworkshopdeliveringservice.eventbrite.ca.

About Initiatives Prince George:

Initiatives Prince George (IPG) is the municipally owned economic development corporation for the City of Prince George and the Official Business Partner of the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Together with regional partners, IPG works toward ensuring the continued strength of the local economy by facilitating the retention and expansion of existing businesses, attracting businesses to expand and diversify the economy, advocating for increased workforce capacity, and marketing the City of Prince George to attract new businesses and residents.

About the 2015 Canada Winter Games:

The 2015 Canada Winter Games will be the largest multi-sport and cultural event to ever be held in Prince George and northern British Columbia and is forecasted to generate an economic impact of $70- $90 million while building champions and inspiring dreams amongst Canadian youth. Athletes from 10 Provinces and 3 Territories will compete in 19 sports with the dream of becoming Canada’s next champions. In 2015, choose your path, leave your tracks, and journey with the 2015 Canada Winter Games as we host the nation and share a northern story with all of Canada.

Media Contact:

Christina Doll
Manager, Marketing and Communications Initiatives Prince George
Office: 250.564.0282
Cell: 250.981.0701
Email: doll@initiativespg.com

Source:: http://www.wireservice.ca/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=12682&title=workshop-to-ensure-great-customer-experiences-during-the-2015-games

The Manitoba government has proclaimed the Workers Compensation Amendment Act, which puts in place new measures to protect workers and prevent injuries in the workplace, Labour and Immigration Minister Erna Braun announced today.

WireService.ca Media Release (10/16/2014) Manitoba – “Every worker in Manitoba deserves to come home safe at the end of the day,” said Minister Braun. “This new law is one more step toward making the province the safest place to work in North America.”

The amendments establish a prevention committee as part of the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) to oversee and provide guidance to the Manitoba government’s new workplace prevention initiative known as SAFE Work Manitoba. It will provide oversight to SAFE Work Manitoba on prevention initiatives, public awareness campaigns, and strategic planning and budgeting.

The amendments also broaden worker protection by increasing penalties and requiring an employer who takes discriminatory action against a worker to prove the action was unrelated to the worker making a claim.

Minister Braun said Bill 65 builds on a Five-year Plan for Workplace Injury and Illness Prevention. In addition to establishing Safe Work Manitoba, Bill 65 commits to introduce greater rewards for employers who take action to make workplaces safer, higher penalties for employers who suppress claims and greater clarity around responsibilities for reporting workplace injuries. The new compliance measures will come into force in January 2015.

The minister noted that in addition to improved enforcement, a comprehensive review of the WCB rate model is currently underway, aimed at encouraging real prevention, strengthening system accountability and removing financial incentives to minimize or suppress claims.

“We know from WCB research that claim suppression is happening far too often, to far too many workers,” said Minister Braun. “New staff and resources are being put in place to investigate allegations of claim suppression. This amendment will complement that work.”

Minister Braun said the new law builds upon Manitoba’s commitment to being a national leader in workplace health and safety by:
* doubling the number of health and safety officers enforcing health and safety laws in Manitoba workplaces; increasing the number of workplace health and safety inspections by more than eight times to over 14,000 in 2014 from 1,600 in 1999;
* expanding WCB coverage for injured workers to 37,000 new workers, the first expansion since the 1960s;
* amending the Workplace Safety and Health Act to allow safety officers to stop work at unsafe work sites, give workers the right to refuse unsafe work and create a new chief prevention officer; and
* passing legislation to protect highway workers and first responders working on highways and roads.

Minister Braun also noted in 2014, the focus for workplace safety was on a number of key projects including:
* consolidation of training – the safety and health training previously delivered by the WCB and Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) will be consolidated and enhanced under SAFE Work Manitoba;
* WSH committee leadership conference – the first annual event took place Sept. 30 and brought together workplace safety and health committee leaders to network and exchange best practices on safety and health;
* SAFE Work on Wheels – a new mobile unit was launched Sept. 26 to help deliver safety and health training to workers who may, because of the nature of their employment or their location, have difficulty accessing conventional training;
* safety and health materials for new businesses – materials were enhanced and are being distributed to all new Manitoba businesses; and
* single point of contact – launching a single phone number to provide workers and employers with a wide range of information, services and programs provided by SAFE Work Manitoba, the WCB and WSH.

For more information, visit www.safemanitoba.com.

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Source:: http://www.wireservice.ca/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=12674&title=manitoba-government-proclaims-amendments-to-workers-compensation-act

The Global Spectrum-managed Abbotsford Centre has been ranked Western Canada’s Number One Arena for venues between 5,001 – 10,000 capacity, according to Venues Today, a leading publication covering arenas, stadiums and convention centres.

WireService.ca Media Release (10/15/2014) Abbotsford, BC – In addition, Venues Today ranked seven other Global Spectrum-managed facilities amongst the top Canadian venues in the special fall spotlight on Canada.

“It is always a great accomplishment to be recognized as a premier venue in Canada,” said Global Spectrum’s Andrew Nash, General Manager of the Abbotsford Centre. “With another big year at the Abbotsford Centre including tour stops from Florida Georgia Line, Hedley and tobyMac, this is a great achievement for all the staff but more importantly to the fans and citizens who demonstrate a great deal of support for our venue and who continue to make it a top stop for tours in Western Canada.”

According to Venues Today, the Abbotsford Centre drew 64,598 guests to 38 different events, grossing $2,297,282 during a period which featured the venue’s highest attended event, tobyMac on February 21, and other sold-out shows including Florida Georgia Line and local rockers Hedley. The Abbotsford Centre was named Number Two in Canada for venues between 5,001-10,000 capacity as the Global Spectrum-managed General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ontario led the category. Rankings are based solely on ticket sales to concerts and family shows for the period of July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014 and do not include ticket sales to sporting events.

“Canada is a tremendous market for Global Spectrum,” said Global Spectrum President John Page. “With a number of facilities in key destinations for us, we’re able to create synergistic opportunities to attract top-notch entertainment and events to our Canadian venues. We continue to see great numbers at our venues and these recognitions are a true testament to the hard-working staff we have at all of our Global Spectrum-managed venues.”

The Abbotsford Centre has experienced an exciting 2014 leading up to this acknowledgement celebrating the facility’s fifth year with the Abbotsford Centre Big Ticket promotion as well as being ranked 165th in the world by Pollstar Magazine for their 2014 3rd Quarter Worldwide Ticket Sales Report.

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For more information contact:

Mike Noetzel – Director of Marketing
P: 604-743-5005 | E: mnoetzel@abbotsfordcentre.ca

ABOUT ABBOTSFORD CENTRE

The Abbotsford Centre, a production oriented multi- purpose entertainment venue. Managed by Global Spectrum, the 8,500 seat venue built for entertainment hosts a myriad of events including concerts, rodeos, and circuses, ice skating and family shows. The venue can accommodate sporting events such as hockey, basketball, volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics. The venue is conveniently situated off Hwy 1 and approximately 65 kms east of Vancouver, British Columbia. The Abbotsford Centre is the premier entertainment and sports venue in the region.

ABOUT GLOBAL SPECTRUM

Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) manages the Abbotsford Centre, as well as more than 120 other public assembly facilities around the world. Nearly 24-million people attended more than 15,000 events in Global Spectrum venues last year. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Global Spectrum is part of Comcast-Spectacor, one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies. Comcast-Spectacor, which operates in 48 of the 50 United States, also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, Paciolan, the leading provider of venue establishment ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions, Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company, and Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks.

Source:: http://www.wireservice.ca/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=12664&title=abbotsford-centre-ranked-number-one

Award winning CMIT Solutions launches in Canada.

WireService.ca Press Release (10/15/2014) Calgary, AB – Calgary-based companies now have affordable access to IT solutions and support that used to be accessible only to large corporations due to high infrastructure costs. This next-generation IT providers is being brought to Canada through award-winning CMIT Solutions.

“Small and medium-sized businesses throughout Calgary that have felt the pain of productivity coming to a halt when their computers, networks, and servers fail them – or are simply unhappy with their current or former IT service provider – need look no further,” says CMIT Solutions of Calgary president and CEO Lada McAleer. “These businesses now have access to a full-time IT staff they can trust at prices they can afford.”

Tailored to the unique needs of small to medium-sized businesses, CMIT Solutions of Calgary offers a number of services, including the CMIT Service Center, to assist companies with IT requirements ensuring business continuity. The 24/7 help desk allows businesses to resolve issues quickly and easily through an intranet that instantly connects them to more than 600 technical staff members.

“When it comes to technology infrastructure, small and medium-sized businesses need the same tools and support services as large enterprises – just on a smaller scale and at prices they can afford,” she said. “CMIT Solutions is one of the only IT providers offering this level of expertise and customized service that fit a small business budget.”

Perhaps one of the most unique advantages that CMIT Solutions of Calgary offers is a triple redundancy for back up including local, on the cloud and in a data center to ensure business continuity and execution of an effective emergency response plan (ERP). “Many Calgary companies learned the hard way during the floods that their ERP solutions did not work. By having the triple back up, we will ensure rapid business recovery,” McAleer added.

CMIT Solutions of Calgary provides a full suite of business productivity enhancers including:

• CMIT Marathon – A collection of proactive (managed) IT services offered at a flat rate and designed to keep businesses running with around-the-clock maintenance and monitoring to prevent problems before they turn into downtime.

• CMIT Guardian – This suite of reliable services includes automated data backups and archiving, while also designing a rock-solid plan of action for recovery in the event of an unexpected disaster.

• CMIT Anywhere – Safe and secure cloud computing that offers access to data and business applications anytime, anywhere.

• CMIT Anti-Spam – Eliminates spam and increases productivity by protecting against viruses and phishing exploits that haunt networks. These services help companies keep their strategic IT goals in focus by ensuring their computer systems are running, their data is protected, their network is secure, and their employees are productive.

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For more information on CMIT Solutions of Calgary and the services it offers, please visit http://www.cmitsolutions.com/calgary, email lmcaleer@cmitsolutions.ca, or call 403-474-8949

Source:: http://www.wireservice.ca/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=12651&title=calgary-gaining-affordable-access-to-enterprise-level-it-solutions

Media are invited to an Entrepreneurial Investment Forum with Honourable Frank McKenna, from 12:00 noon – 3:00 p.m., Thursday, October 16, 2014 in the MacDonald Room of the Delta Prince Edward Hotel.

Re: Entrepreneurial Investment Forum

WireService.ca Media Release (10/14/2014) Charlottetown, PEI – The event will officially launch Island Advance – Igniting our Future, an initiative of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce, with the mandate to create a more entrepreneurial culture on PEI and invest in the success of Island entrepreneurs.

Mr. McKenna will challenge our thinking around the value and importance of entrepreneurship in Atlantic Canada in an informal conversation with Island Advance Chair, Ron Keefe. This will be followed by panel discussion on the experiences of investors and Island entrepreneurs seeking investment. Panelists on the investee side include: Crystal Lavalée, President and CEO of ViTRAK Systems; Robert Cervelli, Executive Director of Neurodyn; and Duncan Shaw President of Mullache Corporation. On the investor side panelists include: Dr. Regis Duffy, founder of BioVectra and Chairman of the Regis Duffy BioScience Fund; Wes MacAleer, President of Wesmac Holdings; and Wayne Carew, Principal and Senior Advisor of MRSB Mergers and Acquisitions.

Honourable Frank McKenna, Deputy Chair of the TD Bank Group, provided the opening remarks at the initial business forum in 2012 which led to the creation of the Island Advance Task Force and their report “Advancing our Economic Future”. The report provided recommendations around three key themes: embracing entrepreneurship, improving access to capital, and attracting and retaining entrepreneurial immigrants. A series of actions identified in the report build on these themes and form the work of the Island Advance team and volunteers going forward.

Mr. McKenna will be available for media interviews following his presentation at 1:45 p.m. Chair Ron Keefe will also be on hand to provide background on the Island Advance initiative.

The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce serves as the “Voice of Business” on economic issues for its 975 members representing more than 17,500 employees in small, medium and large enterprises in the capital region. To learn more about the Chamber and the Island Advance initiative visit www.charlottetownchamber.com.

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Media contact:

Kathy Hambly, (902) 628-2000; e-mail: khambly@charlottetownchamber.com

Source:: http://www.wireservice.ca/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=12636&title=frank-mckenna-addresses-business-community-on-entreprenruship