Description: This past week Air Canada announced that it is raised retierment compensation for its CEO, Calin Rovinescu. The amount of his pension at $791,300 will be close to double its previous amount and is conditional on remaining with the airline for another three years. Unifor, the union that represents the Air Canada customer service… Read more »
Monthly Archives: April 2015
Beating a drum
Description: Ten years ago Larry Guay faced a huge challenge when his business of building furniture components was undercut by cheap knock-offs from competitors. Rather than fold up the manufacturing plant, he shifted product focus and together with his wife started Los Cabos Drumsticks. The team took their show on the road in the early… Read more »
Budget balancing
Description: The federal government released its budget this week, with a planned surplus of over a billion dollars. One of the tax measures for Canadians was an increase in tax free savings account limit to $10,000 per year. There were also changes in the small business tax rate. Source: thestar.com Date: April 21, 2015 Link:… Read more »
Pension funds say on pay
Description: Three major pension funds are ready to throw out the board of Barrick Gold because they are concerned about the company’s executive pay plan. One of the three pension funds also expressed concerns about pay practices at CIBC. Although these funds are only minority shareholders, their public statements may raise important points regarding concerns… Read more »
Mobile gaming rewards
Description: McGill grad Jeremy Zuckerman is looking to disrupt the world of mobile gaming. He plans a unique strategy of paying cash rewards to players of games offered by his company WINR Games. Success does not come easily in this $21 billion industry, so it will be interesting to see if Jeremy’s reward ploy works… Read more »
Shopify to go public
Description: Ottawa area tech company Shopify is getting set to go public, perhaps helping to put some lustre back on Canada’s tech image after well-publicized problems at Blackberry and Nortel. The initial public offering is expected to raise in the range of $100 million for the company. Shopify provides an internet platform that retailers can… Read more »
Down, but is it out?
Description: Last week Globe and Mail political writer Jeffrey Simpson had a tersely worded warning for one Canadian province: “New Brunswick is flat on its fiscal back.” The article noted that New Brunswick is “the worst case in Canada” in terms of fiscal problems. One issue seems to be a reluctance to raise the harmonized… Read more »
A sweet story
Description: It’s spring. The sap is flowing. And the world’s largest maple syrup producer, the Province of Quebec, is facing increased competition from American competitors. Whereas Quebec once controlled 80% of the market through its tight supply management system, it is predicted that by 2018, that figure could drop to 63%. Source: Globeandmail.com Date: April… Read more »
Accounting control and the Senate
Description: In the news last week – and presumably for the next few weeks to come – it was hard to escape mention of the trial of suspended senator Mike Duffy. The media seems fixated on the trial. One thing that has emerged seems to be very wide interpretation of what expenses allowed under the… Read more »
Art auction surprises Christies
Description: Two anonymous 19th century Canadian paintings sold last Wednesday in London for a lot price of close to $1 million. This was over a dozen times Christie’s original estimate of what the lot might attract. A representative of Christies auctioneers was obviously “thrilled.” Source: Globeandmail.com Date: April 1, 2015 Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/paintings-netting-nearly-1-million-set-new-benchmark-in-canadian-art-sales/article23757063= Discussion Points: 1)… Read more »