Canada’s Jeff Skinner (from left), Jay Bouwmeester, John Tavares, Kyle Quincey and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins following …

As hard as it to believe, a hockey team led by Jay Bouwmeester and Dion Phaneuf lost today to one led by Zdeno Chara.

Joking aside, the sensation experienced by waking up to news Canada was sent packing from the IIHF world championship after losing 4-3 in the quarter-final to Slovakia is exactly the same as when the mighty U.S. basketball team got its comeuppance from Greece in the worlds in the summer of 2006.

That’s not a comment on the opponent. Slovakia went toe-to-toe with Canada two years ago at the Vancouver Olympics, losing 3-2 in the semifinal. The shock might speak more to how Canada is going about the world championship and the attitude the country at large has taken toward the tournament since Sidney Crosby’s golden goal.

It’s fine to say it doesn’t matter when it’s not a best-on-best tourney. However, the worlds are not a nothing tourney. Witness Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin playing today for Russia in its quarter-final only five days after their Washington Capitals were ousted from the NHL playoffs. Team USA used to regularly give the worlds a lick and a promise, but its attitude has changed even though it also deals with having top players occupied by the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Before anyone goes into a panic about what this means for Canada’s chances at the Olympics in two years, presuming the NHLers play in Sochi, some perspective needs to be shared. The same goes for the position that this really doesn’t matter, that’s it’s just one of those upsets. Ryan Getzlaf took a major penalty in the final three minutes, Slovakia scored off the enusing faceoff; move along, nothing to see here.

It is tough to buy the latter argument, though, when you look at the bigger picture. Three consecutive years without making the medal round is glaring for a country that claims to be the best at the sport.

More to the point, the result validates questions of why Hockey Canada turned the team over to executives of the perpetually rebuilding Edmonton Oilers. Well before the event, hockey bloggers such as Tyler Dellow argued that if Canada was serious about winning, Team Canada GM and Oilers president Kevin Lowe would not have put 18-year-old NHL draft prospect Ryan Murray on the roster ahead of a seasoned NHLer. Murray made for a good story, but normally only smaller nations with a lack of depth have to use a junior-aged player in the worlds.

No room for Spezza

The NHL’s fourth-leading scorer, Ottawa Senators centre Jason Spezza, was reportedly told there was no spot for him on the team. Yet young Oilers Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who are young pups at 22 and 19 years old, were there. Now you know why the Oilers are bad.

This is also adds to unease about Canada’s ability to adapt to the big international ice surface, which it will have to do in Sochi. Even if a few top NHLers — Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, Marc-Andre Fleury, Daniel Briere, Scott Hartnell, Roberto Luongo, et al.— opted out of playing, there should be enough depth to at least reach the semifinal. It cannot be called a developmental team, not with Getzlaf and Corey Perry on the roster. It’s true Canada sent its youngest team ever to the tournament, but it also sent a very young team in 2007, the last time it won the worlds.

There’s nothing wrong with skipping the hand-wringing and saying this is no big deal. This was just the way it goes sometimes. Slovakia has been known to punch above its weight in hockey, plus they had Chara playing half the game on the blueline. The world championship is also a wide-open tournament. The absence of top NHLers who are still playing for the Stanley Cup gives nations such as Norway, Germany and Slovakia more of a chance.

Still, laughing it off as Canadian perspective is shortsighted. The legacy of the 2010 gold medal, Crosby’s goal, should have been to make us engage more with the wider hockey world. We can’t pick and choose when being on top is important. This is a major tournament to much of the hockey world and it should be for us.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.

Article source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh-game/canada-hockey-loss-slovakia-cause-concern-151819481.html

Investment income for the year ended March 31 was C$9.9
billion ($9.8 billion), the Toronto-based fund manager said
today in a statement. Assets rose to a record C$161.6 billion
from C$148.2 billion a year earlier.

“This was a 12-month period that had some particular
challenges in the global equity markets,” Chief Executive
Officer David Denison told reporters today in a briefing in
Toronto. “But it was a very strong year of growth.”

Canada Pension’s results beat the 3.2 percent median return
of the country’s pension funds over the 12 months, according to
RBC Dexia Investor Services. The manager posted gains in U.S.
and other developed-market equities as well as in bonds. It also
realized gains from private funds such as real estate and
infrastructure holdings. Returns were held down by losses in
Canadian stocks and emerging-market equities.

Canada Pension had a five-year annualized return of 2.2
percent as of the end of March, and a 10-year annualized return
of 6.2 percent. In fiscal 2011, Canada Pension returned 12
percent. The fund includes investment earnings and contributions
not needed to pay current pensions. Contributions last year
amounted to C$3.9 billion.

Real Estate Returns

Real estate and infrastructure, which represent more than
16 percent of the fund’s investments, both returned about 13
percent in fiscal 2012, outperforming returns from equities,
which account for half the fund’s portfolio.

The pension plan’s bond portfolio, which includes money-
market securities, also lifted investment income, returning 9.5
percent last year, up from 5.3 percent in 2011. Canada Pension
said non-marketable bonds returned 14 percent last year, more
than triple that of 2011, and inflation-linked bonds returned
about 16 percent, up from 10 percent.

The fund lost 11 percent on Canadian stocks, compared with
a 20 percent return the prior year, as Canada’s benchmark
Standard Poor’s/TSX Composite Index fell 9.8 percent in the
year ended March 31, including dividends. Canadian private
equities returned 8.1 percent last year, about half the return
of 2011.

Foreign Stocks

Public foreign developed market equities had a 3.6 percent
return, down from 9.1 percent the year earlier, while private
foreign developed market equities returned 12 percent, down from
19 percent, Canada Pension said. The MSCI World Index gained 1.2
percent in the period.

Public emerging market equities lost 7.9 percent, compared
with an 11 percent return in 2011, the fund said. Private
emerging market equities rose 6.6 percent, compared with 17
percent the prior year.

Denison, who has been CEO of the fund since January 2005,
retires next month. He’ll be succeeded by Mark Wiseman,
currently executive vice president of investments for the
pension.

Canada Pension covers every Canadian province except
Quebec. Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec, Canada’s largest
pension fund, said Feb. 23 it posted a 4 percent return on
investments for the year ended Dec. 31. Ontario Teachers’
Pension Plan, the third-biggest retirement-fund manager, also
advanced 11 percent last year.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Doug Alexander in Toronto at
dalexander3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Christian Baumgaertel at
cbaumgaertel@bloomberg.net

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-17/canada-pension-posts-6-6-return-on-real-estate-bonds.html

Uninspiring U.S. and Canadian economic data added to the gloom.

Fears about Spain’s banks resurfaced after a newspaper report that customers at Bankia , the partly nationalized lender, had withdrawn more than 1 billion euros from their accounts in the past week. The Spanish government said there had been no exit of deposits.

The report followed suggestions that customers of Greek banks were moving funds in expectation of the country’s exit from the euro, adding to broader anxiety about the region’s debt crisis.

“To me, at the top of the list (of concerns) is banking … particularly bank runs and the signs of bank runs, that’s a new chapter that’s being opened in Europe and that is behind the considerably elevated worries,” said Adam Button, currency analyst at ForexLive in Montreal.

The Canadian dollar ended the North American session at C$1.0191 versus the U.S. dollar, or 98.13 U.S. cents, down from Wednesday’s finish at C$1.0127 versus the U.S. dollar, or 98.75 U.S. cents. It was the currency’s fourth straight day of losses as hit its weakest level since January 16.

Button said the Canadian dollar could easily slip back to the C$1.04 area in the next month, particularly if the Bank of Canada begins to indicate that it is less eager to hike interest rates.

“The Bank of Canada will back down from its hawkish rhetoric. We’re seeing increasing signs of slowing growth in the U.S., in China and, of course, in Europe,” he said.

“Moreover, commodity prices are indicating a slowdown in worldwide growth and that’s the No. 1 concern for the Bank of Canada.”

The focus on global risks takes some of the pressure off domestic data in driving direction for the Bank of Canada, with investors cutting bets for a rate hike later this year.

Still, markets will be paying attention to Canadian inflation data for April on Friday. According to a Reuters poll, Canadian consumer prices likely remained subdued, suggesting price pressures are the least of the Bank of Canada’s worries.

“Negative risk-appetite in the market as concerns over Europe and Greece continue to be forefront in market sights here,” said Matt Perrier, director of foreign exchange sales at BMO Capital Markets.

A round of mostly disappointing North American economic data also weighed on sentiment.

A gauge of future U.S. economic activity fell in April for the first time in seven months and the Philadelphia Fed business conditions index hit its lowest since September.

In addition, the weekly U.S. claims for jobless benefits remained at levels that indicated the pace of hiring remains lackluster, increasing worries about the domestic recovery.

In Canada, while wholesale trade figures came in slightly better than expected, other data showed foreign investors reduced their holdings of Canadian securities for the second time in three months in March.

Canadian bond prices rallied across the curve, outperforming U.S. Treasuries in the rate-sensitive short end of the curve but lagging at the long end. The two-year government bond jumped 14 Canadian cents to yield 1.234 percent, while Canada’s 10-year bond gained 39 Canadian cents to yield 1.881 percent.

(Editing by Leslie Adler)

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-dollar-hits-4-month-low-chapter-europe-203232212--finance.html

Among the companies whose shares are making notable moves in Thursday’s session are Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP), Sears Canada Inc. (SCC.T), 5N Plus Inc. (VNP.T) and Gabriel Resources Ltd. (GBU.T).

Activist investor Bill Ackman’s proposed board slate for Canadian Pacific (C$76.97, C$1.11, 1.5%) has been voted in. CP conceded defeat before its annual …

Article source: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120517-710138.html

(AP)
–
4 hours ago 

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (AP) — Sears Holdings Corp. said Thursday it returned to a profit in the first quarter as it benefitted from a gain on the sale of underperforming stores. The troubled retailer also said it would spinoff a stake in its Canada unit to focus on turning around its U.S. business.

The Hoffman Estates, Ill., company, which runs Sears, Kmart and Lands’ End, said it earned $189 million, or $1.78 per share, for the period ended April 28. It lost $170 million, or $1.58 per share, a year ago.

The current quarter included a $233 million gain on the sale of 11 U.S. stores, three Canadian stores and leasehold interest.

Excluding store closing costs and other items, Sears lost 31 cents per share from continuing operations. That was better than the loss of 67 cents per share analysts had expected. Shares of Sears rose $4.37, or about 9 percent, to $55.24.

Earlier this year, Sears also announced that it was spinning off its smaller Hometown and Outlet stores as well as some hardware stores in a deal expected to raise $400 million to $500 million. That transaction is still expected to close in the third quarter, Sears said Thursday.

Sears Chief Financial Officer Rob Schriesheim said in a statement that the company anticipates that it will generate $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion in capital this year through a number of actions, including the Hometown and Outlet spinoffs, previously announced cost reductions and moves taken to lower cash invested in inventory, and the sale of certain stores in the U.S. and Canada.

“They’re selling their branches to raise working capital,” said Michael Cipriani, executive vice president of Rosenthal Rosenthal, which buys merchandise from suppliers and then collects the money from the retailer once the goods are sold. “All these are good signs. I believe they’re on the road to recovery.”

Still, the company has a long way to go in turning around its business. Total revenue for the latest quarter slipped 3 percent to $9.27 billion, partly as a result of unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates and having fewer stores open during the period. Wall Street had forecast revenue of $9.26 billion.

Revenue from Sears stores in the U.S. open at least a year fell 1 percent, while the figure dropped 1.6 percent for Kmart locations. The figure is a critical indicator of health because it excludes the impact of newly opened or closed stores.

Both Sears and Kmart stores experienced soft sales of consumer electronics but stronger sales of clothing and footwear. For Sears Canada, the metric slid 6.3 percent on declines in electronics, home decor, hardware and clothing.

Gary Balter, an analyst with Credit Suisse, noted that Sears may have benefitted from J.C. Penney’s “debacle” in the first quarter. Penney blamed its big first-quarter loss on bad reaction from shoppers to its decision to get rid of hundreds of sales each year in favor of predictable low prices every day. Balter said that implies that it could be more difficult for Sears to deliver positive results going forward.

Sears’ cash balance for the quarter climbed to $784 million from $754 million over the three-month period ending April 28. It has also reduced inventory levels and trimmed its total debt to $3.2 billion at quarter’s end, down from $3.5 billion

Earlier this month at Sears annual meeting, executives emphasized the company’s financial strength, increased liquidity and prospects to boost operational results. During the meeting, Chairman Edward Lampert said that real estate sales were important to restore profitability and to get shareholders’ confidence back.

The company also noted that it had invested several hundred million dollars in improving the customer experience. Changes include improved displays and almost 15,000 iPads and iPod Touch devices so sales staff can research products and help customers check out wherever they are in a store.

Sears has been on the defensive with Wall Street because of the years-long decline in sales at its Sears and Kmart stores. Revenue at U.S. stores open at least a year fell 2.2 percent last year.

Sears Holdings said will keep an approximately 51 percent stake in Sears Canada, down from 95 percent. The proposed spinoff is expected to close this year, with Sears Canada continuing to list on the Toronto Stock Exchange after the deal’s closing. The company said the move will allow it, as well as Sears Canada, to focus on its respective businesses.

Sears currently has more than 3,900 stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Article source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gwXPCq5EnV75u1Yvbs5bQ59SUMuQ?docId=4e43b04bf42c418fb8d55a293c23e430

Tomas Kopecky opened the scoring at 5:57, followed by Miroslav Satan at 9:14 to give Slovakia a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Canada rallied in the second period, with Winnipeg Jets’ Evander Kane scoring at 16:14 and a power-play goal by Carolina Hurricanes’ Jeff Skinner 10 minutes later. Vancouver Canucks’ Alexandre Burrows added a third goal before the end of the period.

Milan Bartovic tied it for Slovakia at 13:25, four minutes before Handzus gave his country a place in Saturday’s semifinals.

Article source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/slovakia-ousts-canada-4-3-151255607--nhl.html

Next Stop:  WorldSkills Leipzig 2013

EDMONTON, May 16, 2012 /CNW/ – (SKILLS CANADA NATIONAL COMPETITION 2012) - Canada’s best and brightest skilled trade and technology students received official recognition for their outstanding performance as Skills/Compétences Canada announced the results of the Skills Canada National Competition. The closing ceremonies, held today in Edmonton, were highlighted by the parade of champions and the announcement of the Members of Team Canada, whose next stop will be WorldSkills Leipzig 2013.

The essential contribution of skilled trades to the economic and social well being of all Canadians was a common theme throughout the closing ceremonies. Highlights included keynote addresses from Dr. Kellie Leitch, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honorable Diane Finley, Minister of HRSDC, the Honorable, Naresh Bhardwaj, MLA Edmonton-Ellerslie, Ken Pischke, Senior Vice-President, Cenovus Energy (Presenting Sponsor of the 2012 Competition), and Mike Holmes, Official Spokesperson for Skills Canada and Canada’s Most Trusted Contractor.

“Our government’s top priority is job creation and economic growth, and we recognize that, as the future workforce, young Canadians have much to contribute to our country’s long-term prosperity,” said Dr. Kellie Leitch, Parliamentary Secretary to Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, during the closing ceremony. “Through our grants, tax credits and support for training programs and skills competitions, we are encouraging apprenticeships and careers in the skilled trades.”

The Skills Canada National Competition is the only national, Olympic-style, multi-trade and technology event of its kind for young students and apprentices in the country. The event took place May 14-15^th at the Edmonton EXPO Centre in Edmonton City, Alberta where forty different assigned projects were showcased in major skilled trade and technology categories. Competitors were evaluated by independent judges from the respective industry sectors, who based their decisions on industry standards and established work practices, including such criteria as quality of work, safety, cleanliness, skill level and creativity.

“The goal of this annual Competition is to reward students for excellence in the skilled trades, while directly involving industry leaders and educators in the training process and in evaluating their performance in a way that is relevant to employers’ needs,” said Shaun Thorson, CEO, Skills Canada. “The enthusiasm and hard work shown by the competitors throughout the Competition has been inspiring and we want to congratulate each one. We also want to thank and acknowledge the ongoing support from the Government of Canada, sponsors and organizers for working with us to ensure that there is a bright future for Canada’s skilled trade and technology workforce.”

Medalists
A total of 180 medals were awarded to the top champions in six skilled trade and technology categories: transportation, construction, manufacturing, information and technology, service and employment. Best of Region competitors were also recognized for having the highest competitive score by category for their Region. Click here for the complete results.

Team Canada for WorldSkills Leipzig 2013
The 35 members of Team Canada heading to WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 will compete in 33 skill categories against more than 900 Competitors from 51 Member countries/regions. The four-day WorldSkills Competition is the biggest of its kind in the world and considered the pinnacle of excellence in skilled trades and technologies training. Click here for the members of Team Canada.

About Skills/Compétences Canada
Skills/Compétences Canada was founded in 1989 as a national, not-for-profit organization that works with employers, educators, labour groups and governments to promote skilled trades and technology careers among Canadian youth. Its unique position among private and public sector partners enables it to work toward securing Canada’s future skilled labour needs while helping young people and aspiring apprentices discover rewarding careers. Skills/Compétences Canada offers experiential learning opportunities including skilled trades and technology competitions for hundreds of thousands of young Canadians through regional, provincial/territorial, national and international events, as well as skilled trade awareness programs. Many programs highlight digital and essential skills, which are crucial qualifications in most careers of today.  Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Skills/Compétences Canada is the Canadian Member organization of WorldSkills International. For more information about Skills/Compétences Canada visit www.skillscanada.com, or call 877-754-5226.

Follow Skills/Compétences Canada on Twitter (follow hashtag #SCC2012), Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

Image with caption: “Team Canada ready for WorldSkills 2013 (CNW Group/SKILLS/COMPETENCES CANADA)”. Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120516_C8475_PHOTO_EN_13837.jpg

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/top-talent-awarded-skills-canada-235100945.html

Leading provider of technology solutions moves up a spot on the list

ETOBICOKE, ON, May 17, 2012 /CNW/ – CDW Canada, a leading provider of technology solutions for Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors, today announced it has ranked number three on the 2011 Top 100 Solution Providers list for Computer Dealer News (CDN).

CDW Canada has quickly climbed the coveted list. In 2010, it placed in the top five for the first time, coming in at spot number four.

“When CDW Canada entered the Canadian market in 2005, CDN predicted it would not be long before it would receive a top five award at the Top 100 Solution Providers event. Last year CDW Canada achieved that goal. This year, CDW Canada grew again and was presented with the number three Solution Provider of the Year award,” says Paolo Del Nibletto, Editor, Computer Dealer News.

“We are pleased to rank third on this year’s CDN Top 100 Solution Providers list,” says Mary Ann Yule, Vice President and General Manager, CDW Canada. “Our recognition as a top solutions provider in Canada is a testament of the value we deliver to our customers and is a result of the hard work and dedication of our coworkers, who always strive to be the best at what they do and what they deliver. Our team of account managers and technology specialists are some of the best in the industry and through them our customers receive expert advice on products and technology solutions that suit every requirement to help accelerate their business. Everything we do revolves around the customer.”

About CDW Canada
CDW Canada Inc. (http://www.cdw.ca/) is a leading provider of technology solutions for organizations in the public and private sectors. As a trusted advisor for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), CDW Canada provides a single destination for organizations to research, inquire or purchase virtually any technology solution that they require. Customers benefit from one-on-one relationships with knowledgeable account managers who are backed by a team of highly certified IT specialists. Through successful partnerships with more than 350 leading technology manufacturers, CDW Canada draws from a comprehensive selection of 160,000 technology products to help customers find the best technology to meet their unique business needs.  Headquartered in Etobicoke, Ontario, CDW Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vernon Hills, Illinois-based CDW Corporation. In 2011, CDW Canada ranked #25 on Best Workplaces in Canada.

About CDN’s Top 100 Solution Providers Program
CDN has been the voice of Canada’s IT channel community for more than 25 years, and is the number one channel publication and Web site. The Top 100 Solution Providers Program includes a list of best-in-class channel partners who are ranked as the Top 100 highest revenue-generating solution providers with major operations in Canada. For more information about CDN and Top 100 Solution Providers, visit www.computerdealernews.com.

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/cdw-canada-ranks-third-cdns-163700423.html

MONTREAL , May 17, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ – Air Canada re-launches today daily
non-stop seasonal flights between St. John’s and London Heathrow, U. K.
offering convenient connecting flights throughout Europe with its Star
Alliance partner carriers. Air Canada will operate the only daily
non-stop flights between Newfoundland and Labrador and London Heathrow
until September 30, 2012 .

“This year, we are starting service almost two weeks earlier than last
year due to strong performance and support from the St John’s
community,” said Marcel Forget Vice-President, Network Planning, Air
Canada . “Once again we are pleased to offer our customers in
Newfoundland and Labrador the fastest and most efficient way of making
connections to several European capitals such as Stockholm , Oslo ,
Copenhagen , Vienna , Warsaw , and Berlin .”

Air Canada flight AC822 leaves St. John’s at 22:05, arriving in London
at 06:35, and flight AC823 will leave London at 13:00 arriving back in
St. John’s at 15:10.  At London Heathrow Air Canada offers convenient
connections to points throughout Europe with its Star Alliance
partners. In St. John’s Air Canada’s flights are timed to offer
convenient connections to and from Deer Lake, Halifax , and Toronto .

Flights will operate using a 120-seat Airbus A319 aircraft in a
two-cabin configuration offering a choice of Executive Class and
Economy service. On May 1, 2012 Air Canada expanded the selection on
its In-flight Entertainment System to offer customers twice as many
movies to choose from than before. The enriched personalized seatback
system will give each customer free access to a menu of up to 150
movies designed to suit every taste, ranging from the latest Hollywood
blockbuster to classic art house and international films.

Air Canada’s seasonal St. John’s-London Heathrow service will complement
the carrier’s daily non-stop flights to London Heathrow from Vancouver ,
Edmonton , Calgary , Toronto , Ottawa , Montréal and Halifax.  In 2012 the
carrier will offer up to 84 flights each week from Canada to London
Heathrow.

Air Canada is proud to serve Newfoundland and Labrador with safe and
reliable air transportation since 1942. With the launch of Air Canada’s
St. John’s-London Heathrow service, Air Canada and Air Canada Express
offer over 150 scheduled flights each week to 11 destinations across
Canada to and from St. John’s , including non-stop service to Toronto ,
Ottawa , Montréal and London Heathrow, as well as same plane service to
Calgary , Fort McMurray and Edmonton .

Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline
serving more than 175 destinations on five continents.  Canada’s flag
carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and in 2011
served more than 33 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled
passenger service directly to 59 Canadian cities, 56 destinations in
the United States and 63 cities in Europe , the Middle East , Asia,
Australia , the Caribbean, Mexico and South America . Air Canada is a
founding member of Star Alliance , the world’s most comprehensive air
transportation network serving 1,290 destinations in 189 countries. Air
Canada customers can collect Aeroplan miles for future rewards through
Canada’s leading loyalty program, and Top Tier members enjoy reciprocal
frequent flyer benefits including lounge and priority services.

In 2011, Air Canada was ranked Best International Airline in North
America in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline
passengers conducted by independent research firm Skytrax.  Also in
2011, readers of Global Traveler magazine voted Air Canada “Best Airline in North America ,” and readers
of Business Traveler voted Air Canada “Best North American Airline for International Travel”
and “Best In-Flight Services in North America .”  In the annual Ipsos
Reid Business Traveller Survey, Air Canada was named “Canada’s Favourite Airline for Business Travel.”  Air Canada was
preferred by 73 per cent of Canadian business travellers surveyed for
2011, the third consecutive year of improvement in Air Canada’s ratings
in the national survey. For more information on Air Canada visit aircanada.com and follow @AirCanada on Twitter and Facebook.

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/air-canada-launches-daily-non-160700529.html

Separately, Sears Holdings reported a first-quarter adjusted operating loss that came in better than analysts’ estimates but revenues fell from a year ago.

Sears Holdings owns about 95 percent of Sears Canada and would still hold about 51 percent after the spinoff, which it expects to complete this year. Sears said it could further reduce its Sears Canada stake after that.

The move follows efforts this year by Sears Holdings to cut costs by closing scores of stores and raise cash by selling prime real estate and spinning off its Sears Hometown and Outlet businesses and certain hardware stores.

Sears Canada and Sears Holdings said in separate statements the spinoff would allow each company to focus on its businesses, both of which are struggling with declining sales.

Two years ago, the company added to its stake in Sears Canada by buying 17.3 percent of the Canadian unit from hedge fund manager William Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management.

Ackman and other minority investors had thwarted Sears Holdings’ attempt in 2006 to buy the shares of Sears Canada it did not already own.

At the time that Sears bought out Ackman’s stake, analysts praised the move, saying the cash-rich Canadian unit was a way to improve Sears Holdings’ financial position.

But Sears Canada’s fortunes have reversed course since then, and it has been a drag on overall results.

On Wednesday, Sears Canada reported sales at stores open at least a year — a key measure for retailers — fell 6.3 percent, a far steeper drop than the combined 1.3 percent decline at its U.S. stores and Kmart discount chain.

Separately, Sears Holdings reported net income of $189 million, or $1.78 per share, for the quarter ended April 28, compared with a $170 million loss, or $1.58 per share.

The retailer reported an adjusted loss from continuing operations of 31 cents per share, better than the 67 cent loss Wall Street was expecting, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Overall Sears Holdings revenue fell 2.8 percent to $9.27 billion, hurt by store closings, declines in sales of appliances and home electronics, and weakness in Canada.

There were some bright spots. Sears U.S. stores saw sales of apparel and footwear rise, while Kmart’s gross profit margin rose, helped by fewer markdowns in toys and sporting goods.

(Reporting By Phil Wahba and Dhanya Skariachan; editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Jeffrey Benkoe)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Article source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47458836

Ryan Getzlaf took a major kneeing penalty with 2:32 remaining in regulation to
leave Canada a man short and it took the Slovaks just four seconds to snap a
3-3 tie.

Slovakia won the offensive-zone draw and Andrej Sekera ripped a shot from the
left point. Handzus, directly in front of Canadian goaltender Cam Ward, made a
neat deflection over the netminder’s right shoulder for the winner.

The Slovaks also received goals from Tomas Kopecky, Miroslav Satan and Milan
Bartovic, while Jan Laco stopped 33 shots in the victory. Slovakia will next
face the winner between Sweden and the Czech Republic in the semifinals.

Canada was eliminated in the quarterfinals for the third straight year.
Evander Kane, Jeff Skinner and Alexandre Burrows scored for the Canadians, who
held a 3-2 lead in the third period. Ward finished with 24 saves.

After Kopecky and Satan gave Slovakia a 2-0 lead with goals in the first 9:14
of the contest, Kane scored late in the first and Skinner added a power-play
goal 6 1/2 minutes into the second to tie the game. Burrows put Canada ahead
with 2:17 left in the middle stanza, but the Slovaks tied it with just 6:35 to
play in the third when Bartovic beat Ward with a wrister from the right
circle.

The other two quarterfinals will feature Norway against Russia and the United
States against Finland.

Article source: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/05/17/slovaks-stun-canada-to-reach-semis-at-worlds/

CALGARY—Enbridge Inc. said Wednesday it is moving ahead with 3.2 billion Canadian dollars (US$3.2 billion) in pipeline expansions, mostly to send more crude oil from Canada and North Dakota to the U.S. Midwest and eastern Canada.

The expansions include a full reversal of the Line 9 pipeline from Sarnia, Ontario, to Montreal, where crude oil produced in North America will replace imported crude oil.

The expansions are another step in the reshaping of North America’s …

Article source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303360504577408892726239780.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The Canada Science and Technology Museum will open the “Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition” on Thursday as planned despite strong criticism from Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, who has called it an insult to taxpayers.

But the facility has decided to remove the video and raise to 16 from 12 years the minimum age for unaccompanied children to tour the exhibit designed to answer questions youth have about sexuality.

“The museum has received a higher than expected amount of expressions of concerns from the public,” spokesman Yves St-Onge said.

“We take the feedback of our community seriously, and so we have carefully considered their suggestions, and taken appropriate action that we believe will best serve our audiences.”

The show includes life-sized, full-frontal nude photos of males and females at various stages of life, and Canada’s Sun newspapers have described a “climax room” showing animations of aroused genitals with a voice of a man describing an orgasm.

In the exhibit, clinical sexologist Jamy Ryan discusses anal sex: “If you’re comfortable with trying that activity, go ahead and do it. It could be fun for you. But if you’re not, you don’t really have to do it. It’s not an obligation.”

Moore spokesman James Maunder said it was clear the exhibit fell outside the museum’s mandate of fostering scientific and technological literacy.

“This content cannot be defended, and is insulting to taxpayers,” he said.

Responding to criticism, St-Onge said: “The exhibition is designed to present information in a scientific, frank and accessible manner, an approach that the Canada Science and Technology Museum supports.”

(Reporting by Randall Palmer; Editing by Xavier Briand)

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-museum-kills-masturbation-video-outcry-230517695.html

“Canada has long been seen as a land of plenty. Yet today one in 10 families with a child under six is unable to meet their daily food needs,” Olivier De Schutter, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, said in a statement.

“These rates of food insecurity are unacceptable, and it is time for Canada to adopt a national right to food strategy.”

He said 800,000 households in the country are “food insecure”. Canada has a population of 34 million.

De Schutter also raised concerns about the treatment of the country’s aboriginal peoples.

Canada is the first developed country on which De Schutter has reported. U.N. spokeswoman Yoonie Kim said Canada has a standing invitation to U.N. human rights officials to visit.

Reacting to De Schutter’s report, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird told reporters the country’s federal and provincial governments are focused on improving the lives of Canadians and their ability to provide for themselves.

“There are, what, 193 members of the U.N.? I think most Canadians would think that spending 11 days in Canada on this issue – his time would be better spent elsewhere,” Baird said.

After De Schutter complained in a newspaper interview that no federal cabinet minister had agreed to meet him, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, from Canada’s aboriginal Inuit population, met him on Wednesday.

But the meeting did not seem to go well.

“I met with the individual this morning and I found him to be an ill-informed, patronizing academic studying, once again, the aboriginal people, Inuit and Canada’s Arctic from afar,” Aglukkaq told Parliament.

“I took the opportunity to educate him about Canada’s north and the aboriginal people who depend on the wildlife that they hunt every day for food security.”

(Reporting by Randall Palmer; Editing by Peter Galloway)

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-criticizes-canada-letting-people-hungry-171837652.html

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-charges-two-more-human-smuggling-case-145121673.html

Article source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/16/markets-canada-dollar-bonds-idUSL1E8GGEVE20120516

1. 1. 
      

      
      C’mon — what’s not to like?
      
      

      
      Hoof it over to Facebook to join the weird news herd.
      

The Canada Science and Technology Museum will open the “Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition” on Thursday as planned despite strong criticism from Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, who has called it an insult to taxpayers.

But the facility has decided to remove the video and raise to 16 from 12 years the minimum age for unaccompanied children to tour the exhibit designed to answer questions youth have about sexuality.

“The museum has received a higher than expected amount of expressions of concerns from the public,” spokesman Yves St-Onge said.

“We take the feedback of our community seriously, and so we have carefully considered their suggestions, and taken appropriate action that we believe will best serve our audiences.”

The show includes life-sized, full-frontal nude photos of males and females at various stages of life, and Canada’s Sun newspapers have described a “climax room” showing animations of aroused genitals with a voice of a man describing an orgasm.

In the exhibit, clinical sexologist Jamy Ryan discusses anal sex: “If you’re comfortable with trying that activity, go ahead and do it. It could be fun for you. But if you’re not, you don’t really have to do it. It’s not an obligation.”

Moore spokesman James Maunder said it was clear the exhibit fell outside the museum’s mandate of fostering scientific and technological literacy.

“This content cannot be defended, and is insulting to taxpayers,” he said.

Responding to criticism, St-Onge said: “The exhibition is designed to present information in a scientific, frank and accessible manner, an approach that the Canada Science and Technology Museum supports.”

(Reporting by Randall Palmer; Editing by Xavier Briand)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Article source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47453351

The Canadian currency had erased an earlier drop versus its
U.S. counterpart as economic data bolstered the outlook for
North American growth, strengthening the argument for the
central bank to increase interest rates. Crude oil, Canada’s
biggest export, fell to a six-month low amid speculation
Europe’s debt crisis will worsen.

“It’s a pretty clear risk-off scenario because nobody
knows what problem will pop up next,” Lutz Karpowitz, a senior
currency strategist at Commerzbank AG, said by phone from
Frankfurt. “The credibility of the Greek banking system is
gone. The Canadian dollar is a risk-driven currency, so it’s a
bit under pressure, but that’s limited to some extent.”

Canada’s currency, nicknamed the loonie for the image of
the aquatic bird on the C$1 coin, depreciated 0.5 percent to
C$1.0122 per U.S. dollar at 5 p.m. in Toronto. It touched
C$1.0133, the lowest since Jan. 25, and earlier gained as much
as 0.2 percent. One Canadian dollar buys 98.80 U.S. cents.

Implied volatility for one-month options on the Canadian
dollar versus its U.S. counterpart increased to as much as 9.35
percent, the highest in four months. It fell to 6.59 percent on
April 30, the lowest level since June 2007. The five-year
average is 12 percent. Implied volatility, which traders quote
and use to set option prices, signals the expected pace of
currency swings.

Bonds Erase Losses

Government bonds erased losses. Ten-year securities rose
for a fourth day, pushing yields down one basis point, or 0.01
percentage point, to 1.92 percent. Earlier they gained two basis
points to 1.96 percent. They touched 1.91 percent on May 14, the
lowest since Feb. 2. Benchmark two-year note yields fell two
basis points to 1.28 percent.

Canada sold C$3.3 billion ($3.3 billion) of two-year
securities due in August 2014, fetching an average yield of
1.313 percent. There were C$9.3 billion in bids for the 2.25
percent notes, making the bid-to-cover ratio 2.81 times, the
highest level for a two-year auction since March 2010.

The loonie was up 0.7 percent over the past week versus
nine developed-nation counterparts tracked by Bloomberg
Correlation-Weighted Indexes. The U.S. dollar gained 1.8
percent, while the euro was little changed.

The ECB said it will push the responsibility for lending to
some Greek financial institutions onto the Greek central bank
until they have sufficiently boosted their capital. It said in
an e-mailed statement that Greek banks needing recapitalization
will regain access to normal lending operations once that
process has been completed, which it expects will be “soon.”

Balance Sheet Integrity

ECB President Mario Draghi said in a speech in Frankfurt
that, while the bank’s “strong preference” is for Greece to
stay with the euro, the central bank will continue to preserve
“the integrity of our balance sheet.”

The move “just adds steam to the Greek drama,” said Firas Askari, head currency trader at Bank of Montreal in Toronto.
“All markets are extremely jittery right now.”

The loonie reversed losses earlier after Statistics Canada
reported factory sales rose at the fastest pace in six months in
March as oil refineries increased output while unfilled orders
reached a three-year high. Sales climbed 1.9 percent to C$49.7
billion following two previous declines, the data showed.

Industrial production and housing starts in the U.S.,
Canada’s biggest trade partner, beat forecasts last month,
government data showed. Output at factories, mines and utilities
increased 1.1 percent, and housing starts rose 2.6 percent.

‘Decent Data’

“Decent data has helped risk bounce,” Steve Butler,
managing director in Toronto at Bank of Nova Scotia’s Scotia
Capital unit, said via e-mail. “Some U.S. dollar longs are
getting pushed out as a lot of currencies look extended”
against the greenback, he said. A long position is a bet a
currency will appreciate.

Canadian employers added the most workers to payrolls in
March and April in three decades, the nation’s statistics agency
reported May 11. Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said last
month interest-rate boosts may be necessary to contain inflation
that’s accelerating faster than central bank forecasts. The
benchmark rate has been 1 percent since September 2010.

Several Federal Reserve officials said at their last
meeting that a loss of momentum in U.S. growth or increased
risks to their economic outlook could warrant additional action
to keep the recovery on track, minutes released today showed. At
the April 24-25 session, they affirmed their plan to hold
interest rates at virtually zero through at least late 2014.

The Standard Poor’s GSCI Spot Index of commodities lost
as much as 1.5 percent today to 626.57, the lowest level since
Dec. 20, as Greece prepared for a second round of elections in
less than two months while default loomed. Crude oil for June
delivery dropped to as low as $91.81 a barrel in New York, the
least since Nov. 3, before trading at $92.80, down 1.3 percent.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Chris Fournier in Halifax at
cfournier3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Dave Liedtka at
dliedtka@bloomberg.net

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-16/canada-dollar-touches-3-month-low-on-greece-concern.html

By Karen Johnson

Asking whether Canada’s economy is suffering from Dutch disease is a bit like asking whether the country’s red-hot housing sector is in the midst of a bubble. It’s hard to call definitely until you hear the pop.

Any diagnosis of a Canadian strain of Dutch disease won’t likely come until those symptoms are full blown, when high-commodity prices plummet, and reveal that the other sectors of the economy–too neglected for too long–are beyond reasonable recovery.

Still, a group of Canadian researchers offered Wednesday their own cautious prognosis: Canada has contracted a mild case.

Dutch disease is named for an economic crisis that struck the Netherlands in the 1970s. A hdyrocarbon-producing boom had sent the Dutch gilder soaring, making the rest of the country’s exports and industries noncompetitive. Those industries were hollowed out, and when energy prices plunged, the Dutch economy suffered.

In recent weeks, some Canadian politicians have blamed rising oil and mining production in Canada’s west for stoking the Canadian dollar, and making manufacturing exports from the east of the country too expensive in export markets. Western officials and the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper have dismissed those accusations.

In a report released Wednesday, Canada’s Institute For Research on Public Policy found Canada was experiencing some traits of the classic Dutch disease, but the impact on Canada’s manufacturing sector has likely been smaller than expected. The study looked at the links between energy prices, the Canadian dollar exchange rate, and manufacturing output in Canada across 80 different industries.

The authors found that only 25 of the 80 industries showed a “significant negative relationship” between output and Canadian dollar strength. They concluded that any Dutch disease effect has mostly hit “small, labour-intensive industries such as textiles and apparel.” But that bigger industries–food products and metals and machinery–are largely immune.

The autos sector, they said, shows no symptoms. “Its weakness stems from cyclical changes in demand and increasing international competition,” the report said.

Article source: http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/05/16/has-canada-contracted-dutch-disease/?mod=google_news_blog

(Recasts first paragraph, adds new quotes, context in paragraphs 3-5, 7-9, 11)

–Wealthy euro zone must decide on bailouts for poor states, bank recapitalization

–Europe debt crisis due to “inaction” by policymakers

–Developments in Greece could lead to global banking shock

OTTAWA (Dow Jones)–The euro zone has reached a “turning point,” Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Wednesday, and leaders of the currency bloc’s wealthier states have to decide whether they are prepared to bail out cash-strapped states and recapitalize banks to keep the group together.

Testifying before a Canadian senate committee on banking, Flaherty said political instability in Greece …

Article source: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120516-714459.html

The Canadian currency had fluctuated after erasing an
earlier drop versus its U.S. counterpart as economic data
bolstered the outlook for North American growth, strengthening
the argument for the central bank to increase interest rates.
Crude oil, Canada’s biggest export, fell to a six-month low amid
speculation Europe’s debt crisis will worsen.

“It’s a pretty clear risk-off scenario because nobody
knows what problem will pop up next,” Lutz Karpowitz, a senior
currency strategist at Commerzbank AG, said by phone from
Frankfurt. “The credibility of the Greek banking system is
gone. The Canadian dollar is a risk-driven currency, so it’s a
bit under pressure, but that’s limited to some extent.”

Canada’s currency, nicknamed the loonie for the image of
the aquatic bird on the C$1 coin, depreciated 0.4 percent to
C$1.0117 per U.S. dollar at 3:25 p.m. in Toronto. It weakened
earlier to C$1.0130, the lowest since Jan. 25, and gained as
much as 0.2 percent. One Canadian dollar buys 98.84 U.S. cents.

Implied volatility for one-month options on the Canadian
dollar versus its U.S. counterpart increased to as much as 9.35
percent, the highest in four months. It fell to 6.59 percent on
April 30, the lowest level since June 2007. The five-year
average is 12 percent. Implied volatility, which traders quote
and use to set option prices, signals the expected pace of
currency swings.

Bonds Erase Losses

Government bonds erased losses. Ten-year securities rose
for a fourth day, pushing yields down one basis point, or 0.01
percentage point, to 1.93 percent. Earlier they gained two basis
points to 1.96 percent. They touched 1.91 percent on May 14, the
lowest since Feb. 2. Benchmark two-year note yields fell one
basis point to 1.28 percent.

Canada sold C$3.3 billion ($3.3 billion) of two-year
securities due in August 2014, fetching an average yield of
1.313 percent. There were C$9.3 billion in bids for the 2.25
percent notes, making the bid-to-cover ratio 2.81 times, the
highest level for a two-year auction since March 2010.

The loonie was up 0.9 percent over the past week versus
nine developed-nation counterparts tracked by Bloomberg
Correlation-Weighted Indexes. The U.S. dollar gained 1.9
percent, while the euro was little changed.

The ECB said it will push the responsibility for lending to
some Greek financial institutions onto the Greek central bank
until they have sufficiently boosted their capital. It said in
an e-mailed statement that Greek banks needing recapitalization
will regain access to normal lending operations once that
process has been completed, which it expects will be “soon.”

Balance Sheet Integrity

ECB President Mario Draghi said in a speech in Frankfurt
that, while the bank’s “strong preference” is for Greece to stay
with the euro, the central bank will continue to preserve “the
integrity of our balance sheet.”

The move “just adds steam to the Greek drama,” said Firas Askari, head currency trader at Bank of Montreal in Toronto.
“All markets are extremely jittery right now.”

The loonie reversed losses earlier after Statistics Canada
reported factory sales rose at the fastest pace in six months in
March as oil refineries increased output while unfilled orders
reached a three-year high. Sales climbed 1.9 percent to C$49.7
billion following two previous declines, the data showed.

Industrial production and housing starts in the U.S.,
Canada’s biggest trade partner, beat forecasts last month,
government data showed. Output at factories, mines and utilities
increased 1.1 percent, and housing starts rose 2.6 percent.

‘Decent Data’

“Decent data has helped risk bounce,” Steve Butler,
managing director in Toronto at Bank of Nova Scotia’s Scotia
Capital unit, said via e-mail. “Some U.S. dollar longs are
getting pushed out as a lot of currencies look extended”
against the greenback, he said. A long position is a bet a
currency will appreciate.

Canadian employers added the most workers to payrolls in
March and April in three decades, the nation’s statistics agency
reported May 11. Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said last
month interest-rate boosts may be necessary to contain inflation
that’s accelerating faster than central bank forecasts. The
benchmark rate has been 1 percent since September 2010.

Several Federal Reserve officials said at their last
meeting that a loss of momentum in U.S. growth or increased
risks to their economic outlook could warrant additional action
to keep the recovery on track, minutes released today showed. At
the April 24-25 session, they affirmed their plan to hold
interest rates at virtually zero through at least late 2014.

The Standard Poor’s GSCI Spot Index of commodities lost
as much as 1.5 percent today to 626.57, the lowest level since
Dec. 20, as Greece prepared for a second round of elections in
less than two months while default loomed. Crude oil for June
delivery dropped to as low as $91.81 a barrel in New York, the
least since Nov. 3, before trading at $92/76, down 1.3 percent.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Chris Fournier in Halifax at
cfournier3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Dave Liedtka at
dliedtka@bloomberg.net

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-16/canada-dollar-touches-3-month-low-on-greece-concern.html

It’s not a surprise that hockey is captivating Canada right now. But it’s not the N.H.L. playoffs, which doesn’t have a Canadian team in the Conference finals, that’s drawing the interest. The I.I.H.F. World Championships are in full swing right now in Finland, with Canada looking to atone for early exits the past two years in the annual tournament.

Team Canada defeated Belarus, 5-1, on Tuesday to win the Helsinki pool and reach the quarterfinals. The Canadians, who have a 6-0 record with an overtime loss (the I.I.H.F. counts overtime results separately from regulation games), will play the U.S., Slovakia or Finland in the next round. Russia, which has defeated Canada for the past four years, still looms as an opponent for the gold medal game.

The host country, Finland, won the 2011 World Championship. Canada hasn’t won since 2007, and lost twice in the final (2008, 2009) to Russia.

“Our mindset changes now and we have to win the quarterfinals,” Canadian Jordan Eberle told CBC.ca on Tuesday. “That’s kind of been the back-breaker for us the last two years. We’ve played well in the pool games but we haven’t brought it in the quarterfinals. This is an important game for us whoever we get.”

Former Calgary Flames Coach Brent Sutter is coaching Team Canada, through an interesting set of circumstances. His offer to coach at the World Championships came the same day, April 12, that he was fired by the Flames.

“With everything that happened there so quickly [it was good] to get away from it and come over and coach a team that’s about all the right things,” Sutter told The Canadian Press. “These guys have all jelled together as a team, the leaders are tremendous team guys, it’s a talented group, it’s a young group with some experience on it that knows how to win.

The U.S., with a bit less national attention, has been quietly making its way through the tournament with a 3-1 record, with two overtime wins. The Americans defeated Finland, 5-0, in its second-to-last pool game. The U.S., the second-place team and quarterfinal-bound out of the Helsinki pool, is scheduled to play Switzerland on Tuesday.

The U.S. handed Canada its only defeat of the tournament, 5-4 in overtime, on May 5.

The U.S. has not won a World Championship since 1960, with the best recent showing being a bronze medal in 2004.

Article source: http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/canada-u-s-reach-world-hockey-quarters/

Randstad Canada will announce the most attractive employer as chosen by Canadians tomorrow night.

TORONTO, May 16, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ – One hundred and fifty companies in Canada are vying for the title of ‘Best Employer brand’ at the Randstad Award, which recognizes and celebrates Canada’s most attractive employers.

The award is handed out based on the results of the world’s largest employer brand perception study.

The online survey, conducted by an independent external research agency, measures the employer attractiveness of the one hundred and fifty largest employers in Canada (by employee size).

Over 7000 Canadians participated in the survey. First started in 1999, the study has now expanded into 15 countries, this being the second year it is taking place in Canada.

Among the contenders for the Randstad Award are Indigo Books Music Inc., IBM Canada Ltd., ArcelorMittal Inc., Kraft Canada Inc., Bombardier Inc. and Brewers Retail Inc. (The BeerStore).

Other big names include Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada Company, Suncor Energy Inc., Pratt Whitney Canada International Inc., Royal Bank of Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd.

Randstad Canada President, Jan Hein Bax, said: “Developing a strong employer brand is fundamental to attracting and securing talent, but even more so in Canada’s skills-short marketplace.”

The awards are being held Thursday, May 17^th in Toronto.

About the Randstad Award: The Randstad Award program is based on a robust research platform that gives unique insight into the key drivers of talent attraction within Canada and across the world.

Randstad has been working with globally respected research company, ICMA International, for over 10 years. In 2000, Randstad and ICMA launched the first Randstad Award program in Belgium to measure employer brands. Based on its success, Randstad had expanded the research program into 15 countries around the world. Visit randstadawards.ca

Randstad Award Methodology: The Randstad Award survey is based on the perceived attractiveness of companies in a specific market. The 150 largest employers per country are selected, each with at least 1,000 employees. The number of respondents on average per market is 7,000. This is a representative sample to measure attractiveness of the 150 companies. Samples are based on national demographics (age, region, gender, education level) with a slight emphasis on respondents aged below 40, potential workers being the target audience of the survey. Each sample is representative on age, region and gender and includes students, employed and unemployed workforce aged between 18 and 65 years old.

About Randstad Canada: Randstad Canada is the Canadian leader for staffing, recruitment and HR Services. As the only fully integrated staffing company in the country, we understand the recruitment needs and demands of employers and job seekers across all levels and industries. Through our insightful knowledge of local markets, employment trends and global network of recruitment experts, we are shaping the Canadian world of work. Visit randstad.ca

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/win-title-canadas-most-attractive-152300404.html

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-un-envoy-food-fight-161858878.html

It’s not a surprise that hockey is captivating Canada right now. But it’s not the N.H.L. playoffs, which doesn’t have a Canadian team in the Conference finals, that’s drawing the interest. The I.I.H.F. World Championships are in full swing right now in Finland, with Canada looking to atone for early exits the past two years in the annual tournament.

Team Canada defeated Belarus, 5-1, on Tuesday to win the Helsinki pool and reach the quarterfinals. The Canadians, who have a 6-0 record with an overtime loss (the I.I.H.F. counts overtime results separately from regulation games), will play the U.S., Slovakia or Finland in the next round. Russia, which has defeated Canada for the past four years, still looms as an opponent for the gold medal game.

The host country, Finland, won the 2011 World Championship. Canada hasn’t won since 2007, and lost twice in the final (2008, 2009) to Russia.

“Our mindset changes now and we have to win the quarterfinals,” Canadian Jordan Eberle told CBC.ca on Tuesday. “That’s kind of been the back-breaker for us the last two years. We’ve played well in the pool games but we haven’t brought it in the quarterfinals. This is an important game for us whoever we get.”

Former Calgary Flames Coach Brent Sutter is coaching Team Canada, through an interesting set of circumstances. His offer to coach at the World Championships came the same day, April 12, that he was fired by the Flames.

“With everything that happened there so quickly [it was good] to get away from it and come over and coach a team that’s about all the right things,” Sutter told The Canadian Press. “These guys have all jelled together as a team, the leaders are tremendous team guys, it’s a talented group, it’s a young group with some experience on it that knows how to win.

The U.S., with a bit less national attention, has been quietly making its way through the tournament with a 3-1 record, with two overtime wins. The Americans defeated Finland, 5-0, in its second-to-last pool game. The U.S., the second-place team and quarterfinal-bound out of the Helsinki pool, is scheduled to play Switzerland on Tuesday.

The U.S. handed Canada its only defeat of the tournament, 5-4 in overtime, on May 5.

The U.S. has not won a World Championship since 1960, with the best recent showing being a bronze medal in 2004.

Article source: http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/canada-u-s-reach-world-hockey-quarters/

Consultation with First Nations and local residents of
Kitimat began after Shell, Korea Gas Corp. (036460), China National
Petroleum Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp. (8058) completed a feasibility
study for building a 12-million-metric-ton LNG terminal, Korea
Gas and Mitsubishi said in separate statements today. Local
communities and the Canadian government would need to approve
the project, due to start production by 2020, Mitsubishi said.

Asian companies including Korea Gas and GAIL India Ltd. (GAIL) are
investing in North American LNG projects as gas prices in the
U.S. slumped to a decade-low after a surge in shale output.
Imports from North America will cost about a 10th of what LNG
producers in Indonesia, Yemen, Qatar and Australia charge
customers in Japan and South Korea.

Shell has a 40 percent stake in the LNG Canada project,
while the other partners have 20 percent each, Korea Gas said. A
final decision to move the planned terminal into development
will be taken “around the middle of the decade,” according to
the project’s website.

The Kitimat project includes the construction of LNG
production and storage units and harbor facilities, Korea Gas
said. The terminal will initially have two LNG units, each with
a 6 million ton annual capacity, and use gas from fields in
western Canada, including Horn River and Montney, Mitsubishi and
Korea Gas said, without providing a planned investment amount.

Export Licenses

Korea Gas, the world’s biggest buyer of LNG, fell 0.9
percent to 42,400 won in Seoul, declining for the fourth
straight day. Mitsubishi dropped 0.5 percent to 1,621 yen, the
lowest since Jan. 17.

The terminal may cost 1 trillion yen ($12 billion), the
Nikkei newspaper reported April 12, without saying where it got
the information.

Canada has granted licenses for two LNG export projects in
the Kitimat area. BC LNG Export Co-operative LLC, jointly owned
by Haisla Nation and Houston-based LNG Partners LLC, was given a
20-year license, according to a statement on April 11. In
October, the National Energy Board approved an LNG terminal
planned by Encana Corp. (ECA), Apache Corp. (APA) and EOG Resources Inc. (EOG)

The Horn River basin may hold 165 trillion cubic feet of
shale resources, while Montney is estimated to have 49 trillion
cubic feet, according to an April 2011 report by the U.S. Energy
Information Administration.

Australia Supplies

Australia, the world’s fourth-largest LNG supplier, is
poised to lose the most from Canada’s new terminals, Andy
Flower, an independent LNG analyst in the U.K., said in October.
Australia may be capable of producing about 80 million tons of
LNG annually by 2017, surpassing Qatar as the world’s largest
exporter of the fuel, Total SA Chief Executive Officer
Christophe de Margerie said May 14.

The west coast of Australia is 4,400 nautical miles from
Japan, according to Eurasia Group, a New York-based consultant.
The journey to Tokyo from Kitimat is 4,200 miles.

Australia and Qatar sell the commodity to Asia at prices
linked to oil. Gas from the U.S. is tied to Henry Hub futures,
which tumbled 32 percent last year amid record output driven by
extraction from shale.

South Korea, which relies on overseas gas for all of its
needs of the fuel, imported 36.7 million metric tons in 2011,
according to Korea Customs Service’s website. Japan imported 99
billion cubic meters, or 3.5 trillion cubic feet, in 2010,
according to the International Energy Agency.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Sangim Han in Seoul at
sihan@bloomberg.net;
Yuriy Humber in Tokyo at
yhumber@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Amit Prakash at
aprakash1@bloomberg.net

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-15/korea-gas-shell-start-discussions-on-canada-lng-project.html

Article source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/16/markets-canada-dollar-bonds-idUSL1E8GG2EN20120516

The currency, nicknamed the loonie for the image of the
bird on the C$1 coin, strengthened against most of its 16 most-
traded currencies as Canadian existing home sales rose 0.8
percent in April from the previous month, the Canadian Real
Estate Association said in a statement. Canadian stocks and
crude oil, the nation’s biggest export, declined.

“The glass has been half full and half empty for the
loonie, as Greece has not been able to calm investor concern
even as Canadian fundamentals continue to improve,” said Doug Porter, deputy chief economist at Bank of Montreal (BMO)’s BMO Capital
Markets unit in Toronto. “The Canadian dollar is one of the
more stable currencies and will strengthen once the clouds part
in Europe. But until then it is subject to bouts of weakness.”

The Canadian currency fell 0.4 percent to C$1.0072 at 5
p.m. in Toronto. It gained as much as 0.5 percent earlier and
fell 0.2 percent. One Canadian dollar buys 99.29 U.S. cents.

The loonie gained 0.4 percent against the euro to C$1.2822
and strengthened 0.6 percent against the New Zealand dollar to
77.49 Canadian cents.

Canada’s government bonds fell, pushing yields on the two-
year note up two basis points, or 0.02 percentage point, to 1.29
percent. The 0.75 percent securities maturing in May 2014
declined 3 cents to C$98.97 cents.

Homes, Manufacturing

The loonie gained earlier as the Canadian Real Estate
Association reported sales of existing homes increased in April
for a third month, rising 0.8 percent. Manufacturing in the New
York region expanded more than forecast, according to the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s general economic index. The
gauge, known as the Empire State Index, increased to 17.1 this
month from 6.6 in April, topping a Bloomberg News survey’s
forecast for a reading of 9.

The Canadian currency erased gains after Greek President
Karolos Papoulias’ meeting with political leaders in Athens
failed to produce a government after an inconclusive May 6 vote.
He called for a meeting tomorrow to form a caretaker government.

A second election threatened to extend the country’s
political gridlock and reignited speculation Greece will renege
on its pledges to cut spending, required by the terms of its 240
billion euros ($306 billion) in bailouts.

Crude oil for June delivery dropped 0.9 percent to $93.90 a
barrel in New York, approaching yesterday’s low of $93.65, the
least since December. The Standard Poor’s/TSX Composite Index
fell 1.3 percent, while the SP 500 Index dropped 0.6 percent.

‘Will Hold In’

“The internal Canada story of better data and a more
hawkish tone from the central bank has allowed the currency to
withstand some of the pressure from the global risk story and
falling oil prices,” said Mark Chandler, head of fixed-income
strategy at Royal Bank of Canada’s RBC Capital Markets unit, by
phone from Toronto. “The global risk sentiment will catch up
with the loonie if things get worse, but long term the currency
will hold in.”

Bank of Canada policy makers said after their last meeting
on April 17 that raising the benchmark interest rate might be
necessary as growth and inflation quicken. They have held the
rate at 1 percent since September 2010.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Cordell Eddings in New York at
ceddings@bloomberg.net;
Catarina Saraiva in New York at
asaraiva5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Dave Liedtka at
dliedtka@bloomberg.net

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-15/canada-dollar-gains-as-europe-avoiding-recession-boosts-demand.html

Energy (STENRS) and materials stocks in the Standard Poor’s/TSX
Composite Index (SPTSX) trade at 15.46 times and 11.93 times earnings,
the lowest since 2009. Both groups traded for as much as 29
times earnings in March last year. The SP/TSX has fallen 7.7
percent this month, and is off 5.1 percent in 2012 after
rallying 5.8 percent in January and February.

While employment rose by 58,200 in April after a 82,300
jump in March and housing starts rose to their highest since
September 2007 last month, energy and mining shares are dragging
the country’s stock benchmark toward a second-straight yearly
loss. Commodity stocks account for 42 percent of Canada’s stocks
by value compared with 18 percent in the MSCI World Index, which
has gained 2.7 percent in 2012, and 14 percent in the SP 500
Index, up 5.8 percent.

“For the gold and energy companies, people aren’t valuing
the fundamentals or cash flow,” Craig Basinger, chief
investment officer for Macquarie Group Ltd.’s Canadian private
wealth unit in Toronto, said in a May 7 telephone interview. The
unit oversees about C$15 billion ($14.9 billion) of assets.
“Those factors are taking a back seat to a lot of the global
market events we’re seeing develop around the world.”

Market Movers

Gauges of materials and energy producers in the SP/TSX
have declined 15 percent and 9.5 percent, respectively, in May
as the U.S. added fewer jobs than forecast, European austerity
measures ran into political opposition and China signaled slower
growth. Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX), the world’s biggest producer of the
metal, has dropped 12 percent, while Suncor Energy Inc. (SU),
Canada’s biggest oil sands producer, lost 15 percent.

The SP/TSX was led higher in 2010 by raw-material
producers, which surged 36 percent as copper, gold and
agricultural commodities advanced. Mining companies gained as
gold and copper each increased at least 29 percent in 2010.

The benchmark gauge fell 11 percent in 2011, the first year
Canada lagged behind the U.S. since 2003, as the level of the
SP/TSX Energy Index relative to profits fell as much as 43
percent after hitting the highest multiple since at least 2002
in March.

The depressed valuations compared with cash flow are making
oil and gas producers a relatively cheap way for acquirers to
enter or expand in the market, according to Barry Schwartz, who
helps manage about C$400 million at Baskin Financial Services
Inc.

Below Replacement

“You’d be crazy right now to build a new oil sands mine,
drill for oil or acquire land when you can buy companies that
are trading, in my opinion, below replacement value,” Schwartz
said in a telephone interview.

Suncor, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNQ) and Talisman Energy
Inc. (TLM) are potential takeover targets because of their low
valuation relative to cash flow, Schwartz said.

Suncor, the country’s largest energy company, has an
enterprise value 4 times its earnings before interest, taxes,
depreciation and amortization. That’s lower than 54 of the 64
other companies in the SP/TSX energy index. Enterprise value is
measured by subtracting cash from market capitalization plus
debt.

Canadian Natural Resources, the country’s third-biggest
energy company, has an enterprise value 5.47 times Ebitda, 21
percent below the benchmark median of 6.89 times. Talisman, the
10th largest, is the third-lowest valued energy company at 2.74
times.

‘More Consolidation’

Suncor didn’t respond to a phone call and e-mail to its
media relations department requesting comment. Mark Stainthorpe,
a spokesman for Canadian Natural Resources, didn’t respond to an
e-mail requesting comment. Berta Gomez, a spokeswoman for
Talisman Energy, said the company doesn’t comment on market
rumors.

“There’s going to be more consolidation because to access
capital and exploit the plays that are out there, you basically
need a bigger company,” said Geoff Ready, an analyst at Haywood
Securities LLC in Toronto. Larger companies trading at better
valuations could buy cash-strapped “juniors,” which would aid
capital funding to meet rising costs of wells while adding to
the acquirers’ earnings, Ready said.

Arcan Resources Ltd. (ARN), which explores for oil and gas in
Alberta, Bellatrix Exploration Ltd. (BXE), a western Canadian oil
producer and Fairborne Energy Ltd. (FEL), an oil and natural gas
trust, are potential takeover targets, according to Ready.

Douglas Penner, chief financial officer and spokesman for
Arcan Resources, and Aaron Grandberg, chief financial officer
for Fairborne Energy, didn’t respond to phone calls and e-mails
requesting comment. Troy Winsor, a spokesman for Bellatrix
Exploration, said the company doesn’t comment on market
speculation.

Reluctant Sellers

Companies are less likely to entertain the idea of a
takeover when their stocks are depressed, Basinger said.

“Consolidation in industries doesn’t happen when prices
are going down,” Basinger said. “Consolidators don’t tend to
be value investors.”

This is especially true for gold companies, which aren’t
hurting for cash even after their “terrible” stock
performance, he said. Barrick Gold has a price to cash flow
ratio of 6.97, compared with 8.97 for the SP/TSX metals and
mining index.

The selloff in commodity producers may be overdone,
according to Robert Cohen, who oversees $1.25 billion in
precious-metals and resources stocks at GCIC Ltd., manager of
the Dynamic Gold and Precious Metals Fund.

‘Something Wrong’

The SP/TSX Gold (STGOLD) index has fallen 43 percent since the
metal reached its peak of $1,920.70 an ounce on Sept. 6, more
than twice the 18 percent decline in gold futures. The SP/TSX
Energy Index has fallen 25 percent since oil futures hit their
two-year high on May 2, 2011, while crude oil has decreased 18
percent.

“There’s something wrong with what investors are willing
to pay for a stock right now,” Cohen said. “Companies in the
gold and oil business are producing enviable products. They’re
mining monetary assets.”

Commodity stocks may stay depressed until the Federal
Reserve takes additional measures to stimulate growth with a
third round of bond purchases, or quantitative easing, Cohen
said.

Stocks surged around the world in 2009 and 2010 as the Fed
helped the U.S. economy recover from the subprime-mortgage
crisis through $2.3 trillion of bond purchases known as
quantitative easing. A separate $400 billion program called
Operation Twist, in which the Fed is replacing short-term debt
in its holdings with longer-term securities, ends in June.

“The market is not ready to run on its own,” Cohen said.
“In the last five years, it’s clear that quantitative easing is
the best catalyst for the stock market.”

To contact the reporter on this story:
Joseph Ciolli in New York at
jciolli@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Nick Baker at
nbaker7@bloomberg.net;
David Scanlan at
dscanlan@bloomberg.net

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-16/commodities-sink-stocks-as-jobs-housing-boom-corporate-canada.html

OTTAWA—Recent Canadian employment data have been “encouraging” but uneven economic activity is likely in the offing given global uncertainty, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told lawmakers Tuesday.

The April labor report indicated Canada’s economy added a net 58,200 new positions, for the best back-to-back monthly performance in 31 years. Still, Flaherty said he was reluctant to issue guidance based on a couple months of data and warned of a “lumpy” recovery ahead.

“We are not going to have a steady progression” of …

Article source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304371504577406700564931434.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

It’s not a surprise that hockey is captivating Canada right now. But it’s not the N.H.L. playoffs, which doesn’t have a Canadian team in the Conference finals, that’s drawing the interest. The I.I.H.F. World Championships are in full swing right now in Finland, with Canada looking to atone for early exits the past two years in the annual tournament.

Team Canada defeated Belarus, 5-1, on Tuesday to win the Helsinki pool and reach the quarterfinals. The Canadians, who have a 6-0 record with an overtime loss (the I.I.H.F. counts overtime results separately from regulation games), will play the U.S., Slovakia or Finland in the next round. Russia, which has defeated Canada for the past four years, still looms as an opponent for the gold medal game.

The host country, Finland, won the 2011 World Championship. Canada hasn’t won since 2007, and lost twice in the final (2008, 2009) to Russia.

“Our mindset changes now and we have to win the quarterfinals,” Canadian Jordan Eberle told CBC.ca on Tuesday. “That’s kind of been the back-breaker for us the last two years. We’ve played well in the pool games but we haven’t brought it in the quarterfinals. This is an important game for us whoever we get.”

Former Calgary Flames Coach Brent Sutter is coaching Team Canada, through an interesting set of circumstances. His offer to coach at the World Championships came the same day, April 12, that he was fired by the Flames.

“With everything that happened there so quickly [it was good] to get away from it and come over and coach a team that’s about all the right things,” Sutter told The Canadian Press. “These guys have all jelled together as a team, the leaders are tremendous team guys, it’s a talented group, it’s a young group with some experience on it that knows how to win.

The U.S., with a bit less national attention, has been quietly making its way through the tournament with a 3-1 record, with two overtime wins. The Americans defeated Finland, 5-0, in its second-to-last pool game. The U.S., the second-place team and quarterfinal-bound out of the Helsinki pool, is scheduled to play Switzerland on Tuesday.

The U.S. handed Canada its only defeat of the tournament, 5-4 in overtime, on May 5.

The U.S. has not won a World Championship since 1960, with the best recent showing being a bronze medal in 2004.

Article source: http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/canada-u-s-reach-world-hockey-quarters/?partner=rss&emc=rss

TSX: CLQ; U.S. OTCQX: CLQMF

TORONTO , May 15, 2012 /CNW/ – Canada Lithium Corp. (CLQ.TO) (CLQMF.PK) announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with the Abitibiwinni First Nation of Pikogan and the Anishinabe
First Nation of Lac-Simon communities near the Company’s $207-million
mine and processing plant currently under construction north of Val
d’Or, Québec.

The Company also announced it has received provincial approval for the
location of its Tailings Management Facility (TMF).

The MOU with the First Nations communities encompasses key areas of
mutual interest, including environmental protection; employment and
business opportunities; education and training; and an ongoing
commitment to maintain mutually satisfactory relations between Canada
Lithium and the First Nations communities.

” Canada Lithium is committed to working in partnership with our local
municipalities and First Nations communities in a manner that fosters
active participation and mutual respect,” said Canada Lithium Chief
Operating Officer Charles Taschereau .

The approval for the TMF location was recently granted by Québec’s
Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (MRNF).  The Company
requires an additional approval from Québec’s Ministère du
Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs (MDDEP) for the
actual use and operation of the TMF site.

The Company continues to work towards obtaining all other required
environmental and provincial approvals prior to commencement of
commercial production.

About Canada Lithium Corp.
The Company holds a 100% interest in the Québec Lithium Project near Val
d’Or, the geographical heart of the Québec mining industry. The Company
is in the midst of building an open-pit mine and processing plant
on-site with capacity to produce approximately 20,000 tonnes per year
of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually. Metallurgical tests have
produced battery-grade lithium carbonate samples. The Company trades
under the symbol CLQ on the TSX and on the U.S. OTCQX under the symbol
CLQMF.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the
meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally,
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not
expect”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”,
“forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or
“believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that
certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or
“will be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved”.

Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have
been made by the Corporation as at the date of such information and is
subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or
achievements of the Corporation to be materially different from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in
forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause
results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be
no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual
results and future events could differ materially from those
anticipated in such information.  Accordingly, readers should not place
undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Corporation does not
undertake to update any forward-looking information referenced herein,
except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/canada-lithium-signs-mou-first-213000116.html

A double by Colorado Avalanche center Ryan O’Reilly inspired them to victory and further boosted their confidence as they try to win their first world title since Moscow in 2007.

Defeat did no favours to Belarus’ hopes of gaining the right to host one of the Olympic qualifying tournaments for the 2014 Games in Sochi.

Canada grabbed the lead 2:16 into the match through O’Reilly, while Belarus winger Sergei Kostitsyn, who is playing with the NHL side Nashville Predators, levelled with 5:35 to go in the first period.

That was as tight as it got as Canada scored three more goals in the second period to put the game beyond the reach of their opponents.

“We wanted to play well today getting ourselves ready for the quarter-finals. We knew it would be a really hard-fought and physical game and that’s what it was,” Canada coach Brent Sutter said.

“We played really well in the second period and decided the game with a couple of powerplay goals.”

Meanwhile, co-hosts Sweden also clinched their sixth win here beating Latvia 4-0 at the Stockholm Globe arena.

In the middle match in Helsinki 2002 world champions Slovakia beat France 5-4 to deny their opponents the last remaining place in the quarter-finals.

Forward Branko Radivojevic, who was named Slovakia’s Player of the Match, scored two goals and provided an assist leading his side into the last eight and dashed French hopes of clinching their first play-off spot since 1995.

In the late Helsinki encounter the United States, who are seeking their first world crown since 1960 here, battled back from a goal down to overcome Switzerland 5-2 to take second place in the group.

In the early Stockholm match Norway beat Denmark 6-2 to do their bit in finishing third and avoid a meeting with Russia in the quarter-finals.

But they were to be left disappointed as the Czech Republic, who are seeking their first world title since 2010, thrashed Germany 8-1 to regain third position and set up a quarter-final with Sweden.

“Before the match we were speculating on who we would prefer to take on, Sweden or Russia, but I don’t think it really mattered,” rear guard and one of their scorers Lukas Krajicek said.

“Both teams beat us in the preliminary round. The match against Sweden is going to be hard, but we will do all we can to win the game.”

In Thursday’s quarter-finals in Stockholm Russia will play Norway, while Sweden will face the Czechs. In Helsinki Canada will meet the Slovaks, while Finland will clash with the United States.

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-living-life-oreilly-ice-hockey-worlds-210631113--nhl.html

Cam Fowler, Alex Goligoski, Bobby Ryan and Jeff Petry also tallied for the
Americans, who will face Finland in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Jimmy
Howard added 25 stops for the USA, which finished second in Group H to Canada.

Ivo Reuthemann and Morris Trachsler scored for the Swiss, who ended the
tourney with a 2-5 mark. Reto Berra coughed up all five goals on 24 shots in
defeat.

Earlier in the day, Ryan O’Reilly scored a pair of goals and Cam Ward made 17
saves, lifting Canada to a 5-1 win over Belarus.

Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for Canada,
which finished with a 6-0-1 mark. The lone loss for the Canadians came against
the United States in overtime.

Canada will square off against Slovakia in the quarterfinals. The Slovaks
clinched a spot in the next round Tuesday with a 5-4 win over France.

In Stockholm, Norway scored five goals in the second period en route to a
6-2 rout of Denmark. The Norwegians will face Russia in the quarterfinals.

The Swedes concluded the preliminaries with a 4-0 decision over Latvia. Henrik
Zetterberg notched three points on a goal and two helpers, backing a 22-save
performance from Viktor Fasth.

Sweden will take on the Czech Republic in the quarters.

Maris Jucers stopped 40 shots in the loss, as Latvia finished fifth in Group S
at 2-5.

The Czechs finished the preliminary round on a strong note, thrashing Germany
by an 8-1 count. Petr Koukal tallied twice, David Krejci totaled three points,
while Lukas Krajicek, Ales Hemsky and Jiri Novotny added a goal and assist
each.

Article source: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/05/15/usa-canada-win-head-into-quarterfinals-at-worlds/

According to statistics released today by The Canadian Real
Estate Association (CREA), national resale housing activity
edged up by less than one per cent in April 2012.

Highlights:

•Home sales up 0.8% from March to April.
•Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity stood 11.5% above
levels in April 2011.
•The size of the year-over-year increase reflects a slowdown in
sales last April following changes to mortgage rules which came
into effect on March 18, 2011.
•The number of newly listed homes edged back 0.2% from March to
April.
•While still well balanced, the combination of stable new
listings and slightly higher sales activity resulted in a
tighter national housing market.
•The national average home price edged up 0.9% on a year-over-
year basis in April.
Sales over MLS® Systems of real estate Boards and Associations
in Canada edged up 0.8 per cent from March to April 2012,
putting them on par with levels reported in the same month two
years earlier.

Activity was either up or held steady in half of all local
markets in April, with Toronto and Calgary posting the biggest
monthly increases for the second month in a row. Activity gains
in Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, as well as London and St.
Thomas also made significant contributions to the national sales
increase in April. Increased activity in these markets offset
monthly declines in Ottawa, Windsor-Essex, Quebec City, the
Fraser Valley, and Vancouver.

“A number of Canadian housing market trends in April remained
intact from the previous month,” said Wayne Moen, CREA
President. “Trends in Vancouver and Toronto continue to diverge.
These two housing markets have an obvious influence on national
statistics and a high profile, but Canada is a big place. Trends
in housing markets differ across Canada, and as all housing is
local, buyers and sellers should speak to their local REALTOR®
to better understand current and prospective trends where they
live.”

Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity stood 11.5 per cent
above levels in April 2011, reflecting the slowdown in sales
following changes to mortgage regulations that came into effect
in March of last year.

A total of 157,804 homes have traded hands so far this year, up
6.4 per cent from levels reported in the first four months of
2011 and about four per cent above both the five- and 10-year
averages for sales during the first third of the year.

The number of newly listed homes was little changed in April
compared to March, having edged back 0.2 per cent on a month-
over-month basis. The number of markets in which new listings
rose (45) ran almost even with those where new listings eased
(54).

The national housing market tightened marginally in April due to
higher sales and stable new listings, but remains firmly
entrenched in balanced market territory. The national sales-to-
new listings ratio, a measure of market balance, stood at 55.9
per cent in April, up slightly from its March reading of 55.4
per cent. Based on a sales-to-new listings ratio of between 40
to 60 per cent, the number of local markets that were in
balanced market territory in April (59) was up slightly from
March (56).

Nationally, the number of months of inventory stood at 5.6
months at the end of April, unchanged from levels reported in
March. The number of months of inventory represents the number
of months it would take to sell current inventories at the
current rate of sales activity, and is a further measure of the
balance between housing supply and demand.

The actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average price for
homes sold in April 2012 was $375,810, up 0.9 per cent from the
same month last year. While more or less flat compared to last
spring on a national basis, average sale prices were up on a
year-over-year basis in 80 per cent of all local markets in
April.

“It bears repeating that the national average price was skewed
higher last spring by record level high-end home sales in
Vancouver’s priciest neighbourhoods, and that a replay of this
phenomenon was not expected this year,” said Gregory Klump,
CREA’s Chief Economist. “Sales data confirm that high-end
activity in Vancouver is well off the peak levels reached at
this time last year, which is exerting a gravitational pull on
the national average price.”

“By contrast, activity in Toronto is stronger this spring than
it was last spring. Higher-priced sales activity there is on the
rise and buoying average prices. As the most active housing
market in Canada, Toronto is the biggest factor supporting
national average price.”

“Netting Vancouver out of the national average price calculation
yields a 4.9 per cent year-on-year gain. Netting Toronto out of
the national average price calculation, while leaving Vancouver
in, produces a 2.2 per cent year-on-year decline. Netting out
both Vancouver and Toronto results in a 3.1 per cent increase in
average price. On balance, this points to modest price growth
amid balanced market conditions in much of the rest of Canada.”

All figures in this release except average price are seasonally
adjusted. Removing normal seasonal variations enables meaningful
analysis of monthly changes and fundamental trends.
PLEASE NOTE: The information contained in this news release
combines both major market and national MLS sales information
from the previous month.

CREA cautions that average price information can be useful in
establishing trends over time, but does not indicate actual
prices in centres comprised of widely divergent neighbourhoods
or account for price differential between geographic areas.
Statistical information contained in this report includes all
housing types.

MLS is a co-operative marketing system used only by Canada’s
real estate Boards to ensure maximum exposure of properties
listed for sale.

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is one of Canada’s
largest single-industry trade associations, representing more
than 100,000 REALTORS® working through more than 100 real estate
Boards and Associations.

Further information can be found at
http://www.crea.ca/public/news_stats/media.htm.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Ilan Kolet in Ottawa at ikolet@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Marco Babic at mbabic@bloomberg.net

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-15/canada-april-existing-home-sales-text-.html

It’s not a surprise that hockey is captivating Canada right now. But it’s not the N.H.L. playoffs, which doesn’t have a Canadian team in the Conference finals, that’s drawing the interest. The I.I.H.F. World Championships are in full swing right now in Finland, with Canada looking to atone for early exits the past two years in the annual tournament.

Team Canada defeated Belarus, 5-1, on Tuesday to win the Helsinki pool and reach the quarterfinals. The Canadians, who have a 6-0 record with an overtime loss (the I.I.H.F. counts overtime results separately from regulation games), will play the U.S., Slovakia or Finland in the next round. Russia, which has defeated Canada for the past four years, still looms as an opponent for the gold medal game.

The host country, Finland, won the 2011 World Championship. Canada hasn’t won since 2007, and lost twice in the final (2008, 2009) to Russia.

“Our mindset changes now and we have to win the quarterfinals,” Canadian Jordan Eberle told CBC.ca on Tuesday. “That’s kind of been the back-breaker for us the last two years. We’ve played well in the pool games but we haven’t brought it in the quarterfinals. This is an important game for us whoever we get.”

Former Calgary Flames Coach Brent Sutter is coaching Team Canada, through an interesting set of circumstances. His offer to coach at the World Championships came the same day, April 12, that he was fired by the Flames.

“With everything that happened there so quickly [it was good] to get away from it and come over and coach a team that’s about all the right things,” Sutter told The Canadian Press. “These guys have all jelled together as a team, the leaders are tremendous team guys, it’s a talented group, it’s a young group with some experience on it that knows how to win.

The U.S., with a bit less national attention, has been quietly making its way through the tournament with a 3-1 record, with two overtime wins. The Americans defeated Finland, 5-0, in its second-to-last pool game. The U.S., the second-place team and quarterfinal-bound out of the Helsinki pool, is scheduled to play Switzerland on Tuesday.

The U.S. handed Canada its only defeat of the tournament, 5-4 in overtime, on May 5.

The U.S. has not won a World Championship since 1960, with the best recent showing being a bronze medal in 2004.

Article source: http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/canada-u-s-reach-world-hockey-quarters/

Attempts to form a government in Greece collapsed on Tuesday, jolting financial markets at the prospect leftists opposed to the terms of an EU bailout could sweep to victory in a June vote.

Against the euro however, the Canadian currency rallied to C$1.2778, or 78.26 euro cents, its strongest level since January 2011.

“A lot of traders are looking to trade the CAD versus the crosses like the pound, the yen and the euro versus dollar/CAD by itself,” said Gareth Sylvester, senior currency strategist at risk management firm Klarity FX in San Francisco.

Against the U.S. dollar, the Canadian currency hit a low of C$1.0060 versus the greenback, or 99.40 U.S. cents, keeping Canada’s dollar within the confined range that it’s been stuck in since early this year.

“In terms of potential movements and potential profits, they’re well defined so there’s a lot of jobbing in the market place,” added Sylvester, noting traders will want to sell the U.S. dollar versus Canada around C$1.0050 and buy it towards C$0.9850.

At 2:02 p.m. EDT (1802 GMT), the Canadian dollar stood at C$1.0038 versus the U.S. dollar, or 99.62 U.S. cents, slightly weaker than Monday’s North American session finish at C$1.0029 versus the U.S. dollar, or 99.71 U.S. cents.

“It’s the great sideways trade of 2012 that continues unabated,” said Jack Spitz, managing director of foreign exchange at National Bank Financial.

Earlier in the session, the Canadian dollar was on firmer ground on the back of surprisingly strong growth data from Germany.

Investors will look to Canadian inflation data for April at the end of the week for more significant direction, watching for any clues on the Bank of Canada’s next tightening move.

“If core inflation is above 2 percent it adds to the suggestion that the Bank of Canada is going to be one of the leading central banks in terms of pulling back excessive accommodation, so it could inspire some more Canadian dollar bids,” added Spitz.

According to a Reuters poll however, Canadian consumer prices likely remained subdued in April, leaving the annual inflation rate unchanged from March when it dropped to an 18-month low of 1.9 percent, and suggesting price pressures are the least of the Bank of Canada’s worries.

Canadian government bond prices were lower, despite the risk-averse tone in markets, tracking U.S. Treasuries as traders booked profits from an eight-week run-up.

The two-year government bond was down 4 Canadian cents to yield 1.292 percent, while Canada’s 10-year bond lost 10 Canadian cents to yield 1.946 percent.

(Reporting by Claire Sibonney; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-dollar-slides-political-impasse-greece-184743429--finance.html

“Our Government is delivering on our commitment to support part-time students by enabling more low- and middle-income Canadians to attend school while working,” said Minister Finley.

The Government of Canada will invest approximately $22.5 million over the next 10 years to increase accessibility for student financial assistance. It is projected that over 2,500 additional part-time students will be eligible for a Canada Student Loan in year one, rising to just under 8,000 in year five and ongoing. Nearly 500 additional part-time students will receive a Canada Student Grant in year one, rising to about 1,500 in year five and ongoing.

This measure builds on steps the Government has already taken to increase accessibility to post-secondary education. At the beginning of this year, Canada’s Economic Action Plan eliminated in-study interest on part-time student loans so more Canadians can afford to balance work and school.

“Our Government’s top priorities are job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity for Canadians,” said Dr. Leitch. “We recognize the important role post-secondary education and training plays in ensuring a strong, competitive and flexible workforce in the future.”

Additional improvements are being made to Canada Student Loans and Grants, including increasing the full-time grants income eligibility thresholds for low- and middle-income students (updated annually), and streamlining and modernizing the delivery of student financial assistance.

For more information on how to save, plan and pay for post-secondary education, visit CanLearn.ca

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IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.

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This news release is available online at: www.actionplan.gc.ca.

BACKGROUNDER

The Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP) offers financial assistance to full- and part-time students pursuing post-secondary education, in the form of loans, grants and repayment assistance. The CSLP delivers student financial assistance in partnership with most provinces and territories. Quebec, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut operate their own programs, and alternative payments are provided by the Government of Canada.

On December 21, 2011 at the University of Toronto, Parliamentary Secretary Dr. Kellie Leitch announced the Budget 2011 measure to eliminate interest on part-time student loans during study to improve access to post-secondary education.

The Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan also proposed an increase to the income eligibility thresholds for part-time student loans and grants. This new measure will enable more low- and middle-income Canadians to pursue post-secondary education while working.

Additional improvements to Canada Student Loans and Grants are being made, including increasing the full-time grants income eligibility thresholds for low- and middle-income students (updated annually), and streamlining and modernizing the delivery of student financial assistance by:

- introducing a multi-year loan agreement (the Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement, or MSFAA) so new students don’t have to sign an agreement every time they apply for loans and grants; – replacing paper-based process for confirmation of enrolment for returning students with an electronic one; – phasing out repayment agreements (also referred to as “consolidation agreements”) as the repayment terms will now be part of the MSFAA; and – developing an online application for repayment assistance measures.

The MSFAA, electronic conformation of enrollment, and the online application for repayment assistance measures support the Service Delivery Vision (SDV), announced in Budget 2008 to streamline and modernize the Canada Student Loans Program.

Marian Ngo
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
819-994-5559

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/government-canada-increases-support-part-133900881.html

The slowdown comes as Wind, facing stiff competition on the lower end of the market, pushes to sell more expensive phones and data plans.

The service, backed by Russia’s Vimpelcom Inc since its purchase last year of Egypt’s Orascom Telecom Holding SAE, was launched in late 2009 with a focus on no-contract plans for unlimited talk and texting. More recently it said it intends to become Canada’s fourth national wireless carrier.

Wind signed up only a net 12,000 new customers in the period, bringing its subscriber base to more than 415,000 at the end of March, according to statements released by Globalive’s biggest investors on Tuesday.

Wind, which had 403,000 subscribers at the end of 2011, added 39,000 in the year-earlier quarter.

BMO Capital Markets analyst Peter Rhamey said the numbers fell short of his expectations and reflect intense competition in the lower-value, prepaid segment as well as rising costs to attract and retain customers.

An average Wind customer paid C$27.30 a month in the quarter, which Rhamey called “unsustainably low.” T he company charged an average of C$26.70 a year earlier and C$26.40 in the prior quarter.

Canada’s three main telecoms providers – Rogers Communications, BCE’s Bell Canada and Telus – have between 7 million and just over 9 million wireless customers each and a much higher average revenue per user (ARPU) than Wind.

They have been adding postpaid subscribers, who typically sign long-term contracts and spend more to use data on the latest smartphones, while losing less valuable prepaid users.

Mobilicity, another recent entry, said in February it had added 63,000 subscribers in the last three months of 2011. A third, Public Mobile, said it added 45,000 customers in the same period.

Both Mobilicity and Public are closely held companies, and do not disclose such metrics on a quarterly basis.

The three companies were able to enter the Canadian market after wireless airwaves were set aside for newcomers in a 2008 auction.

(Reporting by Alastair Sharp in Toronto; Editing by Frank McGurty)

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/canadas-wind-mobile-growth-slows-sharply-193313340--sector.html

Ryan O’Reilly scored twice Tuesday as Canada clinched top spot in the Helsinki pool at the IIHF World Hockey Championship with an easy 5-1 victory over Belarus.

Canada’s quarter-final opponent will be determined after games later in the day.

However, the No. 1 seed ensures it can’t face the powerhouse Russians until at least the final – good news given that Russia has knocked Canada out of the tournament the last four years.

Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf each had a goal and an assist while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for Canada (6-0-1).

Sergei Kostitsyn replied for Belarus (1-6-0), which finished 14th at the world championship for the second straight year.

A fairly chippy game saw Belarus forward Andrei Kostitsyn get ejected in the second period after hammering Evander Kane from behind. The Canadian winger stayed down for some time but remained in the game.

Canadian defencemen Luke Schenn and Marc Methot were also kicked out late in the third period for separate questionable hits. That could leave the blue-line short-handed if either player is suspended.

It was another blowout win where Canada had trouble breaking through early.

The score was 1-1 after a first period that saw O’Reilly score just over two minutes into his return from a lower-body injury and Sergei Kostitsyn reply for Belarus.

Perry made it 2-1 Canada at 9:10 of the second period on a power play after having Getzlaf’s shot go in off his skate before Getzlaf made it 3-1 after knocking a loose puck into an empty goal.

Shortly after Andrei Kostitsyn was ejected for the hit on Kane, Nugent-Hopkins scored on the ensuing power play to make it 4-1. A Belarus defender cross-checked him after the goal, touching off a scrum.

O’Reilly got his second goal of the game at 8:41 of the third period, giving Canada a comfortable 5-1 cushion. That was more than enough for goaltender Cam Ward to pick up his fourth victory of the tournament.

The Canadian Press

Article source: http://www.thespec.com/sports/hockey/article/724626--canada-claims-top-spot-in-helsinki

Canada’s Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism hosted a reception commemorating the day.

“This was unworthy of our country,” Jason Kenney, who heads the ministry, said of the anti-Chinese law, introduced in 1923 to prevent Chinese immigrants from entering the North American country.

Thanks to the service of Chinese-Canadians such as Douglas Jung, a Second World War veteran who later became the first legislator of Chinese origin, the Canadian government repealed the law on May 14, 1947 and restored Chinese-Canadians’ right to vote, he said.

Returning evil for the contribution of more than 15,000 young Chinese men who helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway, Canada imposed in 1885 a 50-Canadian-dollar head tax on every Chinese immigrant who wanted to stay in the country.

By 1903, the head tax was raised to 500 Canadian dollars, a fee that didn’t apply to any other minority.

Over 38 years before the Chinese Immigration Act, also known as the Chinese Exclusion Act, was enacted, Canada had collected 23 million Canadian dollars in head tax revenues from an estimated 81,000 Chinese immigrants.

The tax was abolished in 1923, when Parliament passed what the Canadian government now calls the “unjust” Chinese Immigration Act.

In 2006, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology to the Chinese-Canadian community for the law and the previous head tax, and a symbolic 20,000 Canadian dollars were paid to 785 survivors or spouses of head-tax payers.

“Chinese families endured long periods of separation due to the legislation. Education opportunities were lost and the community stagnated,” said Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council.

Robert Yip, whose uncle Kew Dock Yip was the first Chinese-Canadian lawyer and also helped to repeal the law, said the anniversary was not just a reminder of “a sad and difficult chapter” in Chinese-Canadian history, but also “an important victory that was more than symbolic.”

“It brought about the rebirth of the community,” Yip told reporters at the reception. (1 Canadian dollar equals 1.0032 U.S. dollars)

Article source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-05/15/c_131589147.htm

Canada’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tries to get the puck behind Belarus goaltender Dmitri Milchakov with defender Nikolai Stasenko in close pursuit.

GRIGORY DUKOR/REUTERS

HELSINKI—Mission accomplished.

Ryan O’Reilly scored twice Tuesday as Canada clinched top spot in the Helsinki pool at the IIHF World Hockey Championship with an easy 5-1 victory over Belarus.

Canada’s quarter-final opponent will be determined later on Tuesday.

However, the No. 1 seed ensures it can’t face the powerhouse Russians until at least the final — good news given that Russia has knocked Canada out of the tournament the last four years.

Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf each had a goal and an assist while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for Canada (6-0-1).

RELATED:

Steve Yzerman keeping eye on world championship with Sochi Games in mind

Sergei Kostitsyn replied for Belarus (1-6-0), which finished 14th at the world championship for the second straight year.

A fairly chippy game saw Belarus forward Andrei Kostitsyn get ejected in the second period after hammering Evander Kane from behind. The Canadian winger stayed down for some time but remained in the game.

Canadian defencemen Luke Schenn and Marc Methot were also kicked out late in the third period for separate questionable hits. That could leave the blue line shorthanded if either player is suspended.

It was another blowout win where Canada had trouble breaking through early.

The score was 1-1 after a first period that saw O’Reilly score just over two minutes into his return from a lower-body injury and Sergei Kostitsyn reply for Belarus.

Perry made it 2-1 Canada at 9:10 of the second period on a power play after having Getzlaf’s shot go in off his skate before Getzlaf made it 3-1 after knocking a loose puck into an empty goal.

Shortly after Andrei Kostitsyn was ejected for the hit on Kane, Nugent-Hopkins scored on the ensuing power play to make it 4-1. A Belarus defender cross-checked him after the goal, touching off a scrum.

O’Reilly got his second goal of the game at 8:41 of the third period, giving Canada a comfortable 5-1 cushion. That was more than enough for goaltender Cam Ward to pick up his fourth victory of the tournament.

Notes: Duncan Keith had two assists and leads Canada with 11 points in the tournament … Jordan Eberle celebrated his 22nd birthday … Ryan Murray sat out for Canada … Belarus had three NHL players: The Maple Leafs’ Mikhail Grabovski and the Kostitsyn brothers … Announced attendance at Hartwall Arena was 9,140.

Article source: http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/1178543--canada-clinches-top-seed-with-5-1-win-over-belarus-at-worlds

Canada’s real estate market is one of the hottest in the developed world.

Mike Cassese/Reuters /Landov

Canada’s real estate market is one of the hottest in the developed world.

Housing prices are going through the roof in Canada. The real estate market there is one of the hottest in the developed world. In Toronto, prices increased 10 percent in March alone. The average detached house in the city costs more than $600,000.

That has economists and the government worried that Canada is experiencing a housing bubble that’s about to burst.

At 44, Jeff Douglas says he knows there are “more responsible” things to do than take on a mortgage he’ll be paying until he turns 70. But he and his wife did it anyway, when they bought a 1,300-square-foot duplex in Toronto’s West End last month.

The house, which Douglas recently showed off on a real estate website, is pretty basic, with three small bedrooms, two bathrooms and a partially finished basement. Douglas paid $632,000 — that’s $76,000 more than the owner was asking for it. But in Toronto’s hot real estate market, paying more than the asking price is par for the course. Douglas thinks he got a bargain.

“It was kind of one of the last houses I think we would have had a shot at,” he says, “because the price of the housing goes up every week, as the spring goes on. So we thought this might be our last chance.”

Canadian real estate prices did drop during the financial crisis. But they started increasing after a few months and haven’t stopped since.

Real estate agent Brendan Powell says bidding wars are the norm in many Toronto neighborhoods — even for tiny homes, like this 14-foot-wide row house.

It was kind of one of the last houses I think we would have had a shot at because the price of the housing goes up every week, as the spring goes on. So we thought this might be our last chance.

- Toronto resident Jeff Douglas, on the $632,000 home he bought

“Last year, we were seeing bidding wars that went up to $100,000 over, and that was a really big deal,” Powell says. “Now we’ve actually seen a handful that were more than that — maybe twice that — which is insanity.”

Powell’s partner, Melanie Piche, says record-low interest rates are fueling the insanity. To keep the economy going, the Bank of Canada has held its prime lending rate at 1 percent. This winter, banks were offering mortgages for less than 3 percent, making house prices more affordable for many buyers.

“For every extra $50,000, they’re only looking at an extra $200 a month, or $210 or $220 at the current rates. And those numbers are manageable for a lot of people,” Piche says. “So, suddenly you can get the house that you want for an extra $220 a month — go for it. And you’ve just paid $50,000 more than what you were planning on paying.”

Powell and Piche don’t believe the Canadian real estate market will crash the way the U.S. market did. Canadian banks have stricter lending rules, and they’re not allowed to give mortgages to people with no job or income. But analyst Ben Rabidoux is one of many experts who believe house-crazy Canadians are spending themselves into financial disaster.

“All of the models scream to me that we’re looking at house prices nationally that are overvalued on the order of 30 percent — at least,” Rabidoux says.

To buy their homes, Canadians have built up more debt than ever. Most can afford it, as long as interest rates stay low. But the government has warned that rates could start going up soon. When that happens, some studies show that at least a million Canadians will be in over their heads.

Rabidoux predicts people will stop spending, house prices will drop, and the economy will fall into a deep recession. Douglas says he knows that’s a risk. But he’s willing to live with it.

“We made a choice as much on quality of life as much as the actual quality of the investment,” Douglas says. “If it goes down, it goes down. And you sell at a loss, like it happens on the stock market all the time.”

Despite his upbeat outlook, Douglas says he’s stopped buying coffee at Starbucks and cut back on nachos and beer nights to help pay his mortgage.

Article source: http://www.npr.org/2012/05/15/152275466/canadas-housing-market-booms-experts-see-trouble

Article source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/14/markets-canada-dollar-bonds-idUSL1E8GEDD420120514

Article source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/14/markets-canada-stocks-idUSL1E8GEEMS20120514

Canada’s real estate market is one of the hottest in the developed world.

Mike Cassese/Reuters /Landov

Canada’s real estate market is one of the hottest in the developed world.

Housing prices are going through the roof in Canada. The real estate market there is one of the hottest in the developed world. In Toronto, prices increased 10 percent in March alone. The average detached house in the city costs more than $600,000.

That has economists and the government worried that Canada is experiencing a housing bubble that’s about to burst.

At 44, Jeff Douglas says he knows there are “more responsible” things to do than take on a mortgage he’ll be paying until he turns 70. But he and his wife did it anyway, when they bought a 1,300-square-foot duplex in Toronto’s West End last month.

The house, which Douglas recently showed off on a real estate website, is pretty basic, with three small bedrooms, two bathrooms and a partially finished basement. Douglas paid $632,000 — that’s $76,000 more than the owner was asking for it. But in Toronto’s hot real estate market, paying more than the asking price is par for the course. Douglas thinks he got a bargain.

“It was kind of one of the last houses I think we would have had a shot at,” he says, “because the price of the housing goes up every week, as the spring goes on. So we thought this might be our last chance.”

Canadian real estate prices did drop during the financial crisis. But they started increasing after a few months and haven’t stopped since.

Real estate agent Brendan Powell says bidding wars are the norm in many Toronto neighborhoods — even for tiny homes, like this 14-foot-wide row house.

It was kind of one of the last houses I think we would have had a shot at because the price of the housing goes up every week, as the spring goes on. So we thought this might be our last chance.

- Toronto resident Jeff Douglas, on the $632,000 home he bought

“Last year, we were seeing bidding wars that went up to $100,000 over, and that was a really big deal,” Powell says. “Now we’ve actually seen a handful that were more than that — maybe twice that — which is insanity.”

Powell’s partner, Melanie Piche, says record-low interest rates are fueling the insanity. To keep the economy going, the Bank of Canada has held its prime lending rate at 1 percent. This winter, banks were offering mortgages for less than 3 percent, making house prices more affordable for many buyers.

“For every extra $50,000, they’re only looking at an extra $200 a month, or $210 or $220 at the current rates. And those numbers are manageable for a lot of people,” Piche says. “So, suddenly you can get the house that you want for an extra $220 a month — go for it. And you’ve just paid $50,000 more than what you were planning on paying.”

Powell and Piche don’t believe the Canadian real estate market will crash the way the U.S. market did. Canadian banks have stricter lending rules, and they’re not allowed to give mortgages to people with no job or income. But analyst Ben Rabidoux is one of many experts who believe house-crazy Canadians are spending themselves into financial disaster.

“All of the models scream to me that we’re looking at house prices nationally that are overvalued on the order of 30 percent — at least,” Rabidoux says.

To buy their homes, Canadians have built up more debt than ever. Most can afford it, as long as interest rates stay low. But the government has warned that rates could start going up soon. When that happens, some studies show that at least a million Canadians will be in over their heads.

Rabidoux predicts people will stop spending, house prices will drop, and the economy will fall into a deep recession. Douglas says he knows that’s a risk. But he’s willing to live with it.

“We made a choice as much on quality of life as much as the actual quality of the investment,” Douglas says. “If it goes down, it goes down. And you sell at a loss, like it happens on the stock market all the time.”

Despite his upbeat outlook, Douglas says he’s stopped buying coffee at Starbucks and cut back on nachos and beer nights to help pay his mortgage.

Article source: http://www.npr.org/2012/05/15/152275466/canadas-housing-market-booms-experts-see-trouble?ft=1&f=1004

OTTAWA, May 14 (UPI) — Canada is going ahead with a military shake-up that will mean a leaner armed forces infrastructure and implications for future procurements from defense industries.

The shake-up comes soon after government-Parliament controversies over the air force F-35 program, which the auditor general roundly criticized for alleged lack of transparency and poor performance of government departments and officials responsible for military procurement.

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government is under fire over its alleged failure to effectively manage Canada’s multibillion-dollar procurement program for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter. Canada has set out to buy 65 of the Joint Strike Fighters, to coordinate defenses with other NATO members but the procurement plans are increasingly in doubt.

Canadian opposition politicians frequently criticize the F-35 program for being overblown with an undefined final cost for purchase and maintenance for the duration of the jets’ 36-year lifespan. Harper’s government has struggled to satisfy critics, including Auditor General Michael Ferguson.

Ferguson said the government’s costing of the program had “several things missing.”

He also said in his April 3 report Harper’s department didn’t exercise due diligence in choosing the F-35 to replace the aging CF-18, wasn’t forthcoming with Parliament about the jets’ true estimated cost and made key decisions without required approvals or proper documentation.

Since that damning report, Harper’s government has been busy with damage control.

The proposed shake-up in the armed forces’ command structure is designed to cut costs and streamline the 68,000-strong force.

The cuts, aimed at cooling tempers in Parliament, contrast with continuing military spending in Afghanistan and elsewhere and reports that Canada spent seven times the estimated figure helping NATO topple Moammar Gadhafi in Libya.

Newly released National Defense documents indicated Canada’s Libya mission cost $350 million, seven times the cost admitted by Defense Minister Peter MacKay.

Canada pulled out of its Kandahar base in December but Canadian troops are still in Afghanistan on training duty. Canada’s involvement in the project cost the lives of 157 Canadian troops and more than $11 billion.

As with the F-35 controversy, Harper’s response has been to restructure, rename and rebrand areas under scrutiny in other parts of the armed forces.

A new Joint Operations Command will bring together various units of the Canadian army under one command that will supervise all operations in Canada and abroad.

“Transformation is built on some hard-learned lessons from a period of unrelenting operational pace,” MacKay said.

He said the shake-up “will give the (Canadian forces) the agility to adapt as the future security environment dictates at the best cost to Canadian taxpayers.”

MacKay said the reorganization will “result in a 25 percent reduction in national-level command and control overhead, and it will make more efficient use of administrative resources,” the statement added.

Chief of the Defense Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk said the new command structure will lead to a leaner but more efficient organization but “with the same excellence in operational support to all of our people, at home and abroad.”

Earlier the navy announced similar cuts by bringing together five naval schools.

The defense cutbacks mean less earnings for defense suppliers within Canada and abroad. Estimates of the full impact of the reduced spending aren’t known.

Article source: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2012/05/14/Canada-overhauls-army-command/UPI-97241337031513/

Global stocks slid to their lowest point in months on concern Greece could leave the euro zone, while oil prices fell after a move by economic powerhouse China to prop up lending sparked fears its economy was weaker than has been thought.

Investors took refuge in government debt and the safe-haven U.S. dollar. The euro hit a near four-month low against the dollar.

While the Canadian dollar slid further below parity with its U.S. counterpart, it gained against many other major currencies, buoyed by memories of Friday’s strong Canadian employment report and the prospect of eventual rate hikes.

“You look at how the currency has performed relative to most of the crosses, and it is actually not bad,” said David Tulk, chief Canada macro strategist at TD Securities.

“It’s still a risk-off day and that lifts the U.S. dollar, so it is not too surprising to see the Canadian dollar generally weaker. But Canada relative to the Australia dollar, or relative to the euro, is outperforming. We’re doing better than most others against the U.S.,” Tulk noted.

The Canadian dollar ended the North American session at C$1.0029 versus the U.S. dollar, or 99.71 U.S. cents, down slightly from Friday’s close at C$1.0009 versus the U.S. dollar, or 99.91 U.S. cents.

But it hit its strongest level against the Australian dollar since October and was at its firmest against the euro since January of 2011.

The Canadian dollar was also holding in relatively well compared to global stock markets, noted Carlos Leitao, chief economist at Laurentian Bank Securities.

“The loonie hasn’t lost as much as the equity markets would have suggested. There is some underlying strength to the Canadian dollar despite this large-scale aversion to risk,” Leitao said.

The currency was supported by data on Friday that showed Canada added 58,200 jobs in April, mostly full-time, after a whopping gain of 82,300 new positions in March, increasing bets that the Bank of Canada might start to tighten policy sooner than previously thought.

Higher interest rates tend to support currencies by attracting global capital flows.

With stock markets tumbling on Monday, Canadian bond prices climbed across the curve. The two-year government bond rose 3.5 Canadian cents to yield 1.284 percent, while Canada’s 10-year bond jumped 21 Canadian cents to yield 1.948 percent.

(With additional reporting by Jon Cook; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson)

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-dollar-slips-fears-greek-euro-exit-122807113--finance.html

Canada’s six-largest lenders including Royal Bank of
Canada (RY), the biggest bank, as well as Credit Union Central of
Canada and Desjardins Financial Group agreed to voluntary
guidelines to develop mobile payments at retail outlets across
the country, the Canadian Bankers Association said today in a
statement.

Google Inc. (GOOG) introduced its Google Wallet payment system
across the U.S. last year, and Nokia Oyj (NOK1V) and its software
partner Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) are also building functionality into
phones sold through their partnership.

Canada risks falling behind other countries in
competitiveness unless it adopts a “modern” digital payments
system that allows consumers to pay with mobile devices,
according to a December report from a task force set up by
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

Financial services firms in Canada have already been
experimenting with various electronic payment systems. Bank of
Montreal in September introduced its Mobile PayPass Tag,
allowing its MasterCard users to make purchases through a
sticker affixed to their mobile phone.

Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM), the Waterloo, Ontario-based
BlackBerry maker, is among handset makers introducing Near Field
Communication technology, also known as NFC, into its latest
models to allow wireless payments by swiping the device across a
scanner.

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-14/canada-s-banks-pursue-mobile-payments-to-catch-u-s-europe.html?cmpid=yhoo

By Randall Palmer

OTTAWA (Reuters) – If European countries are not prepared to bail out fellow euro zone members, maybe they should just abandon the whole concept of a common currency, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Monday in some of his most direct remarks on the issue.

“This is a time of crisis in the euro zone. The whole future of the euro zone is up for grabs, and this is very important for many of the euro zone member countries, given the history of Europe in the last 100 years or so,” Flaherty told CTV television.

“So they have to show courage. They have to do the right thing, use some of their taxpayers’ money to bail out some of the weaker members of the euro zone – or start moving away from the euro zone and just say this was an experiment that has not worked.”

Flaherty, who has been a harsh critic of what he calls European incrementalism, also predicted a disorderly restructuring of the euro zone if Greek voters reject their country’s recent bailout.

“If the voters of Greece reject the deal that was signed that involves austerity for the Greek government, which doesn’t exist right now, then they will demonstrating a choice,” he said in a separate interview with CBC television.

“And that choice to me means that there would have to be some restructuring of the euro zone. We don’t exactly know how that can be accomplished. It’s certain to be disorderly. And that’s not good for markets. It’s not good for the banking system around the world.”

He said it was not clear to him that the Spanish and Italian governments would “be able to manage what needs to be done given the unwillingness of many voters to go along with that kind of economic reform.”

Canada’s banks, budget and economy came through the 2007-09 financial crisis in better shape than those of most other major developed countries, and Flaherty has often been blunt in urging swift and comprehensive action by Europe.
  Continued…

Article source: http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCABRE84D17520120514

OTTAWA, May 14 (UPI) — Canada is going ahead with a military shake-up that will mean a leaner armed forces infrastructure and implications for future procurements from defense industries.

The shake-up comes soon after government-Parliament controversies over the air force F-35 program, which the auditor general roundly criticized for alleged lack of transparency and poor performance of government departments and officials responsible for military procurement.

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government is under fire over its alleged failure to effectively manage Canada’s multibillion-dollar procurement program for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter. Canada has set out to buy 65 of the Joint Strike Fighters, to coordinate defenses with other NATO members but the procurement plans are increasingly in doubt.

Canadian opposition politicians frequently criticize the F-35 program for being overblown with an undefined final cost for purchase and maintenance for the duration of the jets’ 36-year lifespan. Harper’s government has struggled to satisfy critics, including Auditor General Michael Ferguson.

Ferguson said the government’s costing of the program had “several things missing.”

He also said in his April 3 report Harper’s department didn’t exercise due diligence in choosing the F-35 to replace the aging CF-18, wasn’t forthcoming with Parliament about the jets’ true estimated cost and made key decisions without required approvals or proper documentation.

Since that damning report, Harper’s government has been busy with damage control.

The proposed shake-up in the armed forces’ command structure is designed to cut costs and streamline the 68,000-strong force.

The cuts, aimed at cooling tempers in Parliament, contrast with continuing military spending in Afghanistan and elsewhere and reports that Canada spent seven times the estimated figure helping NATO topple Moammar Gadhafi in Libya.

Newly released National Defense documents indicated Canada’s Libya mission cost $350 million, seven times the cost admitted by Defense Minister Peter MacKay.

Canada pulled out of its Kandahar base in December but Canadian troops are still in Afghanistan on training duty. Canada’s involvement in the project cost the lives of 157 Canadian troops and more than $11 billion.

As with the F-35 controversy, Harper’s response has been to restructure, rename and rebrand areas under scrutiny in other parts of the armed forces.

A new Joint Operations Command will bring together various units of the Canadian army under one command that will supervise all operations in Canada and abroad.

“Transformation is built on some hard-learned lessons from a period of unrelenting operational pace,” MacKay said.

He said the shake-up “will give the (Canadian forces) the agility to adapt as the future security environment dictates at the best cost to Canadian taxpayers.”

MacKay said the reorganization will “result in a 25 percent reduction in national-level command and control overhead, and it will make more efficient use of administrative resources,” the statement added.

Chief of the Defense Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk said the new command structure will lead to a leaner but more efficient organization but “with the same excellence in operational support to all of our people, at home and abroad.”

Earlier the navy announced similar cuts by bringing together five naval schools.

The defense cutbacks mean less earnings for defense suppliers within Canada and abroad. Estimates of the full impact of the reduced spending aren’t known.

Article source: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2012/05/14/Canada-overhauls-army-command/UPI-97241337031513/?spt=hs&or=si

Article source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/14/markets-canada-dollar-bonds-idUSL1E8GE1IO20120514

Canada’s six-largest lenders including Royal Bank of
Canada (RY), the biggest bank, as well as Credit Union Central of
Canada and Desjardins Financial Group agreed to voluntary
guidelines to develop mobile payments at retail outlets across
the country, the Canadian Bankers Association said today in a
statement.

Google Inc. (GOOG) introduced its Google Wallet payment system
across the U.S. last year, and Nokia Oyj (NOK1V) and its software
partner Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) are also building functionality into
phones sold through their partnership.

Canada risks falling behind other countries in
competitiveness unless it adopts a “modern” digital payments
system that allows consumers to pay with mobile devices,
according to a December report from a task force set up by
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

Financial services firms in Canada have already been
experimenting with various electronic payment systems. Bank of
Montreal in September introduced its Mobile PayPass Tag,
allowing its MasterCard users to make purchases through a
sticker affixed to their mobile phone.

Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM), the Waterloo, Ontario-based
BlackBerry maker, is among handset makers introducing Near Field
Communication technology, also known as NFC, into its latest
models to allow wireless payments by swiping the device across a
scanner.

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-14/canada-s-banks-pursue-mobile-payments-to-catch-u-s-europe.html

Stocks fell on Monday but the SP 500 came off lows after slipping below a key support level on fears of worsening …

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/canada-u-consult-facilitating-cross-190000312.html

A joint statement issued Monday outlined agreement on a tax convention and a committment to two-trade as a “platform” for the two countries to “explore further collaboration in the areas of energy policies and regulations, renewable and nuclear energy, carbon capture and storage, energy efficiency, and shale gas development.”

The statement came as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrapped up a three-day tour of Canada Monday, with an official visit to Parliament Hill and a private meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“As responsible governments we must care for energy security from the strategic perspective of both Canada and Poland,” Tusk told reporters after their meeting. “The exploration and production of shale gas seems to be absolutely crucial.”

“Canada is a leader in the production of virtually all forms of energy and we have considerable Canadian companies that are interested in working in Poland,” Harper said.

In response to a question from a Polish reporter about shale gas development, Harper said the best way to address local concerns is “full, open and transparent environmental processes that examine people’s concerns on a scientific basis.”

“Not on the basis of politics, but on the basis of science,” Harper added.

In addition to the expanded energy partnership, Canada and Poland have signed a new tax convention to replace a previous agreement dating back to 1987.

The double-taxation agreement will lower the maximum rate of withholding tax imposed on dividends paid between companies and on interest payments. It’s intended to increase trade and bilateral investment for companies doing business between the two countries.

Harper and Tusk began working on the tax agreement during their 2008 meeting in Gdansk, Poland.

Following the signing of the tax convention, Harper began the two leaders’ joint news conference by remembering that an earlier official visit to Canada planned for 2010 was cancelled following a plane crash that claimed the life of Poland’s then-president Lech Kaczynski, his wife and several other senior officials.

“Today we again remember them and renew our expressions of sorrow,” Harper said, lauding the “deep historic partnership between Canada and Poland” demonstrated more recently during the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

Harper called Poland “an important market for Canadian exports” and complimented Tusk’s leadership in noting that Poland is the only EU country to have avoided a recession since the 2008-09 global economic crisis.

Tusk returned the favour, pledging to represent Canada’s interests across Europe.

“It’s not my place to tell the Europeans how to resolve problems within the European Union,” Harper said in declining to reveal Canada’s prefered course for solving the EU’s economic woes, other than to insist the “serious” problems be addressed.

Tusk was a student leader in the Polish Solidarity movement, which took hold as communism crumbled in Eastern Europe at the end of the Cold War.

“There is much that draws us together,” Harper said, noting the “vibrant” Polish-Canadian population of more than a million people, and pledging that the bilateral relationship will be “further strengthened” when Canada concludes negotiations on a free trade deal with Europe, expected later this year.

The Canadian government also announced a $400,000 grant for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, to assist with the preservation of its Holocaust memorial site.

On Sunday, Tusk visited the community of Wilno, Ont., the site of the first Polish settlement in Canada in the mid-1850s.

Tusk noted that the original settlers were Kashubian Poles from the region around his own hometown of Gdansk. “They are the best testimony to how great a place to live Canada is for people of different histories, different backgrounds, different languages [and] different nationalities.”

The Polish prime minister also visited the Quadra copper mine in Sudbury, which was purchased by the Polish mining group KGHM in March. Tusk heralded it as an example of cooperation between the two countries in the resource sector. Harper noted that the $2.9-billion investment in Canada’s mining sector is one of the largest Polish investments in the world.

Tusk’s visit concludes Monday with additional meetings in the afternoon followed by an evening reception for the Polish community on Parliament Hill.

Article source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/canada-poland-set-expand-energy-relationship-165934713.html

Stocks fell on Monday but the SP 500 came off lows after slipping below a key support level on fears of worsening …

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/canada-united-states-release-joint-180900795.html

Montreal, QC (PRWEB) May 14, 2012

Canada is continuing its mission to combat transnational crime in the Caribbean Basin by providing Barbados with ballistics identification equipment manufactured by Montreal-based Forensic Technology Inc.

The Honorable Diane Ablonczy, Canada’s Minister of State of Foreign Affairs, announced earlier this month that Canada and the Caribbean states are establishing a Regional Integrated Ballistic Information Network (RIBIN) for the Caribbean Basin, with an initial investment of $800,000. Those funds will be used to purchase IBIS TRAX-3D equipment that the Royal Barbados Police Force can use to link crimes, guns and suspects, both locally and throughout the Caribbean to other IBIS-equipped sites.

Ablonczy explained that RIBIN will help CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Member States identify and track bullet casings through ballistic identification and information sharing. She believes that the RIBIN the network will lead to more successful investigations and prosecutions for crimes committed with firearms.

“Security issues in the Caribbean are of great concern to Canada, and have an impact throughout the hemisphere,” said Minister of State Ablonczy. “Transnational criminal activity not only undermines democracy, prosperity and the rule of law within our hemisphere, but also affects the safety of Canadians and the security of Canadian interests at home and in the region. Insecurity in the hemisphere affects us all; so it is also true that improved security will benefit us all.”

The Canadian Government is providing $2 million and is funded by the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada’s Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP). The ACCBP supports countries in the Americas to prevent and respond to threats posed by transnational organized criminal networks operating throughout the western hemisphere.

The IBIS TRAX-3D systems are being implemented by Forensic Technology Inc., Regional Security System of the Eastern Caribbean, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Justice Section and were deployed in January, 2012.

“IBIS TRAX-3D is an excellent tool for helping police link firearm crimes and identify suspects. As more Caribbean countries join RIBIN, more evidence of transnational crime is gathered, thereby enriching the network and providing more investigative leads for police,” said Robert Walsh, President of Forensic Technology Inc. “We are honoured that the Canadian government and the Department Foreign Affairs and International Trade have entrusted us to help CARICOM Member States in a way that will truly make a difference.”

About Forensic Technology

Forensic Technology pioneered automated ballistics identification more than twenty years ago and continues to be a leader in ballistics and firearms identification technologies that promote a safer society. We partner with hundreds of public safety agencies in nearly 70 countries and territories, providing cost-effective and sustainable solutions.

IBIS-TRAX 3D is the latest generation of IBIS technology which incorporates all of the benefits of IBIS and raises them to an entirely new dimension of crime solving value through increased automation, new 3D imaging with the ability to take accurate measurements to the nanometer level and capture more crucial data for better correlation accuracy, and 2D imaging to leverage visualization and ensure backward compatibility with existing IBIS 2D systems.

Andre Demers
Forensic Technology, Inc.
514-485-5610
Email Information

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-helps-barbados-combat-crime-ballistics-system-105610853.html

Toronto Maple Leafs defender Dion Phaneuf scored twice, while Edmonton Oilers goaltender Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves for a shutout to virtually assure Canada a top-place finish in their group.

Canada looked in complete control from the starting face-off making Kazakhstan goalkeeper Vitali Kolesnik the most busy player at the ice of Hartwall arena.

But Canadians, who won their last world title in 2007, squandered a hatful of chances before Phaneuf scored the opening goal with 4:15 before the first interval on powerplay.

In the second Canada missed further numerous opportunities but scored through Anaheim Ducks winger Corey Perry, who skated behind Kazakhstan’s net to send the puck in from behind the goal line at 32:05.

Vancouver Canucks left wing Alexandre Burrows added a shorthanded goal with 2:57 before the second break to make it 3-0.

In the third Kazakhstan ran out of gas allowing Evander Kane, John Tavares, Teddy Purcell and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to score one apiece, while Phaneuf netted his second of the match to complete the rout in the two teams’ first ever meeting at the worlds.In Stockholm, the event’s co-hosts Sweden experienced few troubles on their way to a confident 4-0 win over Italy to join leaders Russia atop their group.

The Swedes started in lively fashion with Chicago Blackhawks centre Marcus Kruger opening the score 5:13 into the match, while blueliner Staffan Kronwall added his goal with 48sec remaining in the first period for a 2-0 advantage.

Ottawa Senators rear guard Erik Karlsson scored on two-man powerplay 5:45 into the second, while Colorado Avalanche winger Gabriel Landeskog completed the scoring 1:45 into the third.

In the early Helsinki match 2002 champions Slovakia thrashed Belarus 5-1 to boost their chances of making the knockout round.

Buffalo Sabres rear guard Andrej Sekera put Slovakia into the lead at 6:45 wristing the puck in from just inside the blue line through the traffic.

In the second Branko Radivojevic, Michel Miklik, Tomas Kopecky and Juraj Mikus scored one apiece to give Slovakis a commanding 5-0 advantage before Alexei Kalyuzhny netted a consolation for Belarus.

France recorded their second win at the event beating Switzerland 4-2 to chalk up their fourth win over the Swiss side in their 13th head-to-head meeting at the world championships.

Forward Stephane da Costa scored a double while veteran ‘keeper Cristobal Huet produced 41 saves to add three points to the French team’s balance to jump into    fifth place in their group, three points behind the fourth-placed Slovakia.

Norway also set their sights on a quarter-final spot after they beat Latvia 3-0 in Stockholm to go fourth.

Germany meanwhile battled back from a goal down in their clash with Denmark to notch their second win at the tournament 2-1.—AFP

Article source: http://dawn.com/2012/05/14/canada-whip-kazakhstan-to-confirm-pool-lead/

“If you want to speculate, don’t call yourself a bank,
call yourself a hedge fund,” Clark said, in an interview with
Bloomberg Television’s Erik Schatzker a day before Dimon
announced a $2 billion loss at JPMorgan Chase Co. “A huge
portion of Wall Street’s earnings were built around the model of
‘I’m going to bet against my clients.”’

Clark’s “old-fashioned” approach of lending money to
businesses and consumers has helped Canada’s second-biggest bank
post a three-year return that is 11 times higher than JPMorgan’s,
with almost half the volatility. Toronto-Dominion is among four
Canadian banks that rank among the world’s 10 strongest, based
on a survey by Bloomberg Markets magazine this month.

Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan (JPM), said the trades
at the chief investment office unit that led to the loss may not
break the Volcker rules on proprietary trading, though they go
against his own guidelines at the New York-based bank.

“We do believe you need to have the ability to hedge in a
CIO-type position, and that Volcker allows that,” he said on a
May 10 conference call. “This trading may not violate the
Volcker rule, but it violates the Dimon principle.”

More Losses

Dimon, 56, told investors that his bank took flawed
positions on synthetic credit securities, which may cost the
lender an additional $1 billion this quarter or next. JPMorgan
plunged 9.3 percent on May 11, the biggest drop since Aug. 8.

Dimon said yesterday he was “dead wrong” in initially
dismissing news reports scrutinizing trades that led to the loss
and that the incident gives ammunition to proponents of tighter
regulations.

“This is a very unfortunate and inopportune time to have
this kind of mistake,” Dimon said in an interview broadcast on
NBC’s “Meet the Press.” After news broke on the magnitude of
the bank’s bets, “we got very defensive, and people started
justifying everything we did,” he said.

Clark, without referring specifically to JPMorgan, said
banks should stick to what he calls old-fashioned banking and
avoid speculative bets with the lenders’ own money.

“What fundamentally happened in the mid-90s is that banks
– particularly the ones that were securities dealers — started
to drift away from saying ‘I’m here to help my clients,’ to
saying ‘Geez, I can make money taking deposits and investing
them and speculating with them and get proprietary profits’,”
said Clark, 64. “I think it’s a very unfortunate drift.”

World’s Strongest

By recording fewer writedowns than his peers and not
needing government bailouts during the financial crisis, Clark’s
Toronto-Dominion was named the fourth-strongest bank in the
world in a ranking by Bloomberg Markets magazine. JPMorgan, the
largest and most profitable U.S. bank, was ranked 13th.

Clark cites Canada’s principle-based regulations and high
capital requirements with helping the country’s lenders avoid
the losses that have hurt banks in the U.S. and Europe. Canada’s
financial system has been named the soundest for four straight
years by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum.

The Canadian banking model has “much closer attention paid
to the core banking operations, the traditional things that
banking does,” said Kurt Schacht, a managing director at the
CFA Institute in New York. “Everybody likes that and I hear
people kind of constantly point north and say ‘why can’t we get
it right like the Canadians got it right?”’

Irony

Clark, who has spent about $25 billion expanding into the
U.S. over the past six years, said Toronto-Dominion has a
consumer bank focus that puts clients’ needs before those of
bankers and short-term investors. The bank, which has more
branches in the U.S. than in Canada, exited a structured-
products business that included collateralized debt obligations
in 2005 because Clark said he didn’t understand the risks
associated with it.

“The irony is that if you actually do that, I think
shareholders turn out to be better served in the long run,”
said Clark. “You should get up every morning and say ‘my job
is to figure out how my client can make more money, and I know
that I’ll be rewarded doing that.”’

Toronto-Dominion climbed 78 percent over the last three
years, compared with a 9.2 percent gain for JPMorgan. In
addition, TD had a risk-adjusted return of 3.71 percent over the
period, compared to 0.3 percent at JPMorgan. Toronto-Dominion is
one of just four banks rated Aaa by Moody’s Investors Service,
three notches higher than JPMorgan.

Clark, who became CEO in 2002 and said this year he is in
his “final years” at the head of Toronto-Dominion, said he’s
in favor of the world’s largest banks paying capital surcharges
as a cushion against potential drops.

Capital Surcharge

“It makes me a little unpopular with my colleagues,” said
Clark. “I do think we have to recognize that as you get bigger
and bigger and more complex — and I think that most people
would say it’s the complexity that’s the issue less than pure
size — the consequences of you getting it wrong for society are
larger.”

Dimon is among executives who say that excessive capital
surcharges on the largest banks could limit lending. JPMorgan
may face a top capital surcharge of 2.5 percentage points,
according to a provisional list prepared by global regulators
and obtained by Bloomberg News last year.

The list was drawn up as part of plans by the Group of 20
nations to force banks whose failure could damage the global
economy to boost their reserves by 1 to 2.5 percentage points
above minimum levels agreed on by international regulators.

Clark Versus Dimon

Clark and Dimon also differ on proposed regulations such as
the Volcker rule that would limit banks’ proprietary trading.
Clark says there is tension between “old-fashioned” bankers
and those opposing Volcker and new capital requirements under
Basel III.

“There’s tremendous regulatory pressure to say ‘why don’t
you get back to old-fashioned banking?’ Clark said from a bank
branch below his Toronto office on Bay Street. “And I think
there’s some of us that cheer that and say that’s fundamentally
right.”

Dimon has said the Volcker rule places domestic banks at a
disadvantage to foreign rivals that aren’t subject to the same
restrictions in their home countries. The ban, named after
former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, is part of
the Dodd-Frank financial-reform law.

JPMorgan spokesman Joseph Evangelisti didn’t return a phone
call seeking comment.

‘Phenomenal Banker’

Clark called Dimon “a phenomenal banker.”

“If we had to choose, most people would choose him and not
me,” Clark said, adding that regulators are trying to get
JPMorgan and others to change the business model.

“Do I think 10 years from now JPMorgan will be out of
business because of Basel III? No,” said Clark. “They’ll
figure out another way to make money, but in a way that may be
more investing in the economy and less speculating against
competitors.”

To contact the reporters on this story:
Erik Schatzker in New York at
eschatzker@bloomberg.net;
Sean B. Pasternak in Toronto at
spasternak@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
David Scanlan at
dscanlan@bloomberg.net;
David Scheer at
dscheer@bloomberg.net

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-14/no-trading-for-dimon-principle-with-ceo-clark-corporate-canada.html

Hesjedal, who is from Victoria, is the first Canadian to ever lead the race.

Domenico Pozzovivo took the eighth stage thanks to a break just under seven kilometres from the finish of the gruelling 229-kilometre leg from Sulmona to Lago Laceno to win in six hours six minutes five seconds.

The Colnago-CSF Inox rider was 23 seconds ahead of Movistar’s Benat Intxausti.

“It’s not possible, I can’t believe it,” Pozzovivo said. “I’ve been dreaming of this since last autumn. And it happened how I wanted it to, with a clear victory. I rode beside (Movistar cyclist Giovanni) Visconti and I told him I’m going now and we’ll see each other after the finish. Giovanni laughed at me and just said try not to bring anyone close to you … that’s what I did and I realized my dream.”

Joaquin Rodriguez led the peloton over the line 27 seconds after Pozzovivo to close the gap on Hesjedal to nine seconds in the overall standings.

“That was a tough day. Really happy to hang onto the jersey,” said Hesjedal, who rides for Garmin-Barracuda. “The team was incredible again and really showed our strength in the hard beginning of the stage.

“We were happy with the break and the guys did a great job defending the jersey. I just had to follow my closest competitors on the final climb and I was able to do that. Mission accomplished.”

Defending champion Michele Scarponi moved up into 12th, 54 seconds behind Hesjedal, while two-time winner Ivan Basso is in sixth, 40 seconds behind the Garmin-Barracuda cyclist.

Andrey Amador, Julien Berard, Tomasz Marczynski and Miguel Minguez broke early and had an advantage of 11 minutes about 100 kilometres into the stage.

However, as expected, the stage was decided on the ascent of the category 2 Colle Molella climb to the finish. The 9.9-kilometre climb has an average gradient of 6.0 per cent and includes several hairpin turns with gradients of between 10 per cent and 12 per cent.

Pozzovivo timed his attack to perfection, just under three kilometres from the top of the climb and powered ahead to claim the victory. Now he’s looking forward to the other big climbs later in the race.

“I would like to do well at the Piani dei Resinelli (on stage 15) and the Stelvio (on stage 20),” he said. “The Stelvio Pass is a bit like home for me. Seeing as it’s been a long while that I haven’t raced it I know they are waiting for me and I don’t want to disappoint them.”

RadioShack’s Daniele Bennati had a fever and did not start. Neither did Dennis van Winden, who had a knee problem. Eight riders have now quit the Giro after Gianni Meersman pulled out on Saturday and Pablo Lastras Garcia, Tyler Farrar, Thor Hushovd and Romain Feillu retired on Friday.

Dominique Rollin of Boucherville, Que., was 100th to go up six places to 144th overall. Svein Tuft of Langely, B.C., was well back at 150th for the stage to remain 161st overall.

Christian Meier of Sussex, N.B., finished 179th to improve to 135th overall.

The Giro continues Monday with a sprinter’s stage, the 171-kilometre leg from San Giorgio del Sannio to Frosinone.

The Associated Press

Article source: http://www.thespec.com/sports/article/723922--canada-s-hesjedal-retains-giro-d-italia-lead-as-pozzovivo-wins-eighth-stage

VANCOUVER—For almost a century, Canada’s economy has been firmly tethered to its much larger southern neighbor. Now, Canadian officials and executives also are betting their future on China.

Canada’s economic reliance on the U.S. has ebbed for decades amid sporadic efforts to diversify. But weak demand from a prolonged economic downturn south of the border has accelerated the move, sending Canadian companies looking for new markets.

Climbing oil production in the U.S. is upending American demand for Canadian hydrocarbons. That has spooked Ottawa, suddenly worried about finding buyers for its own growing crude exports, almost all of which now flows …

Article source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304177104577311921156382152.html

Not only does the team control its own destiny on the Helsinki side of the tournament, it also appears to be rounding into form heading into the pressure packed final week. An 8-0 victory over Kazakhstan on Saturday may not have held much suspense, but it did offer evidence that Canada is headed in the right direction — particularly since it came just 24 hours after an emotional victory over the host Finns.

More related to this story

• Tavares’ make supporting Canada at the world championship a family affair
• Sweden blanks Italy to tie Russia atop group at IIHF Worlds
• The fight that changed hockey

Photos

In pictures: Philadelphia, Montreal and a game-changing brawl

“We did a real good job of making sure our focus was where it needed to be today,” said Canadian coach Brent Sutter. “We played a real solid 60 minutes and it’s a tremendous credit to the players that they handled it the right way.”

Devan Dubnyk stopped all 24 shots he faced while Dion Phaneuf scored twice as Canada spread its offence around.

Kazakhstan arrived at this tournament looking to earn respect from the top hockey nations and managed to take the Americans to overtime on Friday before losing 3-2. They also started well against Canada, keeping the score to 1-0 through the first 30 minutes.

“It was a tight game early,” said Phaneuf. “They came out hard. We respected them as an opponent — I think any team in this tournament has proven it can win on any given night.”

The Kazaks saw their slim chance at an upset disappear because Canada stuck to its game plan and eventually wore them out. It was a patient performance by the Canadians, who broke their opponent’s will with an aggressive and disciplined game.

“We fell like rocks down a hill,” said Kazak forward Konstantin Pushkarev. “It looks like we were gassed and we’ve got no emotions. It was a pretty bad game for us.

“We just stopped playing.”

Corey Perry, Alex Burrows, Evander Kane, John Tavares, Teddy Purcell and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored on a night where all but five players recorded at least one point for Canada (5-0-1). Duncan Keith and Ryan Getzlaf each added three assists.

Kazakhstan faced Canada for the first time ever in world championship play and saw its record drop to 0-5-1. The team will be relegated to the lower level Group A world championship next year.

Canada, meanwhile, can clinch the top seed in the Helsinki pool with a victory in its final round robin game against Belarus on Tuesday. After that, it will need three straight victories to claim the country’s first world championship gold since 2007.

“We’re playing the way that we want to play,” said Phaneuf.

Canada should take some confidence away from the fact it didn’t suffer a major letdown after the big comeback win over Finland. That game was played in front of a rocking sold out crowd at Hartwall Arena — a far cry from the library-like atmosphere with just 4,151 people in the building Saturday.

The goals didn’t come quickly.

Kazakhstan killed a penalty in the first period and managed to keep Canada off the scoresheet for 15 minutes. Phaneuf eventually got things started on his team’s second man advantage with a hard slapshot that beat Vitali Kolesnik at 15:45 to make it 1-0.

However, the Kazaks didn’t go away — testing Dubnyk with 10 shots in the second period. Roman Savchenko had a glorious chance to tie the game with the Canadian goalie down and out, but he fired high with the team’s best scoring chance of the night.

“It was still fresh ice,” said Dubnyk. “As I went down, I slid a bit to my right more than I would have liked. It just went off my pad and right to their guy. Lucky for me he chopped it over (the net).”

Perry gave Canada a little breathing room with a nice wraparound goal at 12:05 before Jordan Eberle earned an assist the hard way. He was knocked to the ice by Vladislav Kolesnikov, who had just come out of the penalty box, but had the puck go right to Burrows for a goal at 17:03.

Eberle wasn’t shaken up on the play.

“He just clipped me,” he said.

The game turned into a rout in the final 20 minutes.

Early goals 50 seconds apart by Kane, Tavares and Purcell chased Kolesnik from the net before Phaneuf got his second goal of the night at 5:53 against backup Vitali Yeremeyev.

“We wanted to try and wear them down and try and wear their belief down,” said Tavares. “I think over the course of the game we did that. Eventually, we got the results that we wanted.”

Dubnyk earned his first career world championship shutout. He had to stand tall during a late 5-on-3 disadvantage that prompted Kazakhstan to call a timeout in the final minute to draw up a play.

“I was joking with the ref,” said Dubnyk. “I said ‘Come on, there’s 50 seconds left, let’s just get out of here.“’

There were smiles all around when the final buzzer sounded on a satisfying victory. It could have been a trap game against a weaker opponent but Canada played exactly as it intended to.

“You want to just keep your good habits and stay as focused as you can,” said Eberle. “Obviously, it can be tough. But you have to be prepared for the games ahead and all of that starts with good habits.”

Notes: Canadian forward Ryan O’Reilly sat out with a lower-body injury. He should be back on Tuesday. … Kane was credited with 11 shots in a team-best 17:59 of ice time. … The Kazakhstan roster features four players who were part of the country’s upset victory over Canada at the 1998 world junior tournament. … Pushkarev is a former second-round pick by Los Angeles who has appeared in 17 career NHL games.

Article source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/canada-routs-kazakhstan-at-the-world-hockey-championship/article2430931/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2430931

Not only does the team control its own destiny on the Helsinki side of the tournament, it also appears to be rounding into form heading into the pressure packed final week. An 8-0 victory over Kazakhstan on Saturday may not have held much suspense, but it did offer evidence that Canada is headed in the right direction — particularly since it came just 24 hours after an emotional victory over the host Finns.

“We did a real good job of making sure our focus was where it needed to be today,� said Canadian coach Brent Sutter. “We played a real solid 60 minutes and it’s a tremendous credit to the players that they handled it the right way.�

Devan Dubnyk stopped all 24 shots he faced while Dion Phaneuf scored twice as Canada spread its offence around.

Kazakhstan arrived at this tournament looking to earn respect from the top hockey nations and managed to take the Americans to overtime on Friday before losing 3-2. They also started well against Canada, keeping the score to 1-0 through the first 30 minutes.

“It was a tight game early,� said Phaneuf. “They came out hard. We respected them as an opponent — I think any team in this tournament has proven it can win on any given night.�

The Kazaks saw their slim chance at an upset disappear because Canada stuck to its game plan and eventually wore them out. It was a patient performance by the Canadians, who broke their opponent’s will with an aggressive and disciplined game.

“We fell like rocks down a hill,� said Kazak forward Konstantin Pushkarev. “It looks like we were gassed and we’ve got no emotions. It was a pretty bad game for us.

“We just stopped playing.�

Corey Perry, Alex Burrows, Evander Kane, John Tavares, Teddy Purcell and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored on a night where all but five players recorded at least one point for Canada (5-0-1). Duncan Keith and Ryan Getzlaf each added three assists.

Kazakhstan faced Canada for the first time ever in world championship play and saw its record drop to 0-5-1. The team will be relegated to the lower level Group A world championship next year.

Canada, meanwhile, can clinch the top seed in the Helsinki pool with a victory in its final round robin game against Belarus on Tuesday. After that, it will need three straight victories to claim the country’s first world championship gold since 2007.

“We’re playing the way that we want to play,� said Phaneuf.

Canada should take some confidence away from the fact it didn’t suffer a major letdown after the big comeback win over Finland. That game was played in front of a rocking sold out crowd at Hartwall Arena — a far cry from the library-like atmosphere with just 4,151 people in the building Saturday.

The goals didn’t come quickly.

Kazakhstan killed a penalty in the first period and managed to keep Canada off the scoresheet for 15 minutes. Phaneuf eventually got things started on his team’s second man advantage with a hard slapshot that beat Vitali Kolesnik at 15:45 to make it 1-0.

However, the Kazaks didn’t go away — testing Dubnyk with 10 shots in the second period. Roman Savchenko had a glorious chance to tie the game with the Canadian goalie down and out, but he fired high with the team’s best scoring chance of the night.

“It was still fresh ice,� said Dubnyk. “As I went down, I slid a bit to my right more than I would have liked. It just went off my pad and right to their guy. Lucky for me he chopped it over (the net).�

Perry gave Canada a little breathing room with a nice wraparound goal at 12:05 before Jordan Eberle earned an assist the hard way. He was knocked to the ice by Vladislav Kolesnikov, who had just come out of the penalty box, but had the puck go right to Burrows for a goal at 17:03.

Eberle wasn’t shaken up on the play.

“He just clipped me,� he said.

The game turned into a rout in the final 20 minutes.

Early goals 50 seconds apart by Kane, Tavares and Purcell chased Kolesnik from the net before Phaneuf got his second goal of the night at 5:53 against backup Vitali Yeremeyev.

“We wanted to try and wear them down and try and wear their belief down,� said Tavares. “I think over the course of the game we did that. Eventually, we got the results that we wanted.�

Dubnyk earned his first career world championship shutout. He had to stand tall during a late 5-on-3 disadvantage that prompted Kazakhstan to call a timeout in the final minute to draw up a play.

“I was joking with the ref,� said Dubnyk. “I said ’Come on, there’s 50 seconds left, let’s just get out of here.�’

There were smiles all around when the final buzzer sounded on a satisfying victory. It could have been a trap game against a weaker opponent but Canada played exactly as it intended to.

“You want to just keep your good habits and stay as focused as you can,� said Eberle. “Obviously, it can be tough. But you have to be prepared for the games ahead and all of that starts with good habits.�

Notes: Canadian forward Ryan O’Reilly sat out with a lower-body injury. He should be back on Tuesday. … Kane was credited with 11 shots in a team-best 17:59 of ice time. … The Kazakhstan roster features four players who were part of the country’s upset victory over Canada at the 1998 world junior tournament. … Pushkarev is a former second-round pick by Los Angeles who has appeared in 17 career NHL games.

Article source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/hockey/nhlnews/Finland%20batters%20France%207-1%20at%20world%20hockey%20championships/6612502/story.html

Not only does the team control its own destiny on the Helsinki side of the tournament, it also appears to be rounding into form heading into the pressure packed final week. An 8-0 victory over Kazakhstan on Saturday may not have held much suspense, but it did offer evidence that Canada is headed in the right direction — particularly since it came just 24 hours after an emotional victory over the host Finns.

“We did a real good job of making sure our focus was where it needed to be today,” said Canadian coach Brent Sutter. “We played a real solid 60 minutes and it’s a tremendous credit to the players that they handled it the right way.”

Devan Dubnyk stopped all 24 shots he faced while Dion Phaneuf scored twice as Canada spread its offence around.

Kazakhstan arrived at this tournament looking to earn respect from the top hockey nations and managed to take the Americans to overtime on Friday before losing 3-2. They also started well against Canada, keeping the score to 1-0 through the first 30 minutes.

“It was a tight game early,” said Phaneuf. “They came out hard. We respected them as an opponent — I think any team in this tournament has proven it can win on any given night.”

The Kazaks saw their slim chance at an upset disappear because Canada stuck to its game plan and eventually wore them out. It was a patient performance by the Canadians, who broke their opponent’s will with an aggressive and disciplined game.

“We fell like rocks down a hill,” said Kazak forward Konstantin Pushkarev. “It looks like we were gassed and we’ve got no emotions. It was a pretty bad game for us.

“We just stopped playing.”

Corey Perry, Alex Burrows, Evander Kane, John Tavares, Teddy Purcell and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored on a night where all but five players recorded at least one point for Canada (5-0-1). Duncan Keith and Ryan Getzlaf each added three assists.

Kazakhstan faced Canada for the first time ever in world championship play and saw its record drop to 0-5-1. The team will be relegated to the lower level Group A world championship next year.

Canada, meanwhile, can clinch the top seed in the Helsinki pool with a victory in its final round robin game against Belarus on Tuesday. After that, it will need three straight victories to claim the country’s first world championship gold since 2007.

“We’re playing the way that we want to play,” said Phaneuf.

Canada should take some confidence away from the fact it didn’t suffer a major letdown after the big comeback win over Finland. That game was played in front of a rocking sold out crowd at Hartwall Arena — a far cry from the library-like atmosphere with just 4,151 people in the building Saturday.

The goals didn’t come quickly.

Kazakhstan killed a penalty in the first period and managed to keep Canada off the scoresheet for 15 minutes. Phaneuf eventually got things started on his team’s second man advantage with a hard slapshot that beat Vitali Kolesnik at 15:45 to make it 1-0.

However, the Kazaks didn’t go away — testing Dubnyk with 10 shots in the second period. Roman Savchenko had a glorious chance to tie the game with the Canadian goalie down and out, but he fired high with the team’s best scoring chance of the night.

“It was still fresh ice,” said Dubnyk. “As I went down, I slid a bit to my right more than I would have liked. It just went off my pad and right to their guy. Lucky for me he chopped it over (the net).”

Perry gave Canada a little breathing room with a nice wraparound goal at 12:05 before Jordan Eberle earned an assist the hard way. He was knocked to the ice by Vladislav Kolesnikov, who had just come out of the penalty box, but had the puck go right to Burrows for a goal at 17:03.

Eberle wasn’t shaken up on the play.

“He just clipped me,” he said.

The game turned into a rout in the final 20 minutes.

Early goals 50 seconds apart by Kane, Tavares and Purcell chased Kolesnik from the net before Phaneuf got his second goal of the night at 5:53 against backup Vitali Yeremeyev.

“We wanted to try and wear them down and try and wear their belief down,” said Tavares. “I think over the course of the game we did that. Eventually, we got the results that we wanted.”

Dubnyk earned his first career world championship shutout. He had to stand tall during a late 5-on-3 disadvantage that prompted Kazakhstan to call a timeout in the final minute to draw up a play.

“I was joking with the ref,” said Dubnyk. “I said ‘Come on, there’s 50 seconds left, let’s just get out of here.”’

There were smiles all around when the final buzzer sounded on a satisfying victory. It could have been a trap game against a weaker opponent but Canada played exactly as it intended to.

“You want to just keep your good habits and stay as focused as you can,” said Eberle. “Obviously, it can be tough. But you have to be prepared for the games ahead and all of that starts with good habits.”

Notes: Canadian forward Ryan O’Reilly sat out with a lower-body injury. He should be back on Tuesday. … Kane was credited with 11 shots in a team-best 17:59 of ice time. … The Kazakhstan roster features four players who were part of the country’s upset victory over Canada at the 1998 world junior tournament. … Pushkarev is a former second-round pick by Los Angeles who has appeared in 17 career NHL games.

The Canadian Press

Article source: http://www.therecord.com/sports/article/723709--canada-heating-up-at-world-championships

HELSINKI, Finland — There might be only one person who is a more passionate supporter of Canada at the IIHF World Hockey Championship than John Tavares.

His mom, Barb.

The tournament has turned into an annual event for the family, with John currently starring on the ice for a third straight year and his parents back among the entourage of Canadian friends and family offering support. It’s an event none of them would miss — at least as long as John’s New York Islanders aren’t part of the NHL playoffs.

“Any time there’s anything for Hockey Canada you’re certain to see my face,� Barb Tavares said Sunday before the group gathered for a Mother’s Day brunch.

She is the epitome of a committed hockey mom.

In fact, John Tavares isn’t sure he ever would have scaled the heights he has in hockey without her support. When he was a young phenom just beginning to chase his NHL dream, it was almost always Barb who shuffled him from rink to rink while his father, Joe, was busy running the family business.

“My dad didn’t take me to hockey growing up very much,� said Tavares. “He was always working and working late. My mom’s the one that dealt with a lot of things — getting me to the rink and getting me on the ice and dealing with parents sometimes and giving me the best opportunity to do something I love to do.

“I think what my mom was really good at, she really understood how badly I loved to play and wanted to play and realized when to push me.�

That drive has carried him a long way.

The No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL draft, Tavares has quickly become a go-to player for the Islanders — leading them in scoring each of his three NHL seasons — and a major force for Canada in international competitions. He’s piled up an impressive 16 goals in 20 career world championship games and is centring the team’s top scoring unit here with Jordan Eberle and Jeff Skinner.

Amazingly, at just 21 years old, Tavares is already tied for fifth in goals all-time at this event by a Canadian. Next up on the career list with 18 goals is Steve Yzerman, who will almost certainly be keeping a close eye on Tavares leading up to his selection of Team Canada for the 2014 Olympics.

Kevin Lowe — a member of Yzerman’s management team for the Sochi Games and Canada’s general manager here — has been awfully impressed with what he’s seen so far.

“It’s amazing how much different he looks now than he did two years ago,� said Lowe. “He looks like a man now.�

Time has passed quickly for the Tavares family.

Barb vividly remembers John being selected first overall in the Ontario Hockey League draft by Oshawa at the tender age of 14 and thinking that a four-year junior career would drag on a long time. In September, her son will be starting his fourth NHL season.

Back in the OHL days, she was a constant at games — often making trips around the province each weekend with daughters Laura and Barbara in tow.

“It just kind of worked with the family,� said Barb. “It was basically throw the girls in the car, I had a cooler packed and off we went. We all enjoyed it.�

With both daughters now attending university, she and Joe spend a fair amount of time on the road watching the Islanders play. John thinks his mother has learned to internalize her “intensity� while watching games, but he knows there’s always a fire burning inside.

“She wants to see us succeed and see me succeed because she knows how much I love the game and how hard I work at it,� he said.

His Islanders teammates have taken note of Barb and Joe’s commitment to watching them play. It’s something they even needle Tavares about in the dressing room.

“She’s watching every game,� he said. “It’s funny, her and my dad come so often on the road now that I don’t even go out to eat with them every time. The guys back home on the Island always give me a bit of a hard time about how they should be running the booster club.

“They’ve put in a lot of time and effort with me. I think they’re really proud and just trying to enjoy it all.�

The pride is evident — just as it as among the other seven mothers who made the trip to Helsinki to watch their sons play at the world championship.

Barb broke into a wide smile when asked how it feels to see John wear the Maple Leaf.

“It’s like a dream come true,� she said. “I mean that’s the ultimate — to represent your country, there’s nothing above that.

Article source: http://www.canada.com/sports/hockey/Supporting%20Canada%20at%20the%20world%20championship%20a%20tradition%20for%20Tavares%20family/6613992/story.html

Enlarge Image

The Senate Chamber in Ottawa is shown June 3, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA – For a generation, Senate reform has been a political touchstone for Conservatives, old-time Reform party types and disgruntled westerners.

The Triple-E Senate — equal, elected and effective — was both a political dogma and a rallying cry.

It helped spur the rise of Reform and the Harper Conservatives who followed. It was the mantra of the right, the path to real equality for the regions.

Not so much anymore. The fire has gone out of the argument and dyed-in-the-wool supporters are questioning the whole idea.

Even the departing head of a Western Canadian think tank that preached the Senate reform gospel for decades has had a sudden conversion on the road to Damascus.

Roger Gibbins, who steps down later this month as president and CEO of the Canada West Foundation, joins Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and former Stephen Harper campaign strategist Tom Flanagan among influential westerners who’ve come to the conclusion Senate reform — as currently envisioned — is either unnecessary or misguided.

The dissenting chorus comes with the “Holy Grail” of Senate reform closer to reality than ever, as Conservative majorities in both the House of Commons and the Senate can fast-track any legislation they consider a priority.

Yet a government bill that would limit senators to a single nine-year term and encourage provincial Senate elections is meandering, at best, through the legislative process.

While Tim Uppal, Harper’s minister of democratic reform, calls Bill C-7 “one of my top priorities,” it’s hard not to get the sense that Senate reform has lost its mojo.

“I think we’re now into a new reality where you can’t form a national government without strength in Western Canada,” Gibbins, a professor at the University of Calgary, told The Canadian Press in an interview.

“The Senate was the sort of Holy Grail in parts of Western Canada as the way to provide a regional voice in the national government. So if people begin to feel comfortable that voice is going to be there anyway, then the Senate becomes a less critical reform.”

Gibbins, however, did not stop there.

He said “another reality is starting to sink in” — a reality he concedes is “preaching against the doctrine” of the Canada West Foundation during his 14 years of leadership.

“If we have a Senate that’s elected and effective to some degree — but the seat distribution doesn’t change — then we’re into a situation where an elected Senate may be detrimental to the interests of the West,” said Gibbins.

The four western provinces are vastly under-represented in the 105-seat chamber, with only six seats each. The four Atlantic provinces, despite much smaller populations than the West, have a combined 30 seats; Ontario and Quebec each have 24.

As long as that distribution remains unchanged, Gibbins said: “To the extent that the Senate becomes a more influential body — and that’s uncertain — but to the extent that it does, it would shift power into Atlantic Canada and away from the West.”

That Gibbins is repeating the very arguments made by former Liberal intergovernmental affairs minister Stephane Dion is nothing short of jaw-dropping.

As recently as April 10, the foundation he still leads was mocking Dion in print for his continued warnings about half-baked Senate tinkering.

“Contrary to the doomsayers, if marking an X beside a Senate candidate helps set in motion a good old fashioned constitutional crisis, this may be just what we need,” wrote Robert Roach, the Canada West Foundation’s vice-president of research.

Wall, the conservative-minded premier of Saskatchewan, may have made a more devastating case against Senate reform than Gibbins: irrelevance.

Wall flatly asserted to The Canadian Press in a recent interview that a Triple E Senate was “not going to happen.”

More significantly, Wall doesn’t consider that troubling, given the increased clout of provincial governments.

He said downloading on the provinces under the Liberals in the 1990s and devolution of powers under the Harper government have resulted in “a real strengthening and concentration of authority in provincial capitals.”

“For Saskatchewan, that’s not a bad thing,” said Wall.

Others still see Senate reform — any reform — as movement toward the ultimate goal of equal regional representation in Parliament.

“Half a loaf is always better than no loaf,” said Deb Grey, the first Reform MP elected to the House of Commons back in 1989 when “western alienation” was gaining steam.

“You just say, hey, it’s a step in the right direction — one that we never thought would happen in our lifetime. So you say, ‘good on them, keep at it.’”

By contrast, another old Reform Party stalwart, Tom Flanagan, was quoted last fall saying the current reform bill “scares me, to be honest.”

Peter McCormick, a political scientist at the University of Lethbridge, said a lot of people who examine the reform issue closely come to the same conclusion: Without first fixing the inequality issue, giving the Senate increased influence and legitimacy locks in its worst flaws.

McCormick said Harper has begun “nibbling at the corners” but argued that’s a mistake.

“Do the easy stuff and then the hard stuff becomes not hard, it becomes impossible,” said the academic. “And without the hard stuff, it’s probably more harm than good.”

Certainly the pace of Bill C-7, introduced last June, does not suggest a sense of government urgency.

It has yet to go to committee, and was last debated in the Commons on Feb. 27, a debate in which Hansard records only a single Conservative intervention in the form of a question.

In the meantime, Alberta has held another round of Senate elections, B.C. Premier Christy Clark has promised her province will follow suit and the Quebec government, as promised, has formally launched a court reference challenging the constitutionality of the reform bill.

Given all these developments, one might expect some priority in passing the legislation, if only to set down a parliamentary marker for the courts and provinces to consider.

Uppal — who would only consent to a five-minute phone interview to discuss Senate reform, during which he repeated rote talking points regardless of the question asked — would not put a timeline on Bill C-7’s passage.

“It’s going through the parliamentary process,” Uppal said, full stop.

Perhaps the government is taking Gibbins’ counsel after all.

“Maybe we want to be cautious about this in terms of making sure we have a Senate that will work,” he warned.

Article source: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/canada-west-foundation-president-joins-growing-list-of-senate-reform-skeptics-151295205.html

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The award was presented at Habitat for Humanity Canada’s National Conference Awards Gala. Habitat affiliates from across Canada are in Regina this weekend for their annual general meeting and national conference.

“I want to offer my congratulations and say thank you to Habitat for Humanity Edmonton for its ongoing efforts in creating opportunities for Aboriginal families through homeownership,” said the Honourable Pamela Wallin, Senator, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for CMHC. “CMHC, on behalf of the Government of Canada, is proud to work with Habitat for Humanity Canada and its affiliates right across Canada to help address the challenges many families face in finding safe, decent and affordable homes both on-and off-reserve.”

Habitat for Humanity Edmonton was chosen as this year’s award recipient for its role in helping to achieve the dream of homeownership for Aboriginal families in the Edmonton area. Their exemplary partnership project with Metis Capital Housing Corporation to retrofit existing rental housing for affordable homeownership has inspired other Aboriginal housing groups to emulate the partnership model. As well, for the first time eight Metis families at Elizabeth Metis Settlements near Cold Lake, Alberta will become homeowners in 2012 as a result of an agreement signed between Habitat for Humanity Edmonton and Elizabeth Metis Settlement.

The Habitat for Humanity Awards Committee considered a number of key areas in the selection of the winner for this award including innovative solutions to challenges faced in Aboriginal housing development; association and community collaboration on Aboriginal housing development; number of Aboriginal families served; and number of major renovations, including energy efficiencies, to Aboriginal housing.

“Habitat for Humanity Canada and its affiliates are very excited to partner on Aboriginal projects across Canada where possible. We also very much appreciate CMHC’s partnership in this important work,” said Stewart Hardacre, President CEO, Habitat for Humanity Canada. “This year we’re proud to recognize the leadership role Habitat for Humanity Edmonton has taken in building affordable housing in partnership with Aboriginal groups in their region.”

Habitat for Humanity Canada

Founded in 1985, Habitat for Humanity Canada (HFHC) is a national, non-profit organization working towards a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. With the help of over 50,000 volunteers every year and 69 affiliate organizations from coast to coast, their mission is to mobilize volunteers and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting homeownership as a means to break the cycle of poverty in Canada and around the world. For more information on HFHC, please visit www.habitat.ca.

CMHC

CMHC is the Lead and Founding National Partner for Habitat Canada’s Aboriginal Housing Program, which seeks to increase the number of Habitat homes built for Aboriginal families both on- and off-reserve.

This partnership contributes to CMHC’s ongoing efforts to improve access to affordable Aboriginal housing, which includes investing directly in new affordable housing, housing renovation, housing capacity development and supporting the First Nations Market Housing Fund.

CMHC has been Canada’s national housing agency for more than 65 years. CMHC is committed to helping Canadians access a wide choice of quality, environmentally sustainable, affordable housing solutions, while making vibrant, healthy communities and cities a reality across the country.

Kimberlee Jones
CMHC – Prairies and Territories Region
403-515-3048
Charles Sauriol
CMHC Media Relations
613-748-2799
Kate Marshall
National Director of Marketing Communications
Habitat for Humanity Canada
416-294-3039

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/canada-mortgage-housing-corporation-presents-233000863.html

His mom, Barb.

The tournament has turned into an annual event for the family, with John currently starring on the ice for a third straight year and his parents back among the entourage of Canadian friends and family offering support. It’s an event none of them would miss — at least as long as John’s New York Islanders aren’t part of the NHL playoffs.

“Any time there’s anything for Hockey Canada you’re certain to see my face,” Barb Tavares said Sunday before the group gathered for a Mother’s Day brunch.

She is the epitome of a committed hockey mom.

In fact, John Tavares isn’t sure he ever would have scaled the heights he has in hockey without her support. When he was a young phenom just beginning to chase his NHL dream, it was almost always Barb who shuffled him from rink to rink while his father, Joe, was busy running the family business.

“My dad didn’t take me to hockey growing up very much,” said Tavares. “He was always working and working late. My mom’s the one that dealt with a lot of things — getting me to the rink and getting me on the ice and dealing with parents sometimes and giving me the best opportunity to do something I love to do.

“I think what my mom was really good at, she really understood how badly I loved to play and wanted to play and realized when to push me.”

That drive has carried him a long way.

The No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL draft, Tavares has quickly become a go-to player for the Islanders — leading them in scoring each of his three NHL seasons — and a major force for Canada in international competitions. He’s piled up an impressive 16 goals in 20 career world championship games and is centring the team’s top scoring unit here with Jordan Eberle and Jeff Skinner.

Amazingly, at just 21 years old, Tavares is already tied for fifth in goals all-time at this event by a Canadian. Next up on the career list with 18 goals is Steve Yzerman, who will almost certainly be keeping a close eye on Tavares leading up to his selection of Team Canada for the 2014 Olympics.

Kevin Lowe — a member of Yzerman’s management team for the Sochi Games and Canada’s general manager here — has been awfully impressed with what he’s seen so far.

“It’s amazing how much different he looks now than he did two years ago,” said Lowe. “He looks like a man now.”

Time has passed quickly for the Tavares family.

Barb vividly remembers John being selected first overall in the Ontario Hockey League draft by Oshawa at the tender age of 14 and thinking that a four-year junior career would drag on a long time. In September, her son will be starting his fourth NHL season.

Back in the OHL days, she was a constant at games — often making trips around the province each weekend with daughters Laura and Barbara in tow.

“It just kind of worked with the family,” said Barb. “It was basically throw the girls in the car, I had a cooler packed and off we went. We all enjoyed it.”

With both daughters now attending university, she and Joe spend a fair amount of time on the road watching the Islanders play. John thinks his mother has learned to internalize her “intensity” while watching games, but he knows there’s always a fire burning inside.

“She wants to see us succeed and see me succeed because she knows how much I love the game and how hard I work at it,” he said.

His Islanders teammates have taken note of Barb and Joe’s commitment to watching them play. It’s something they even needle Tavares about in the dressing room.

“She’s watching every game,” he said. “It’s funny, her and my dad come so often on the road now that I don’t even go out to eat with them every time. The guys back home on the Island always give me a bit of a hard time about how they should be running the booster club.

“They’ve put in a lot of time and effort with me. I think they’re really proud and just trying to enjoy it all.”

The pride is evident — just as it as among the other seven mothers who made the trip to Helsinki to watch their sons play at the world championship.

Barb broke into a wide smile when asked how it feels to see John wear the Maple Leaf.

“It’s like a dream come true,” she said. “I mean that’s the ultimate — to represent your country, there’s nothing above that.”

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/tavares-supporting-canada-world-championship-family-affair-145226522--spt.html

Dion Phaneuf scored twice and Devan Dubnyk stopped all 22 shots he faced Saturday as Canada cruised to a comfortable 8-0 victory over Kazakhstan.

The team sits in the driver’s seat in the Helsinki pool and can clinch the top seed with a victory in its final round robin game against Belarus on Tuesday. After that, it will need three straight victories to claim the country’s first world championship gold since 2007.

Corey Perry, Alex Burrows, Evander Kane, John Tavares, Teddy Purcell and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored on a night where the offence was spread around for Canada (5-0-1). Duncan Keith and Ryan Getzlaf each added three assists.

Kazakhstan saw its record fall to 0-5-1 and will be relegated to the lower level Group A world championship next year.

Canada managed to avoid a big letdown one day after an emotional 5-3 victory over the host Finns — although the goals did not come quickly against a Kazak team that dressed just 18 skaters because of injuries.

Kazakhstan managed to kill a penalty and keep Canada off the scoresheet for the first 15 minutes. Phaneuf got things started on the second man advantage with a hard slapshot that beat Vitali Kolesnik at 15:45 to make it 1-0.

However, the Kazaks didn’t go away — testing Dubnyk with 10 shots in the second period. Defender Roman Savchenko had a glorious chance to tie the game with the Canadian goalie down and out, but he fired high with the team’s best scoring chance of the night.

Shortly after that, Perry gave Canada a little breathing room with a nice wraparound goal at 12:05 before Jordan Eberle earned a painful assist. He was hammered by Vladislav Kolesnikov in the neutral zone, but had the puck end up on the stick of Burrows, who scored at 17:03 to make it 3-0.

The game turned into a rout in the final 20 minutes.

Early goals 50 seconds apart by Kane, Tavares and Purcell chased Kolesnik from the net before Phaneuf got his second goal of the night at 5:53 against backup Vitali Yeremeyev.

From there, Dubnyk managed to shut the door and earned his first ever shutout at the world championship.

Notes: Canadian forward Ryan O’Reilly sat out with a minor injury … The Kazakhstan roster features four players who were part of the country’s upset victory over Canada at the 1998 world junior tournament … Kazak forward Konstantin Pushkarev is a former second-round pick by Los Angeles who has appeared in 17 career NHL games … Kazakhstan called a timeout in the final minute of the game after getting awarded a 5-on-3 power play.

Announced attendance was 4,151.

Article source: http://www.faceoff.com/hockey/teams/vancouver-canucks/Canada+beats+Kazakhstan+IIHF+worlds/6612307/story.html

Not only does the team control its own destiny on the Helsinki side of the tournament, it also appears to be rounding into form heading into the pressure packed final week. An 8-0 victory over Kazakhstan on Saturday may not have held much suspense, but it did offer evidence that Canada is headed in the right direction — particularly since it came just 24 hours after an emotional victory over the host Finns.

“We did a real good job of making sure our focus was where it needed to be today,� said Canadian coach Brent Sutter. “We played a real solid 60 minutes and it’s a tremendous credit to the players that they handled it the right way.�

Devan Dubnyk stopped all 24 shots he faced while Dion Phaneuf scored twice as Canada spread its offence around.

Kazakhstan arrived at this tournament looking to earn respect from the top hockey nations and managed to take the Americans to overtime on Friday before losing 3-2. They also started well against Canada, keeping the score to 1-0 through the first 30 minutes.

“It was a tight game early,� said Phaneuf. “They came out hard. We respected them as an opponent — I think any team in this tournament has proven it can win on any given night.�

The Kazaks saw their slim chance at an upset disappear because Canada stuck to its game plan and eventually wore them out. It was a patient performance by the Canadians, who broke their opponent’s will with an aggressive and disciplined game.

“We fell like rocks down a hill,� said Kazak forward Konstantin Pushkarev. “It looks like we were gassed and we’ve got no emotions. It was a pretty bad game for us.

“We just stopped playing.�

Corey Perry, Alex Burrows, Evander Kane, John Tavares, Teddy Purcell and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored on a night where all but five players recorded at least one point for Canada (5-0-1). Duncan Keith and Ryan Getzlaf each added three assists.

Kazakhstan faced Canada for the first time ever in world championship play and saw its record drop to 0-5-1. The team will be relegated to the lower level Group A world championship next year.

Canada, meanwhile, can clinch the top seed in the Helsinki pool with a victory in its final round robin game against Belarus on Tuesday. After that, it will need three straight victories to claim the country’s first world championship gold since 2007.

“We’re playing the way that we want to play,� said Phaneuf.

Canada should take some confidence away from the fact it didn’t suffer a major letdown after the big comeback win over Finland. That game was played in front of a rocking sold out crowd at Hartwall Arena — a far cry from the library-like atmosphere with just 4,151 people in the building Saturday.

The goals didn’t come quickly.

Kazakhstan killed a penalty in the first period and managed to keep Canada off the scoresheet for 15 minutes. Phaneuf eventually got things started on his team’s second man advantage with a hard slapshot that beat Vitali Kolesnik at 15:45 to make it 1-0.

However, the Kazaks didn’t go away — testing Dubnyk with 10 shots in the second period. Roman Savchenko had a glorious chance to tie the game with the Canadian goalie down and out, but he fired high with the team’s best scoring chance of the night.

“It was still fresh ice,� said Dubnyk. “As I went down, I slid a bit to my right more than I would have liked. It just went off my pad and right to their guy. Lucky for me he chopped it over (the net).�

Perry gave Canada a little breathing room with a nice wraparound goal at 12:05 before Jordan Eberle earned an assist the hard way. He was knocked to the ice by Vladislav Kolesnikov, who had just come out of the penalty box, but had the puck go right to Burrows for a goal at 17:03.

Eberle wasn’t shaken up on the play.

“He just clipped me,� he said.

The game turned into a rout in the final 20 minutes.

Early goals 50 seconds apart by Kane, Tavares and Purcell chased Kolesnik from the net before Phaneuf got his second goal of the night at 5:53 against backup Vitali Yeremeyev.

“We wanted to try and wear them down and try and wear their belief down,� said Tavares. “I think over the course of the game we did that. Eventually, we got the results that we wanted.�

Dubnyk earned his first career world championship shutout. He had to stand tall during a late 5-on-3 disadvantage that prompted Kazakhstan to call a timeout in the final minute to draw up a play.

“I was joking with the ref,� said Dubnyk. “I said ’Come on, there’s 50 seconds left, let’s just get out of here.�’

There were smiles all around when the final buzzer sounded on a satisfying victory. It could have been a trap game against a weaker opponent but Canada played exactly as it intended to.

“You want to just keep your good habits and stay as focused as you can,� said Eberle. “Obviously, it can be tough. But you have to be prepared for the games ahead and all of that starts with good habits.�

Notes: Canadian forward Ryan O’Reilly sat out with a lower-body injury. He should be back on Tuesday. … Kane was credited with 11 shots in a team-best 17:59 of ice time. … The Kazakhstan roster features four players who were part of the country’s upset victory over Canada at the 1998 world junior tournament. … Pushkarev is a former second-round pick by Los Angeles who has appeared in 17 career NHL games.

Article source: http://www.canada.com/hockey/nhlnews/Finland%20batters%20France%207-1%20at%20world%20hockey%20championships/6612502/story.html

A Canadian transgendered beauty queen was all smiles as she posed for the cameras at a photo shoot Saturday. Jenna Talackova will compete at the Miss Universe Canada pageant next week.

Jenna Talackova, the transgendered Miss Universe Canada hopeful, stood on the stage with 61 other contestants in white bikinis and name sashes to wave at the cameras Saturday as the beauty pageant got underway at a Toronto airport hotel.

Talackova made headlines this spring when pageant officials disqualified her as not a natural-born female, but then reinstated her.

“This was all very much worth it, more than I could have ever imagined,” said Talackova, 23, from Vancouver. “What happened was a negative that has turned into a complete positive.”

Talackova had sex reassignment surgery when she was 19 after years of hormone treatment. She gets hundreds of letters from transgendered women telling her she’s inspired them to live out their dreams, she said. As for the negative stuff, she pays no attention. “My family didn’t understand me at the beginning. What would make me think Joe Blow is going to understand me,” she explained. “But if they knew me, they’d love me.”

The 6’1” blonde explained that the pageant was important to her because of its power to help inspire others and the chance to travel around the world doing humanitarian work. “It’s also a competition of health, fitness and charisma and those are all three things I possess.

“I have two sides to me. There’s the soft, subtle, calm side,” says Talackova, who is studying holistic nutrition in school. “And there’s the very glam, diva-ish side. I had to let that side loose a bit.”

She has 14 family members flying in to support her later this week.

The preliminary competition in bathing suits and evening gowns before a panel of judges takes place Thursday at The Bluma Appel Theatre, with the final competition and crowning on Saturday night.

Read more:

Miss Universe Canada allows transgendered woman to enter pageant after all

Miss Universe Canada yanks transgendered contestant from pageant

Transgendered contestant’s ouster from Miss Universe Canada sparks outrage over ‘natural born’ rule

Article source: http://www.thestar.com/living/article/1177704--jenna-talackova-transgendered-miss-universe-canada-contestant-in-toronto-to-compete?bn=1

The defending gold medalists punched their ticket to London on Saturday night by sweeping Canada (28-26, 25-18, 25-20) in the finals of the NORCECA Olympic qualification tournament at the Walter Pyramid.

Captain Clay Stanley had 15 points for the sixth-ranked United States team.

“Shoot, congrats to our team. We made it,” said Stanley, who was named Most Valuable Player for the event. “We got our ticket to London.”

Cuba, No. 5 in the world, swept Puerto Rico (25-20, 25-21, 25-15) in the bronze medal match in the continental event.

The United States and Canada traded the lead frequently in the opening set. The U.S. had four chances at set point before Reid Priddy’s spike finally ended it.

The first-set win seemed to energize the U.S., which went up 8-3 in the second on Stanley’s ace followed by Russ Holmes’ kill. Canada closed the gap to 10-8 on Adam Kaminski’s ace, but the United States never allowed their opponents to get any closer and Priddy’s ace stretched it to 19-12. Set point went to Stanley off the outside block.

Canada led the third set early, but the United States pulled ahead 11-10 on a triple block from Priddy, Holmes and Donald Suxho. Matt Anderson’s unreturnable strike made it 18-13 and the United States cruised the rest of the way, winning it when Canada missed a return.

“I’ve never played a match this important on U.S. soil with as much significance and support,” Priddy said.

Dallas Soonias led Canada with 19 points, including 17 kills.

David Lee, selected best blocker of the tournament, and Matt Anderson each added 13 points for the United States.

The United States beat Cuba 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-16) in the semifinals Friday night, while Canada defeated Puerto Rico 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-23,15-11).

The Canadians stunned Cuba earlier in the tournament, which included Mexico, Trinadad Tobago, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

“It’s a tough match,” Canadian captain Fred Winters said. “USA is a really, really good team. We’re not able to play really good teams all the time.”

The U.S. men have gone to seven straight Olympics. They went undefeated in the 2008 Beijing Games, upsetting top-ranked Brazil in the gold medal match.

The Canadians have not gone to the Olympics in men’s volleyball since 1992. The team’s best result was fourth in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

It was Canada’s lone chance to win a trip to London. The United States, based on its world ranking, would have gone on to a world qualification tournament in early June if the team did not advance out of the NORCECA tournament.

“I think we’re doing some good things,” Canadian coach Glenn Hoag said. “But we need to work some more. You know, those little things we have to make better.”

Cuba and Puerto Rico, the highest-ranked NORCECA teams who have not qualified for London, will both get another chance at a world qualification event.

The United States has earned trips to the last four Olympics via the NORCECA qualification tournament. It is the first time the U.S. has hosted the event.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com’s automated news wire. Wire index

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Article source: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=7924479

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Article source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/us-sweeps-canada-earn-trip-050902775--oly.html

By TERRY JONES, QMI Agency

Updated 11 hours ago

HELSINKI – Canada vs. Kazakhstan was a world hockey championship first.

And for an uncomfortably long time it looked like it could become another first in a much more memorable way.

While the Kazakhs had previously made it to the tournament five times, they’d never before ended up in the same pool as Canada. And despite playing with 18 skaters to Canada’s 22 due to injuries, the nation which shocked the Worlds by taking the U.S. to overtime in a 3-2 loss — which produced their only point in the standings — looked like they might be manufacturing something well into this game.

In the end, however, Canada skated to an expected 8-0 blowout win to stay on top of the Helsinki pool. And as watchable as the game the night before was against Finland, in the end this one probably made them draw the drapes in the sauna suite.

The team, which came to the tournament with 16 players from Barys Astana in the KHL and had moral victories in losing 4-2 to Slovakia and 3-2 to Belarus, was 0-0 against the Canadians 15 minutes into the game.

“Team Canada is such a good team, we were expecting our players should play the best they can,” said coach Andrei Shayanov.

“We hoped they could do it today. But Canada kept coming …”

On the second of consecutive power plays, Dion Phaneuf blasted one from the point to beat Vitali Kolesnik in the Kazakhstan cage to make it 1-0 before the period expired.

It should have been tied 1-1 in the second when Roman Savchenko had a wide open net behind Devan Dubnyk and put it over the gaping twine.

“It was fresh ice at the start of the period and I slid too far. Fortunately their guy missed the net,” said the netminder who has a 1.00 goals against average for the tournament after playing in Canada’s 7-2 win over France as well.

A wrap-around by Corey Perry and Alexandre Burrows scoring his second goal in his second game back from a concussion as Jordan Eberle sent him in and then was corked by Vladislav Kolesnikov coming out of the penalty box, made it 3-0 after two periods.

Evander Kane, John Tavares and Teddy Purcell scored three faster than you could write them down early in the third to chase Kolesnik. The three in 50 seconds was 19 seconds short of the world championship record.

After the goaltending change, Phaneuf blasted another one home and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his third of the tournament before it was over to declare eight to be enough.

The Kazakhstan squad ended the game with a 5-on-3 situation but Dubnyk preserved the shutout with 22 saves.

“They called a time out,” said Dubnyk.

“The score was 8-0. I was joking with the referee that there was only 50 seconds left. ‘Let’s get out of here!’”

Phaneuf said it was close to the game Canada believes they’d be in following their big win over Finland Friday.

“We expected a tight game early. We respected them as an opponent after the game they had against the Americans.

“We just wanted to keep playing our game and I think we did what we wanted to do. We played a solid game,” he added.

“We were guarded against a letdown after an emotional win the previous night,” said coach Brent Sutter.

“It wasn’t just about winning a game as making sure our habits were all good habits,” he said, adding that he didn’t dress Ryan O’Reilly who had lower body soreness, electing to go with a dozen forwards and eight defencemen, bringing junior Ryan Murray back for another game.

“Going with four pairs on defence gave us a chance to play Duncan Keith and Jay Bouwmeester six or eight minutes less.”

Canada has only one game remaining in the round robin, Tuesday against Belarus. The team welcomed brothers Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn of the Nashville Predators to their midst for a 5-1 loss to Slovakia Saturday.

With the win, Canada now has 16 points, Finland with 12, the U.S. with 10, Slovakia with nine and Switzerland and France with six each.

Barring a massive upset –- Canada is undefeated against the men mostly from Minsk -– the defending Olympic gold medal winners will finish first.

The remaining games to decide the quarterfinalists and playoff matchups feature Finland-U.S. and Switzerland-Slovakia Sunday, Finland-Kazakhstan Monday and U.S.-Switzerland Tuesday.

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Article source: http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3560165

Toronto Maple Leafs defender Dion Phaneuf scored twice, while Edmonton Oilers goaltender Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves for a shutout to virtually assure Canada a top-place finish in their group.

Canada looked in complete control from the starting face-off making Kazakhstan goalkeeper Vitali Kolesnik the most busy player at the ice of Hartwall arena.

But Canadians, who won their last world title in 2007, squandered a hatful of chances before Phaneuf scored the opening goal with 4:15 before the first interval on powerplay.

In the second Canada missed further numerous opportunities but scored through Anaheim Ducks winger Corey Perry, who skated behind Kazakhstan’s net to send the puck in from behind the goal line at 32:05.

Vancouver Canucks left wing Alexandre Burrows added a shorthanded goal with 2:57 before the second break to make it 3-0.

In the third Kazakhstan ran out of gas allowing Evander Kane, John Tavares, Teddy Purcell and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to score one apiece, while Phaneuf netted his second of the match to complete the rout in the two teams’ first ever meeting at the worlds.

“Though we were playing within 24 hours after the last night’s emotional win (5-3 over Finland) we did a good job tonight playing really solid 60 minutes,” Canada coach Brent Sutter said.

“We came into the match with just with one thing in mind – to play well – and we did. My best credits to my players for it.”

In Stockholm, the event’s co-hosts Sweden experienced few troubles on their way to a confident 4-0 win over Italy to join leaders Russia atop their group.

The Swedes started in lively fashion with Chicago Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger opening the score 5:13 into the match, while blueliner Staffan Kronwall added his goal with 48sec remaining in the first period for a 2-0 advantage.

Ottawa Senators rear guard Erik Karlsson scored on two-man powerplay 5:45 into the second, while Colorado Avalanche winger Gabriel Landeskog completed the scoring 1:45 into the third.

In the early Helsinki match 2002 champions Slovakia thrashed Belarus 5-1 to boost their chances of making the knockout round.

Buffalo Sabres rear guard Andrej Sekera put Slovakia into the lead at 6:45 wristing the puck in from just inside the blue line through the traffic.

In the second Branko Radivojevic, Michel Miklik, Tomas Kopecky and Juraj Mikus scored one apiece to give Slovakis a commanding 5-0 advantage before Alexei Kalyuzhny netted a consolation for Belarus.

“Today, every little thing went our way,” said Slovakia’s coach Vladimir Vujtek. “We played well in defence and our forwards scored one by one in the second period winning the match within just five minutes.”

France recorded their second win at the event beating Switzerland 4-2 to chalk up their fourth win over the Swiss side in their 13th head-to-head meeting at the world championships.

Forward Stephane da Costa scored a double while veteran ‘keeper Cristobal Huet produced 41 saves to add three points to the French team’s balance to jump into fifth place in their group, three points behind the fourth-placed Slovakia.

Norway also set their sights on a quarter-final spot after they beat Latvia 3-0 in Stockholm to go fourth.

Germany meanwhile battled back from a goal down in their clash with Denmark to notch their second win at the tournament 2-1.

Article source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/canada-rout-kazakhstan-confirm-group-lead-204150221--nhl.html

Devan Dubnyk stopped 24 shots for the shutout and 15 players had at least one point as Canada (5-0-1-0, 16 points) fired 58 shots at two Kazakh goalies.

“As far as scoring chances go, it was easy,” Dubnyk told the IIHF’s website, “but I don’t know if that makes it easier to get a shutout. Anytime you can keep them all out, it’s good, regardless of who the opponent is.”

Phaneuf’s power-play goal was the only tally in the first period. He took a pass from Getzlaf, moved in from the point and blasted a slap shot over the glove of goalie Vitali Kolesnik.

Roman Savchenko had a glorious chance to tie the game early in the second period after Dubnyk kicked a rebound back into the slot and onto Savchenko’s stick. But the puck was bouncing, and Savchenko fired over the net.

Instead, Canada added it its lead when Corey Perry scored at 12:05 and Alexandre Burrows scored a shorthanded goal at 17:03 for a 3-0 lead after two periods.

Canada blew the game open early in the third period on goals by Evander Kane, John Tavares and Teddy Purcell in a span of 1:50, chasing Kolesnik from the net in the process. Vitali Yeremeyev came on in relief and allowed goals by Phaneuf and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Canada has two days off before finishing its round-robin with a game against Belarus on Tuesday. The Kazakhs (0-0-1-5, 1 point), trying to avoid relegation, play host Finland on Monday.

France 4, Switzerland 2

France pulled the biggest upset of the tournament in Helsinki when it beat Switzerland for the first time in 12 years.

Teddy and Stephane da Costa scored a goal each for France, which got 41 saves from Cristobal Huet. Switzerland outshot France 43-27, but Huet — who plays for Fribourg-Gotteron in the Swiss league — was superb and France scored two power-play goals in a 44-second span of the third period after Goran Bezina received a five-minute major for checking to the head.

“They got a five-minute power play and scored two goals, and we couldn’t react. They just sat back. Their goalie played unbelievably well. You have to give them credit. We didn’t play well enough tonight,” Swiss captain Mark Streit told the IIHF’s website.

France’s Yohann Auvitu opened the scoring at 17:11 of the opening period, beating goaltender Tobias Stephan through a screen. Teddy Da Costa made it 2-0 at 12:44 of the second period on a wrister than went in and out of the net so quickly the goal had to be confirmed by video review.

But just 30 seconds later, Damien Brunner, the Swiss league’s scoring champion, scored Switzerland’s first goal by firing a wrister that deflected off a French skate and went past Huet.

Brunner then tied it at 15:04, finishing off a give-and-go with Kevin Romy with a quick shot past Huet.

But after Bezina received a major and a game misconduct for checking to the head for running over Anthony Guttig, France took advantage of the long power play to go back in front. Laurent Meunier’s slap shot from the blue line caught Stephan off-guard at 6:21 to put France back in front. Stephane da Costa’s one-timer in from the bottom of the left circle at 7:05 gave France (2-0-0-3, 6 points), a two-goal lead.

France got into late penalty trouble, giving Switzerland a long 5-on-3 power play with less than three minutes remaining, but killed both penalties and was able to celebrate its first win against Switzerland in any top-level international tournament since 2000.

“They had even a 6-on-3 in the end. Guys were blocking shots, and Huet was amazing. That’s just a team working hard, doing things that may not be so pretty but that got us the win,” France’s Baptiste Amar, who played almost 26 minutes, told the IIHF’s website.

Switzerland (2-0-0-3, 6 points) faces Slovakia on Sunday. France meets Belarus on Monday.

Germany 2, Denmark 1

Germany kept its hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals alive by edging winless Denmark in Stockholm on a third-period goal by Philip Gogulla.

“It was our game. With all the chances we had today, I had no doubt we were going to win it. But we got beaten by a goalie. That’s the way it works sometimes,” said Denmark’s Morten Green, who opened the scoring by beating goaltender Dennis Endras 1:35 into the second period after the Danes outshot Germany 13-5 in the first.

Kirill Starkov passed the puck out of his zone to himself, triggering a 3-on-1 break. He found Green, who took the puck off his skate in stride and slipped it past Dennis Endras.

Germany (2-0-0-3, 6 points) tied it at 17:10 when Christopher Fischer batted a pass to Thomas Greilinger, whose stick side blast beat goaltender Frederik Andersen. The goal came at 17:10 of the second with Fischer and Evan Kaufmann notching assists.

Gogulla put the Germans ahead at 8:36 of the third period. Patrick Reimer took a shot that was stopped by Anderson. He fanned on the rebound, but Gogulla got to it and knocked it past Andersen.

Denmark (0-0-1-4, 1 point) is last in the Stockholm group. The Danes are off Sunday and face Latvia on Monday. Germany plays Norway on Sunday.

Sweden 4, Italy 0

The Swedes rebounded from Friday’s loss to Russia by blanking Italy in Stockholm to assure itself of a berth in the quarterfinals.

Sweden (5-0-0-1, 15 points) eliminated Italy from quarterfinals contention as Erik Karlsson and Gabriel Landeskog sparked the attack with a goal and an assist apiece. Marcus Kruger and Staffan Kronwall each added a goal for Sweden, and Henrik Zetterberg picked up two assists, swelling his team-leading total to nine.

Swedish goalie Viktor Fasth, last year’s tournament MVP, earned his first shutout for 2012. The Swedes outshot the Italians 42-19.

Kruger swatted the rebound of Karlsson’s shot past Italian goaltender Daniel Bellissimo at 5:13 of the opening period, and Kronwall made it 2-0 with 48 seconds left by deflecting a high shot by Landeskog into the net.

At 5:45 of the second period, Karlsson gave Sweden a 3-0 lead at 5:45 of the second period, beating Bellissimo over the glove with a straightaway one-timer during a 5-on-3 power play. Landeskog closed the scoring 1:45 into the third period when he took a pass from Loui Eriksson, stepped off the goal line and slammed the puck past Bellissimo’s right skate. It was another big moment for the 19-year-old, who continues to earn the confidence of his coaches.

Italy (0-1-0-5, 2 points) has never beaten Sweden in 13 World Championship meetings dating back to 1935, registering three ties and 10 losses. After the game, Italian forward Marco Insam approached Zetterberg in the media mixed zone and asked for a photo with the Detroit Red Wings star — a nice moment that also reflected the gap between the teams.

Sweden finishes round-robin play against Latvia on Tuesday. Italy meets Russia on Monday.

“We had a tough game yesterday [against Russia], and all the guys wanted to go into these two days off with a win,” Fasth told the IIHF’s website. “It was really good to win today.”

Article source: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=631513

The award was presented at Habitat for Humanity Canada’s National Conference Awards Gala. Habitat affiliates from across Canada are in Regina this weekend for their annual general meeting and national conference.

“I want to offer my congratulations and say thank you to Habitat for Humanity Edmonton for its ongoing efforts in creating opportunities for Aboriginal families through homeownership,” said the Honourable Pamela Wallin, Senator, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for CMHC. “CMHC, on behalf of the Government of Canada, is proud to work with Habitat for Humanity Canada and its affiliates right across Canada to help address the challenges many families face in finding safe, decent and affordable homes both on-and off-reserve.”

Habitat for Humanity Edmonton was chosen as this year’s award recipient for its role in helping to achieve the dream of homeownership for Aboriginal families in the Edmonton area. Their exemplary partnership project with Metis Capital Housing Corporation to retrofit existing rental housing for affordable homeownership has inspired other Aboriginal housing groups to emulate the partnership model. As well, for the first time eight Metis families at Elizabeth Metis Settlements near Cold Lake, Alberta will become homeowners in 2012 as a result of an agreement signed between Habitat for Humanity Edmonton and Elizabeth Metis Settlement.

The Habitat for Humanity Awards Committee considered a number of key areas in the selection of the winner for this award including innovative solutions to challenges faced in Aboriginal housing development; association and community collaboration on Aboriginal housing development; number of Aboriginal families served; and number of major renovations, including energy efficiencies, to Aboriginal housing.

“Habitat for Humanity Canada and its affiliates are very excited to partner on Aboriginal projects across Canada where possible. We also very much appreciate CMHC’s partnership in this important work,” said Stewart Hardacre, President CEO, Habitat for Humanity Canada. “This year we’re proud to recognize the leadership role Habitat for Humanity Edmonton has taken in building affordable housing in partnership with Aboriginal groups in their region.”

Habitat for Humanity Canada

Founded in 1985, Habitat for Humanity Canada (HFHC) is a national, non-profit organization working towards a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. With the help of over 50,000 volunteers every year and 69 affiliate organizations from coast to coast, their mission is to mobilize volunteers and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting homeownership as a means to break the cycle of poverty in Canada and around the world. For more information on HFHC, please visit www.habitat.ca.

CMHC

CMHC is the Lead and Founding National Partner for Habitat Canada’s Aboriginal Housing Program, which seeks to increase the number of Habitat homes built for Aboriginal families both on- and off-reserve.

This partnership contributes to CMHC’s ongoing efforts to improve access to affordable Aboriginal housing, which includes investing directly in new affordable housing, housing renovation, housing capacity development and supporting the First Nations Market Housing Fund.

CMHC has been Canada’s national housing agency for more than 65 years. CMHC is committed to helping Canadians access a wide choice of quality, environmentally sustainable, affordable housing solutions, while making vibrant, healthy communities and cities a reality across the country.

Kimberlee Jones
CMHC – Prairies and Territories Region
403-515-3048
Charles Sauriol
CMHC Media Relations
613-748-2799
Kate Marshall
National Director of Marketing Communications
Habitat for Humanity Canada
416-294-3039

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/canada-mortgage-housing-corporation-presents-233000863.html

Toronto Maple Leafs defender Dion Phaneuf scored twice, while Edmonton Oilers goaltender Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves for a shutout to virtually assure Canada a top-place finish in their group.

Canada looked in complete control from the starting face-off making Kazakhstan goalkeeper Vitali Kolesnik the most busy player at the ice of Hartwall arena.

But Canadians, who won their last world title in 2007, squandered a hatful of chances before Phaneuf scored the opening goal with 4:15 before the first interval on powerplay.

In the second Canada missed further numerous opportunities but scored through Anaheim Ducks winger Corey Perry, who skated behind Kazakhstan’s net to send the puck in from behind the goal line at 32:05.

Vancouver Canucks left wing Alexandre Burrows added a shorthanded goal with 2:57 before the second break to make it 3-0.

In the third Kazakhstan ran out of gas allowing Evander Kane, John Tavares, Teddy Purcell and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to score one apiece, while Phaneuf netted his second of the match to complete the rout in the two teams’ first ever meeting at the worlds.

“Though we were playing within 24 hours after the last night’s emotional win (5-3 over Finland) we did a good job tonight playing really solid 60 minutes,” Canada coach Brent Sutter said.

“We came into the match with just with one thing in mind – to play well – and we did. My best credits to my players for it.”

In Stockholm, the event’s co-hosts Sweden experienced few troubles on their way to a confident 4-0 win over Italy to join leaders Russia atop their group.

The Swedes started in lively fashion with Chicago Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger opening the score 5:13 into the match, while blueliner Staffan Kronwall added his goal with 48sec remaining in the first period for a 2-0 advantage.

Ottawa Senators rear guard Erik Karlsson scored on two-man powerplay 5:45 into the second, while Colorado Avalanche winger Gabriel Landeskog completed the scoring 1:45 into the third.

In the early Helsinki match 2002 champions Slovakia thrashed Belarus 5-1 to boost their chances of making the knockout round.

Buffalo Sabres rear guard Andrej Sekera put Slovakia into the lead at 6:45 wristing the puck in from just inside the blue line through the traffic.

In the second Branko Radivojevic, Michel Miklik, Tomas Kopecky and Juraj Mikus scored one apiece to give Slovakis a commanding 5-0 advantage before Alexei Kalyuzhny netted a consolation for Belarus.

“Today, every little thing went our way,” said Slovakia’s coach Vladimir Vujtek. “We played well in defence and our forwards scored one by one in the second period winning the match within just five minutes.”

France recorded their second win at the event beating Switzerland 4-2 to chalk up their fourth win over the Swiss side in their 13th head-to-head meeting at the world championships.

Forward Stephane da Costa scored a double while veteran ‘keeper Cristobal Huet produced 41 saves to add three points to the French team’s balance to jump into fifth place in their group, three points behind the fourth-placed Slovakia.

Norway also set their sights on a quarter-final spot after they beat Latvia 3-0 in Stockholm to go fourth.

Germany meanwhile battled back from a goal down in their clash with Denmark to notch their second win at the tournament 2-1.

Article source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/canada-rout-kazakhstan-confirm-group-lead-204150221--nhl.html

The United States, which won the gold medal at the Beijing Games, beat Cuba 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-16) in the semifinals Friday night at the NORCECA Olympic qualification tournament at the Walter Pyramid on the Cal State Long Beach campus.

Matt Anderson led the United States with 24 points, including four aces.

Canada beat Puerto Rico 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-23,15-11) in the first semifinal. Frederic Winters had 19 points for the Canadians.

It is the first time the United States has hosted the continental qualification tournament. Mexico, Trinadad and Tobago, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic also played in the event.

The Cubans, ranked fifth in the world, took the opening set with David Fiel’s block. But that energized the United States, which cruised through the next three sets before a crowd of some 3,000 fans.

Wilfredo Leon led Cuba with 15 points.

“I thought, as a team, we played a really good all-around match,” U.S. captain Clay Stanley said.

The Canadians upset Cuba earlier in the tournament. Coach Glenn Hoag said afterward that making it to Saturday’s match is a significant step for his team, win or lose.

“This is a final for us, and it’s the first one in a long time,” Hoag said. “So that’s a positive for us.”

The U.S. men, ranked sixth, have gone to seven straight Olympics. They went undefeated in Beijing, upsetting top-ranked Brazil in the final match.

The team has earned trips to the previous three Olympics via the NORCECA qualification tournament.

Several players from the U.S. women’s national team, which has already secured a spot in London, cheered on their male counterparts and raised donations for Saturday’s EIF Revlon Run-Walk For Women in Los Angeles. The women’s team is participating in the annual event, which raises money to fight cancer.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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Article source: http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/7922032/us-men-volleyball-team-beats-cuba-play-canada-olympic-spot

The couple said that Mrs Boots’ parents were devout Jehovah’s Witnesses and
had been travelling frequently to London to help their daughter with her
depression.

Mr and Mrs McRae also revealed that Mrs Boots had branded her brother
“selfish” following his suicide, telling them: “Now my kids will never know
their uncle”.

Scott Sinclair is said to have hanged himself after moving to Toronto and
abandoning his religion.

Mr McRae said: “Felicia told us that he had killed himself. She said he didn’t
like having this religion jammed down his throat.”

The couple added that he had suffered depression and was on medication before
his death.

London neighbours of Mrs Boots said that she had been in a “bad way” in the
weeks leading up to the murders.

But the McRae’s said that she had suffered from post natal depression since
the birth of her daughter.

Mrs Boots moved to London from Canada with her husband after he was
transferred with his previous job at the Bank of Montreal about five years
ago.

The McRaes said that the couple’s parents had been travelling to London
frequently to help take care of the children.

Mr Boots’s parents Barry and Christine are said to have recently returned from
one such visit and Mrs Sinclair was scheduled to travel to London next week
to see her grandchildren.

The McRaes said they last saw Mrs Boots last summer when she travelled back to
Canada to visit her parents.

Mrs McRae said that Mrs Boots had struggled to adapt to living in the UK.

“She was lonesome over there. She wanted to go out for dinner and things but
they had no babysitter. She used to say to me that if I lived in England I
could be her babysitter.

“I think she enjoyed England but she just wished she had more friends.
Sometimes being alone is the worst thing that can happen to you.”

“When she was here she seemed normal. Like the Felicia we knew. I didn’t ask
about her depression because it was her mother who told me and I didn’t want
to seem nosy.”

Mrs McRae said that she met Lily for the first time during the visit last
summer.

She said: “She was just a gorgeous little girl, she was laughing her head off.
She was so cute and gorgeous.

“Felicia was pregnant again and she seemed happy. They were going to come over
with the new baby this summer.”

Mrs Boots grew up in the house in which her parents still live. They have
lived there for nearly 30 years according to their neighbours. Previously
Mrs Sinclair’s parents lived in the house.

A further family tragedy occurred when Mrs Sinclair’s father was hit by a
truck and killed, according to the neighbours.

Mrs McRae said: “Felicia used to come and swim in our pool when she was
younger and Scott would come and play with our son. But Debbie and Dave
tended to only socialise within their religion, with other Jehovah’s
Witnesses. I’m not sure the children had that many friends outside the
church.”

Mrs McRae added that Mrs Boots had previously been married to a fellow
Jehovah’s Witness. She said the pair wed shortly after she graduated from
General Wolfe high school (now called White Oaks) in Oakville and that she
had opened a high street hairdressing business.

But the marriage failed after a few years apparently because her husband left
the church. Later Mrs Boots also denounced the religion saying she did not
want her children to be brought up in the church.

Her brother too broke away from the church and was in sporadic contact with
their parents. The McRaes said that he had been dead for three days before
his parents discovered.

Mrs McRae said: “I didn’t know about Scott until Debbie’s sister told me. I
think they preferred to not talk about it. Felicia was mad at her brother
for killing himself. She said it was selfish because her kids would never
know their uncle.

“We were told he hanged himself and left a note on the computer saying ‘I can
no longer live like this’”

Article source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9262459/Mother-remanded-over-babies-deaths-had-suffered-earlier-tragedy.html

Evander Kane scored the winning goal Friday after John Tavares and Jeff Skinner got the team rolling and Canada pulled out a 5-3 victory over Finland that was as important as it was emotional.

Those three players have all come to the world championship after every NHL season they’ve played. The other common denominator between them? None is older than 21.

“It’s funny with this team,” said coach Brent Sutter. “It’s the youngest Canadian team ever assembled, but they’re guys that have played in the National Hockey League for a couple or three years already. They’ve also had some experience over here and it’s really shown.”

This could end up be a defining moment for the group.

Trailing 2-0 after the first period in hostile Hartwall Arena, Canada appeared to be cowering in the face of its most difficult test yet. The score was 3-1 as the midway point of the game ticked by and you had to wonder if time was becoming a factor, particularly against such a stingy opponent.

Momentum turned quickly.

Skinner found Tavares on a 2-on-1 to make it 3-2 at 14:31 before jumping off the bench, collecting a loose puck and skating right around the net to score on a wraparound at 18:18. It was a breathtaking play.

“I asked him to show me how to tap-dance like that,” said Tavares. “He made some real nice moves there. … That was a real big goal.”

Kane finished off the comeback by quickly snapping home a Corey Perry pass at 6:04 of the third period to stun the sellout crowd, which chanted “Su-o-mi! Su-o-mi!” all night for a team that had won 10 straight world championship games heading in.

Alex Burrows and Jordan Eberle also scored while Cam Ward was sharp in stopping 35 shots for Canada (4-0-1), which moved atop Group H and now controls its own destiny moving toward the medal round.

Antti Pihlstrom, Mikko Koivu and Jussi Jokinen replied for Finland (4-1-0).

The host country went from looking like it was on a path to repeat as champions to being a team trying to explain how it let a pair of two-goal leads slip away in the span of a couple hours.

“We maybe lost a little bit of confidence and we couldn’t attack any more,” said Finnish coach Jukka Jalonen. “We didn’t have courage enough to move the puck and be patient enough. … It’s difficult to beat a team like that if you only defend.”

They had a dream start.

After weathering some Canadian pressure in the early minutes, the Finns took advantage of a neutral zone turnover by Kyle Quincey to make it 1-0. Niko Kapanen found Pihlstrom all alone at 5:33 and the building was rocking.

To make matters worse, Quincey was soon sent to the penalty box for cross-checking and teammate Dion Phaneuf followed, resulting in a 5-on-3 disadvantage. After Canada killed the first penalty, Koivu knocked home a rebound at 10:31 — prompting Sutter to call a timeout.

“We just needed to settle down,” said Skinner. “We all believed that we had a lot of time to play, we just needed to stop forcing plays. Maybe get a little bit more simple and get back to playing the way we wanted to.”

They responded with a much better second period that saw them put three goals behind Kari Lehtonen — matching the total Finland had allowed through 13 periods in the entire tournament.

After Burrows and Jokinen traded goals, Canada’s top line took over.

It’s become evident in the first week of the tournament that Sutter is comfortable leaning on the unit of Tavares, Skinner and Eberle. They’ve been the most consistent offensive players so far.

“Their line generates things,” said Sutter.

Article source: http://thechronicleherald.ca/sports/95625-canada-rallies-past-finns

Defying market expectations, Canada added 58,200 jobs in April, mostly full-time, after a whopping gain of 82,300 new positions in March.

The data increased expectations that the Bank of Canada could resume tightening monetary policy this year. Overnight index swaps, which trade based on expectations for the central bank’s key policy rate, showed that traders sharply increased bets on a rate hike in the second half.

Higher interest rates tend to strengthen a country’s currency by attracting international capital flows.

“It certainly raises the possibility of the Bank of Canada moving on interest rates sooner rather than later,” said Sal Guatieri, senior economist with BMO Capital Markets, which is forecasting a January hike.

The report briefly pushed the Canadian dollar above parity against the U.S. dollar, but market concern over Europe’s festering debt crisis boosted safe-haven government debt and the U.S. currency, sending the Canadian dollar back below parity.

Following the Canadian jobs data, the currency climbed as high as C$ 0.9954 versus the U.S. dollar, or $1.0046.

Global stocks retreated on the day amid the continued concern about Europe, while oil prices fell after weak data from China reduced demand expectations.

“We had a fabulous employment report out of Canada which helped strengthen the currency and got us through that all-important parity level again. And we’re closing the day looking like an outperformer on the back of that employment release,” said Camilla Sutton, chief currency strategist at Scotiabank.

“But the U.S. dollar is broadly stronger to close the day, so that has dragged CAD a little bit closer to parity as we enter the close.”

The Canadian dollar gained against all other G10 currencies and reached a 2012 high against the Australian and New Zealand dollars.

The Canadian dollar ended the North American session at C $1.0009 versus the U.S. dollar, or 99.91 U .S. cents, up slightly from Thursday’s session close at C$1.0017 versus the U.S. dollar, or 99.83 U.S. cents. The currency finished the week down about a half percent.

Canada’s currency has been supported since the latter half of April on ramped-up expectations of interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada. The central bank surprised investors with a more positive domestic economic outlook and an explicit warning that it may have to start raising rates again.

Canadian bond prices ended mixed, but underperformed U.S. Treasuries.

The yield on the two-year Canadian government bond, which is especially sensitive to expectations for Bank of Canada interest rate moves, rose to 1 .301 percent from about 1.2 26 percent just before the release of the Canadian employment report.

The benchmark 10-year bond yield retreated to 1 .972 percent.

(Additional reporting by Jennifer Kwan and Claire Sibonney; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson)

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-dollar-ends-stronger-strong-employment-gains-204604081--finance.html

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/polish-pm-heads-canada-three-day-visit-161933717.html

Dion Phaneuf scored twice and Devan Dubnyk stopped all 22 shots he faced Saturday as Canada cruised to a comfortable 8-0 victory over Kazakhstan.

The team sits in the driver’s seat in the Helsinki pool and can clinch the top seed with a victory in its final round robin game against Belarus on Tuesday. After that, it will need three straight victories to claim the country’s first world championship gold since 2007.

Corey Perry, Alex Burrows, Evander Kane, John Tavares, Teddy Purcell and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored on a night where the offence was spread around for Canada (5-0-1). Duncan Keith and Ryan Getzlaf each added three assists.

Kazakhstan saw its record fall to 0-5-1 and will be relegated to the lower level Group A world championship next year.

Canada managed to avoid a big letdown one day after an emotional 5-3 victory over the host Finns — although the goals did not come quickly against a Kazak team that dressed just 18 skaters because of injuries.

Kazakhstan managed to kill a penalty and keep Canada off the scoresheet for the first 15 minutes. Phaneuf got things started on the second man advantage with a hard slapshot that beat Vitali Kolesnik at 15:45 to make it 1-0.

However, the Kazaks didn’t go away — testing Dubnyk with 10 shots in the second period. Defender Roman Savchenko had a glorious chance to tie the game with the Canadian goalie down and out, but he fired high with the team’s best scoring chance of the night.

Shortly after that, Perry gave Canada a little breathing room with a nice wraparound goal at 12:05 before Jordan Eberle earned a painful assist. He was hammered by Vladislav Kolesnikov in the neutral zone, but had the puck end up on the stick of Burrows, who scored at 17:03 to make it 3-0.

The game turned into a rout in the final 20 minutes.

Early goals 50 seconds apart by Kane, Tavares and Purcell chased Kolesnik from the net before Phaneuf got his second goal of the night at 5:53 against backup Vitali Yeremeyev.

From there, Dubnyk managed to shut the door and earned his first ever shutout at the world championship.

Notes: Canadian forward Ryan O’Reilly sat out with a minor injury … The Kazakhstan roster features four players who were part of the country’s upset victory over Canada at the 1998 world junior tournament … Kazak forward Konstantin Pushkarev is a former second-round pick by Los Angeles who has appeared in 17 career NHL games … Kazakhstan called a timeout in the final minute of the game after getting awarded a 5-on-3 power play … Announced attendance was 4,151.

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/devan-dubnyk-makes-22-saves-canada-beats-kazakhstan-192804005--spt.html

Steve Nash had been given the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Order of Canada, and the highest athletic honor, lighting the 2010 Olympic cauldron in his home province of British Columbia. That still did not shield Nash from criticism and questions about why he did not put his tricky back and NBA-exhausted body through more basketball for Canada in the past eight years.

It would be hard for anyone to question the Suns guard’s dedication to Canada now. Still amid an NBA career he plans to last at least three more years, Nash will work for free as the general manager of Canada Basketball’s men’s national team.

Nash, 38, has always expressed a passion for Canada Basketball, whether it was ripping the organization for firing Jay Triano as coach in 2004 or devoting nine summers to playing or practicing with the same program that invited him as a largely unknown 16-year-old.

“I have a great history and I owe a lot to my development to the program,” Nash said at a Tuesday news conference in Toronto. “I feel that the success I’ve had in my career not only is in large part due to my time with the national team program, but also my fondest memories of everything that I’ve been fortunate enough to experience. Playing in the Olympics for Canada was the greatest experience of my career, bar none. I think it’s no secret and I think it’s obvious what this country means to me. To be a part of Canada Basketball again is a huge honor and a pleasure. Now the work starts.”

While Nash’s NBA allegiance next season won’t be known until July free agency, there is a precedent for running a Canadian national team from the Valley. Wayne Gretzky, Nash’s idol and fellow Olympic cauldron lighter, coached the Phoenix Coyotes while also serving as executive director of the Canadian men’s hockey program for the 2006 Olympics.

The bar is far lower for Canada Basketball, but the talent is rising. Canada has not reached the Olympics since 2000, when Nash last played and led his team to within one win of the medal round. He was MVP of an Olympic qualifying tournament in 2004 without Canada qualifying.

This time, Canada’s pool includes two NBA 2011 first-round picks, Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph, and a better group of young talent, including 17-year-old phenom Andrew Wiggins of Toronto.

“I don’t think that’s an outlier,” Nash, sporting a Canada-red pocket square, said of the improving basketball talent in Canada. “I think that’s a theme.”

Nash’s presence already has improved fundraising for the organization, with the advent of a Sixth Man Group that has lured new financial commitments based on Nash’s pledge to join. Plans for the program model what Suns Chairman Jerry Colangelo did with USA Basketball, attaining multi-year commitments and having occasional training camps to maintain familiarity. The goal is to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.

Toronto, with nearby Etobicoke being home to Canada Basketball, would be a possible NBA free agency destination for Nash. He has always held out interest in finishing his career in Toronto, where his annual Suns road-trip visits felt like Suns home games — and the Raptors have cap space and young talent.

Nash becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. The Suns have expressed since last year that they want Nash to retire as a Sun and said recently that Nash expressed a desire to stay in Phoenix to them.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Nash said Tuesday. “I’m obviously going to have to do my research and dig in and see what opportunities fit me best, but at the same time, it’s something that could be really simple or it could be really complicated.

“(I’ll) dig into rosters and situations and even cities and just see what would fit me and what situation I’d fit best in. I haven’t even started.”

Article source: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2012/05/08/20120508steve-nash-hired-general-manager-canadas-national-hoops-team.html

Stefania Cruz is a catch: 24, ambitious, bright and fluent in English as well as Spanish. In a year, she will complete her degree in industrial engineering at the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Tampico, northeast of Mexico City – training that is desperately sought in Canada’s oil sands.

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For the past four months, she has worked as a research intern in Vancouver, beefing up her language skills and earning a gleaming reference from her employer. But will she be back?

Upon graduation, Ms. Cruz will decide between Mexico’s two northern neighbours. “The United States feels like a land of opportunity,” she concedes, a place with better job prospects and bigger salaries. But Canada feels more like home: “The people are very nice, open and willing to help you. They don’t care where I come from.”

They also need her.

The challenges presented by Canada’s aging population, low birth rate and growing labour shortages make a strong case for a significant boost in immigration. But the country also should pay particular attention to those it would like to come.

As well as young people like Stefania Cruz, there is a high demand for skilled workers such as Bernard Cross, an Irish heavy-machinery mechanic with 27 years’ experience who will arrive in Saskatchewan in two weeks to repair trucks – and take up a post his new boss in Lloydminster has been trying to fill for three years.

Also required are dynamic innovators and job creators such as Sander de Block, who is commercial director of Tocardo International, a Dutch developer of hydro-turbine technology, and currently considering whether to set up shop in Nova Scotia.

Last year, Canada brought in 156,000 economic immigrants and their dependents, along with 191,000 temporary workers, and many more would like to follow suit. But are they the cream of the 640 million global migrants seeking a new home every year?

As countries jockey to lure the most creative and skilled employees – the ones who will drive the knowledge economy and energize its aging society – Canada can’t simply wait for them to appear. It must step up the effort to sell the Canadian brand around the world – to get those with the most talent to see it not just as a land of tolerance for diversity, but as a nucleus of economic opportunity.

“We are getting the best who apply, but are those who apply the best?” asks Howard Duncan of the Ottawa-based International Metropolis Project, which researches migration and diversity. “At some point, especially looking at Canada’s competitiveness in the international migration market, we are going to have to look at immigration as national – as opposed to a federal, provincial, employer or university project – and put those frictions behind us because there is more at stake.”

The Last Best West revisited a century later

History seems to be repeating itself. In the 1870s, much as now, the West was booming but short on bodies. So the federal government launched an advertising campaign called The Last Best West, targeting farmers and labourers in Britain, the United States and Europe with the offer of free land.

The recruiters ran ads in newspaper, launched touring exhibitions, distributed promotional posters, even covertly bribed steamship ticket agents to pitch Canada to travellers – all to sell a sprawling countryside where a clever newcomer could make a fortune.

The campaign was a success: By 1900, about 1.6 million immigrants had arrived, a number that doubled by 1910 – enough to populate newly formed Alberta and Saskatchewan, and to dampen any expansionist tendencies lurking to the south.

Even so, there were concerns about the “quality” of the newcomers – or, as prairie clergyman J.S. Woodsworth, future leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, put it: “Within the past decade, a nation has been born. … But how shall we weld this heterogeneous mass into one people?”

Article source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/is-canadas-brand-strong-enough-to-attract-the-immigrants-it-wants/article2430470/