An important part of the Government On-Line initiative is putting government information and services on-line. Using powerful Internet applications, Industry Canada and the Industry Portfolio have a number of fully interactive web-based tools. Below is a comprehensive list of these tools, for both businesses and consumers, as well as links to other web-based services.

Industry Canada

• Aboriginal Business
• Accessibility
• Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy
• Company Directories
• Competition
• Connecting Canadians
• Consumers
• Corporations
• Electronic Commerce
• Environment
• Financing
• Innovation
• Intellectual Property
• Investment
• Measurement Canada
• Science and Technology
• Small Business
• Telecommunications
• Trade

Industry Portfolio

• Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
• Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
• Standards Council of Canada
• Statistics Canada
• Western Economic Diversification Canada

(Note: The dollar sign symbol ($) indicates a charge for the service.)

The Aboriginal Business Directory is an on-line listing of Aboriginal businesses in Canada. It is available to all Canadian status and non-status Indians, Inuit and Métis businesses, associations, partnerships or other legal entities, on or off reserve. Users can add or update their company profile, or search the directory. Each profile includes the company name, location, company profile, primary business activity, technology profile, a list of contacts, product/service information and markets served.

The Accessible Procurement Toolkit was developed by the Assistive Devices Industry Office. Use this site if you plan to procure technology or services for the general office environment. The site describes the features and design principles that must be provided to a vendor to ensure "universal accessibility" of their products or services. The Toolkit will help you answer the most common questions you need to ask when purchasing.

Monthly statistics on bankruptcies, receiverships and proposals; urban centre, provincial and national statistics; specialized statistics including monthly trends, national profiles, and annual comparisons; and annual bankruptcy rates by urban centre.

This database contains records of all bankruptcies and proposals filed in Canada from 1978 to date. It also contains a record of all private and court appointed receiverships filed in Canada from 1993 to date. All petitions registered in the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy are also included in the database.

The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy regulates licensed bankruptcy trustees. The Trustee Directory system allows user to perform searches on current active and licensed trustees. Users can search by trustee name, type, city, province or postal code.

Search records for unclaimed dividends that may be due to a creditor from a past bankruptcy or proposal.

Register your company in this on-line database where Canadians and foreign buyers and sellers connect. You can also search the database by company name, province, SIC Code, business activity, company size and exports.

Register your company, update your profile or search the Canadian Training Solutions database containing profiles of Canadian companies and institutions offering education and training products and services. The database contains over 1000 training providers — including universities, colleges, private training institutions and multimedia companies.

North American Textiles Sourcing onLine (NATS onLine), developed by the Manufacturing Industries Branch (MIB) of Industry Canada, is an interactive, fully automated database on CD listing:

• producers of wool, cotton and manmade yarns;
• producers of broadwoven woollen, worsted, cotton and manmade fabrics;
• producers of knitted wool, cotton and manmade fabrics;
• producers of nonwoven fabrics (felt, apparel, household, institutional, industrial);
• producers of hosiery (socks, sheer hosiery); and
• dyers and finishers.

NATS onLine identifies over 1400 North American (Canada, U.S. and Mexico) yarn and fabric manufacturers, dyers and finishers. Contact MIB to get a copy of the CD or to include your company in the database.

Worksheets and graphic illustrations to assist in meeting the labelling requirements of federal legislation. Includes: Consumer Packaging and Labelling; Precious Metals Marking; Textile Labelling; and Down and Feather Labelling.

The Competition Bureau publishes certain advisory opinions given under the Competition Act to help people understand how the law is administered or where a new issue or sector of the economy is being examined. With the consent of the requesting parties, opinions are published in their entirety or in an edited version that protects identities and commercially sensitive information.

Register on-line for different academic courses being offered through Canada's Campus Connection. Check out the site for listings of on-line courses provided by Canada's universities and colleges available to government and private sector employees seeking skills upgrading.

Access the Internet's most engaging and informative sites, selected to meet the needs of teachers, students and parents. The collection of more than 7000 links provides information on professional development, technology in the classroom and areas of interest to educational professionals. Included are a “Curriculum Area,” a “Teacher's Corner,” and links to “Federal Learning Resources.”

SchoolNet is a partnership with the provincial and territorial governments, the education community, and the private sector, which promotes the effective use of information and communications technologies in learning.

SchoolNet has a variety of online services in the following areas:

• Connectivity — including SchoolNet Global Gateway, and SchoolNet's Open Source Resources Centre
• Youth
• Employment/Volunteering — including SchoolNet Youth Entrepreneurship

The Toile scolaire francophone is a partnership project of Industry Canada's SchoolNet, the Government of New Brunswick and the Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie. The project allows young Canadian professionals to travel to the member countries of La Francophonie to give teachers, students and young people in academic, association and community circles an introduction to and training in information and communication technologies. The Interactive Corner includes memory games on country flags and on-line puzzles.

The Consumer Policy Research Database is a collection of research references on consumer-related topics. The database contains links to consumer research documents undertaken by university researchers, governments and non-profit organizations since 1998. Database topics include marketplace structure and business practices, consumer protection/rights, financial services, and macro-economic issues. Users can search the database or submit a document to be included in the search.

Self-evaluation tools for Canadian companies regarding their refund and exchange policies as well as their methods of handling consumer complaints. Guides to managing consumer complaints, and organizing a consumer advisory panel are also featured.

For consumers, this interactive service helps identify the credit cards which will cost the least in interest and fees over a year. It is most useful for cardholders who do not pay their credit card bills in full each month.

For consumers who have a chequing or savings account at a Canadian financial institution, the calculator allows users to compare monthly service charges with those at other institutions.

The Fraud Files is a series of short video clips followed by a question on fraud consumers can answer to see how susceptible they are to scams.

To take the Fraud Quiz, answer the questions and a computer program will calculate your score and give you tips on how to avoid getting caught by consumer scams and fraud. As you complete the quiz, a Risk Meter will gauge the risk level of your responses and display the results graphically at the bottom of the screen. At the end, you are given a final score, ranked on your risk to fraud, and given a list of "Areas of Caution", "Areas of High Risk" and "Areas of Strength".

By answering "yes" or "no" to the nine questions in the On-line Shopping Assistant you can quickly assess whether you are getting the information you need before making a purchase over the Internet. Reputable merchants will provide you with all the information you need to make informed on-line buying decisions.

Privacytown, from the Office of Consumer Affairs, is your guide to protecting your privacy and personal information. In today's knowledge-based economy, it is important to understand how to avoid threats to privacy and discover what steps can be taken when privacy has been invaded.

Users can learn about privacy concerns of everyday life related to banks, businesses, doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies, schools, video stores and homes.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself against debit card fraud. Learn the tips on protecting yourself, along with information about how debit card fraud can occur, what to do if you are the victim of fraud, situations in which you may be held liable, and your potential liability.

Spending Smarter contains the following collection of interactive tools:

• Vehicle Lease or Buy Calculator
• Mortgage Savings Calculator
• Rent or Buy a Home Calculator
• Cost of Borrowing Calculator
• Daily Spending Calculator

that can help users avoid common spending pitfalls and maximize the amount of money you have at your disposal. Check the "What Canadians Spend" section to see how your spending habits compare with the average Canadian household.

The Monthly Transactions of Corporations Canada is an on-line periodical that provides listings of firms that have been federally incorporated during the previous month. It also provides indexes of corporate amendments, amalgamations, dissolutions, and many other records of transactions. The dates and corporate file numbers of the transactions also listed, which can be used to obtain additional information from Federal Corporations Data On-line.

Search by corporate name or corporation number.

Ebiz.enable brings together a variety of tools to assess e-business potential, plan an e-business strategy, meet the challenges of international e-business and much more. The toolkit contains resources from Industry Canada, the Business Development Bank of Canada as well as leading vendors in the private sector.

The SMEs e-business Information Toolkit is designed to provide the necessary resources to make sound e-business decisions. As well as explaining the basics of e-business strategies, this toolkit covers determining the return on investment of e-business for SMEs, provides practical information on Internet security issues and accessing credible e-business suppliers.

Learn how to conduct e-business through this on-line course. You will see how Canadian corporations are using e-business to improve customer relationship management, order management, and information sharing as well as many other business requirements.

Learn about e-commerce while taking this quiz. Statistics regarding on-line sales can also be found at this site.

Register on-line with SourceCAN, Canada's national e-marketplace. SourceCAN offers companies a single point of registration and e-business services with information to start finding business on the web. Be sure to visit the "Business Opportunities", "Express Marketplace", "Partnering", "Virtual Trade show" and "Business Services" sections.

Student Connections hires and trains post-secondary students and recent graduates to provide on-site customized Internet training and e-commerce services to businesses across Canada. This on-line course allows businesses to find out how to use the Internet to do business more efficiently, more productively, and more profitably. On-line exercises are used to help users identify the three main business uses of the Internet; develop a preliminary Internet business strategy; and identify three business opportunities created by the Internet. A mini-quiz at the end of the course allows you to test how much you've learned.

CES currently addresses industry sector problems related to water, air, soil, research and development, and energy. CES contains 1,980 environmental problems, 1,920 solutions and their descriptions, along with the 872 companies that can provide the solutions. All are accessible using full-text search.

The Eco-efficiency Knowledge Diagnostic consists of 14 multiple-choice questions to help business people assess their knowledge of eco-efficiency. The tool directs users to one of three sets of learning resources appropriate to their assessed knowledge level based on the score obtained from the completed questionnaire. Users are provided with the correct answers to the questions asked and with an assessment of which knowledge category they fall into.

Eco-efficiency is achieved through increasing product or service value while reducing the consumption of resources and the impact on nature. This tool was developed to assist small and medium-sized manufacturers in Canada to develop an eco-efficiency program that is tailored to their business needs, and consists of worksheets to guide businesses through the steps of self-assessment, strategic planning, and benefit-cost analyses. Two other self assessment tools — an Efficient Entrepreneur Calendar and the Environment Management Tool Kit — are also available.

Find out how Sources of Financing can help you locate traditional or alternative sources of financing for your small business.

• Add/Update Your Financial Organization

  Be sure to go to the "Add/Update Your Financial Organization" section and complete a profile of your organization's financing products and/or services, and feature them in this large database.




• Lease or Buy Calculator

  Designed to help in deciding whether to lease or buy business equipment.




• Small Business Financial Service Charges Calculator

  The Small Business Financial Services Calculator compares the service charges of 56 small business accounts offered by 11 Canadian financial institutions.




• Micro-Credit

  Looking for an alternative source of financing? This guide provides an introduction to what micro-credit is and who can benefit from it. Users can search for sources of financing by province, business sector, and type and amount of financing required. There are also links to on-line business tools and further information on micro-financing.




• Private Sector Assistance

  From chartered banks to venture capital providers, this searchable directory allows users to tap into financing information from into a wide range of traditional and alternative sources in the private sector of the Canadian capital marketplace.




• Search for Financing

  Search the Sources of Financing database for links to private and public sector financial providers that may have financing solutions to address specific business needs. Users can search for financing by location, and specify the purpose, size and preferred source of financing.

The Innovation Management Toolkit provides a set of interactive, easy-to-use Internet-based tools that introduce approaches to improving innovation used by global leaders to managers of smaller companies. The toolkit includes an overview of the benefits of innovation and barriers to success, introduces best practice standards and provides diagnostic tools covering key management areas.

Search the Canadian Copyrights Database to find copyrights registered under the Copyright Act since October 1991. Searches can be conducted according to 11 different categories, including title, author, agent, company name, country of publication, file number and year of publication.

This database allows users to access more than 75 years of patent descriptions and images, as well as search, retrieve and study more than 1.4 million patent documents.

This database allows you to search Canadian trade-marks.

Allows you to file applications for registration, send in related documents or correspondence, obtain copies and pay the associated fees online.

This site provides public access to all the decisions of the Commissioner of Patents. Searches may be performed using the following criteria: topics, text (in English, French or both), Decision of the Commissioner of Patents number, application number, patent number, International Patent Classification, Canadian Patent Classification, and date.

Allows you to file applications for registration, send in related documents or correspondence, obtain copies and pay the associated fees online.

Allows you to file applications for registration, send in related documents or correspondence, obtain copies and pay the associated fees online.

The IP Toolkit helps direct you through useful information about Intellectual Property (IP). It contains information, instructional modules, links, and highlighted glossary terms that answer most IP questions asked by businesses and entrepreneurs.

To promote the exchange of ideas and creativity while protecting owners' rights, certain kinds of creative endeavours are considered to be intellectual property (IP) for which legal recognition can be obtained. Learn and Discover includes a fun hockey game to help you learn about IP, a quiz and a Think Link where you can discover some fun facts about IP.

The goal of the LSeTT site is to link inventors, scientists and researchers with companies who seek to license and commercialize their intellectual property. LSeTT contains information on technology transfer and allows users to search for licensing opportunities from major research institutions (universities, hospitals and government laboratories) around the world.

• A World of Opportunity — Access millions of patent records from Canada, the European Union, the U.S., Japan, Israel, Australia, Korea, China, Singapore, Taiwan and 18 Latin American countries, including Mexico and Cuba. Users can enter keywords into the search field(s) provided in order to search the Intellectual Property Offices of these countries.



• Complete Licensing Search — The Complete Licensing Search section gives users the ability to enter any combination of words into one search field. Results are retrieved from all of the sources in the LSeTT database.

NUANS® is a computerized search system that compares a proposed corporate name or trademark with a data base of existing corporate bodies and trademarks. This comparison determines the similarity that exists between the proposed name/mark and existing names in the database, and produces a listing of names that are found to be most similar.

Allows you to file applications for registration, send in related documents or correspondence, obtain copies and pay the associated fees online.

Allows you to file for registration of a trade-mark, certification mark or a distinguishing guise or obtain forms to complete and mail.

A variety of business services on-line including information on establishing a business in Canada, and an overview of the Investment Canada Act including on-line notification forms and application for review.

There are 12 modules in three groups: 1) Become Investor Ready, 2) Build Investor Relationships, and 3) Professional Skills. The toolkit is a repository for 90 document and spreadsheet templates, checklists and other aids that will assist in the investment process. Site also includes information on workshops.

Measurement Canada administers and enforces the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act and the Weights and Measures Act. Their services include:

• Contractors' Registry — A database of all electricity and natural gas contractors (individuals and companies authorized to supply electricity or natural gas), and an application for those who wish to apply to become a contractor.



• List of Accredited Service Providers — A directory of all the organizations granted authority to verify measuring instruments on Measurement Canada's behalf.



• Notice of Approval Database — A directory of all the measuring instruments approved for use in trade in Canada.



• Gravity Tolerance Application — A tool designed to assist you in determining whether gravitational pull is a factor to be considered in where your scale was serviced or repaired and where your scale is installed.



• List of Manufacturers — A database of all manufacturers whose measuring instruments have been approved for business use in Canada under the authority of the Weights and Measures Act.

Solutions for Advanced Manufacturing (SAM) focusses on advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) and the Canadian companies that produce these technology solutions. The site includes a directory of AMT companies, technologies, solutions, training, events, and a place where you can register your Canadian AMT company, technologies, successes and solutions on-line.

This practical business forecasting tool provides firms with a way to make accurate predictions of future market demands and determine the innovative processes and products required to satisfy them. Current roadmaps available are:

• Aluminum;
• Bio-based Feedstocks, Fuels and Industrial Products
• Canadian Aircraft Design, Manufacturing and Repair and Overhaul;
• Canadian Electrical Power;
• Canadian Fuel Cell Commercialization;
• Canadian Metal Casting;
• Forestry Operations;
• Functional Foods and Neutraceuticals;
• Intelligent Buildings;
• Lean Logistics;
• Lumber and Value-Added Wood Products;
• Medical Imaging;
• Marine and Ocean Industry;
• Wood-Based Panel Products.

The Business Start-Up Assistant (BSA) is managed by the Canada Business Service Centres. This website is a one-stop source of information for launching a business in Canada. It combines start-up information from the federal, provincial and territorial governments, the community, and many other sources.

Information is organized by topic, such as basic steps for starting a business, market research, financing, taxation and business number, preparing a business plan, regulations, hiring employees or contractors, and registering your business. The site also provides links to federal, provincial and territorial forms for registering your business.

The Canada Business Service Centres (CBSCs) serve as your gateway to government information for business. The CBSCs provide a wide range of information on government services, programs and regulations. Talk to Us! allows you to connect with a knowledgeable Business Information Officer by telephone or through a safe and secure browser-to-browser connection. The Officer can then answer your questions and guide you to the on-line small business resources you need. Includes a Flash demo.

Canadian Industry Statistics presents Canadian and U.S. industry trends from 1990 to 1998. The site includes a glossary of terms, country classifications, a link to Standard Industrial Classifications (SIC) used at Statistics Canada, and a SIC code search. Users can go on-line to search for statistics such as manufacturing shipments, total employment, average salaries and wages, total capital stock, total exports, and total research and development for various industry sectors.

Canadian Training Solutions for Workplace Learning is an on-line resource tool developed for employers who want to find out more about the benefits of training and explore its applications. Learn why training is important for your organisation, discover how using new learning technologies to train your employees can improve performance and explore the database of over 1000 training suppliers in Canada to find training programs that meet the needs of your company.

The first business planning software product designed specifically for the World Wide Web, the IBP uses the capabilities of the Internet to assist entrepreneurs prepare a three-year business plan for new or existing businesses.

The Database of Business Advisors allows visitors to:

• Add/Update Your Business Advisors' Profile — Visitors can add their organization's business profile including address, telephone, website and e-mail address, all of which is then included in the search feature. Organizations from business consultants to Chambers of Commerce can include their profiles to offer their specialized services in financing, training, marketing and business planning.



• Search for Small Business Support Organizations — Search this comprehensive directory of Canadian companies and organizations that support small business, such as associations, business self-help offices and community development corporations. Users can search by name of organization, by region, by type of organization or by keyword.



• Search for Professional Advisors Assistance — Browse through a directory of professional business advisors, including accredited professionals, associations, business consultants and business network advisors. Users can search by name of organization, by region, by type of organization or by keyword.

The Online Small Business Workshop is jointly presented and funded by the provincial, territorial and federal governments through Western Economic Diversification Canada, the B.C. Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development, and the Canada Business Service Centres network. It contains six sessions that potential small business owners can browse through to learn the essentials of setting up a business. The sessions include information on exploring business opportunities, marketing basics, financing your business, preparing a business plan, and regulations, as well as a start-up checklist.

Enables existing and prospective small business to benchmark themselves on more than 30 performance measures, such as number of employees, inventory, wages and rental costs.

This Internet-based tool uses the residential furniture manufacturing and book publishing sectors to demonstrate the benefits of using benchmarks to determine if your company is meeting its productivity potential. Input your numbers to discover your company's strengths and weaknesses and determine how to improve its productivity.

The Productivity Knowledge Diagnostic and Learning Tool consists of an interactive questionnaire containing 13 multiple-choice questions to help business people assess their knowledge of productivity. The tool directs users to one of three sets of learning resources appropriate to their assessed knowledge level. The assessment is based on scores obtained from the completed questionnaire. Users are provided with a detailed record of correct answers to individual questions at the end of the questionnaire.

The SME Research Database contains over 1700 items of small business and entrepreneurship research undertaken by university researchers, governments and business organizations. Visitors can search the database by subject, by region, by industry or by keyword.

Users can add to the list in the New Reference Submission section.

The Service Industries Branch of Industry Canada developed Steps to Competitiveness to present, in a modular format, information on competitiveness issues and gaps facing small and medium-sized service firms. The nine modules on this website include information on needs assessment, strategic planning, financing, technology, human resources, marketing, partnerships, quality assurance, and the introduction of a new service. Most modules contain an overview, diagnostic or self-assessment tools, and a reference section.

Steps to Growth Capital consists of three key elements: a self-study guide, an investor readiness test, and a Fast Track to Growth Capital executive summary. The self-study guide is for entrepreneurs seeking information on how to tap into the large pool of growth capital available in Canada. The website also includes a case story as well as information on how to brush up on key investor-readiness skills. Take the online investor readiness test to see how well you understand the process of attracting investors. Or read the executive summary to learn the critical path to finding growth capital, and try the online checklists. Additional resources and a glossary are also provided.

The Industry Canada Examiner is a software to generate examinations intended as a learning aid for prospective amateur radio operators and an administrative tool for accredited examiners. This software package can produce a unique examination for either a basic or advanced amateur certificate. It will also generate a worksheet, and has an additional feature that allows self-testing on a home computer.

The Amateur Radio Operator Certificate site allows you to apply on-line for a certificate, find out about the relevant fees, or report changes of mailing address. The Amateur Certification Fact Sheet contains information about examinations, accredited examiners, and how to obtain a call sign. It also provides guidance on how to operate an Amateur Radio Station.

The Broadband for Rural and Northern Development Pilot Program uses a competitive process to bring broadband, or high-capacity, Internet to unserved rural, remote and First Nations communities.

The National Satellite Initiative is aimed at bringing high-capacity Internet to communities in the Far and mid-North, and in isolated or remote areas of Canada, where satellite is the only reasonable means of connecting residents.

The Applicants' Centre contains information about the application process, deadlines and forms for the two programs.

Check this page for information on broadcasting-database files (updated weekly). Also included are a user manual, TV and FM technical limitations, and an Available Callsign List for Broadcasting Stations.

The Certification and Engineering Bureau of Industry Canada provides a certification service for both radio and terminal equipment in Canada.

Users can check the list of radio submissions received in the last 30 days. They can also see if their submission has been completed by checking the Radio Equipment List.

Certain radio equipment will require the use of an Open Area Test Site (OATS) in order to perform radiated emission testing. In such cases, the OATS must be on file with the department. Check the list of OATS on file and apply online for OATS Registration.

Some Testing Utilities, including an Emission Designator Tool, are also available.

The National Maritime Information Database includes a Coast Station Search, a Ship Station Search, information on Maritime Mobile Service Identities (MMSIs), and MMSIs Application Forms. Information contained in the database is provided to Industry Canada by vessel owners and operators.

Radio Frequency Search — Spectrum Direct

Spectrum Direct is Spectrum Management's online services website. The objectives of Spectrum Management are to ensure that all radio spectrum use is compatible; to ensure the availability of spectrum for new users, uses and technologies; to provide users with frequency assignments; to minimize occurrences of interference; and to ensure that cases of harmful interference are investigated promptly.

Users can perform the following radio frequency searches on the site:

• Geographical area search
• Frequency range search
• Single frequency search
• Call sign search
• Licensee name search
• Licence number search
• Protected microwave frequency information search

Anyone operating a fixed or portable marine radio in a pleasure craft is required by law to have a Restricted Operator's Certificate (Maritime). The Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS) is a nationwide organization that has been delegated, by Industry Canada, with the authority to issue the Restricted Operator's Certificate (Maritime). The site explains how taking the Radio Talk Seminar or studying the Radio Talk Manual home-study course can help you obtain the Restricted Operator's Certificate (Maritime).

While Industry Canada at one time conducted investigations to identify and locate sources of radio interference, we no longer provide this service. Check the Solving Interference Problems website for information on what you can do to solve interference problems. Includes a multimedia tool entitled Cutting Through … Radio Interference, which contains information on interference problems that affect your TV, radio, and other household equipment and helps you track down the causes and come up with solutions. A Guide for Radio Operators, which provides information on installing and maintaining stations, is also available.

Allows companies to bid on auctions of radio frequency spectrums.

SpectrumGeo is the mapping site of radio spectrum geospatial information. This site contains data and information, and displays maps for the authorized spectrum licence service areas, the spectrum auction results, and the spectrum grid and related map layers.

• Spectrum Licence Service Areas
• Spectrum Auction Results
• Downloadable Files

• Amateur Radio Exam Generator
• National Maritime Information Database
• Solving Interference Problems
• Spectrum Direct
• SpectrumGeo
• Technical and Administrative Frequency Lists (TAFL) (frequency lists for radio systems in Canada)
• Terminal (TEL) and Radio (REL) Equipment List Databases
• Terminal Attachment Program Advisory Committee (TAPAC)

The Terminal Equipment List and the Radio Equipment List sites provide the tools required to certify/register equipment to Canadian standards. Included are procedures, standards, status of applications and online e-filings, designation, certification, and a listing of accredited test facilities.

This website provides information on the proceedings and procedures of TAPAC and its Task Forces. Register to gain full privileges, including automatic notification when new documents are posted. The website includes a discussion board, calendar and chat room.

With the Canadian Importers Database you can obtain a list of major importers by product/commodity or by city. The final report, generated using the latest year's data collected by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, will give you names and postal codes of the top 80% import companies in your specified sector.

Export Your Services … Take a World View provides information for service exporters to improve their chances for success in foreign markets. It includes 4 sections and provides answers to the most frequently asked questions about exporting services, makes it possible to determine export readiness, and helps to prepare for doing business internationally.

Build your own comparison from topics in: 1) Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook annual directory, 2) International Business Practices documents, 3) Market Research Reports, or 4) Country Commercial Guides.

Customs-based international trade statistics, with the latest trade data from Statistics Canada and the U.S. Department of Commerce (U.S. Census Bureau). Generate reports by product or by industry.

Modelled after a conventional trade show, the VTS is an on-line venue where exhibitors promote their products/services and network with potential buyers and partners in Canada and around the world. Three VTSs are now available:

• Education & Training;
• Information & Communications Technologies; and
• Montréal Virtual Hockey Trades Expo.

This online questionnaire will allow owners and/or managers of a small business to assess their practices in the following six key areas of business management: strategic planning, marketing, human resources, operations, finance and accounting, and information management.

Take advantage of this free service to ask a BDC Consulting Group professional for advice on a selected topic each month. Questions and responses are posted online at the end of the month. Users can also access all the answers posted in the Ask a Professional section in the last year.

An on-line banking service tailored to meet the needs of small businesses.

The free BDC Business Plan templates let you prepare a professional business plan — a necessity when seeking financing for your project. The plan contains two sections with a glossary and a user guide. Create your business plan by completing the boxes indicating your business overview, sales and marketing plan, operating plan, human resources plan, action plan, and financial plan.

Two free diagnostic tests — "E-business Relevancy Diagnostic" and "E-Business Readiness Diagnostic" to see how relevant e-business is to your company and how prepared you are to take advantage of it.

An on-line questionnaire designed to assess your potential as an entrepreneur.

The finance eligibility indicator tool will help you measure the likelihood of obtaining financing from BDC. Indicate your industry sector from the drop-down list, identify the type of project you want financed, enter at least one year of completed financial data for your business, and click the Submit button to see your results.

Links to various on-line Financial Ratio Calculators allowing you to evaluate the performance of your business in areas such as earning power, solvency, efficiency and debt load.

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is a federal Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective standardization. The SCC offers on-line services and standards-related information products.

Allows registered exporters and agents to report goods electronically to the federal government of Canada.

Search for commodities in the Canadian international merchandise trade database, at the 8- and 10-digit Harmonized System levels. Select and download commodity trade data.

Visit Canadian Statistics to get data on many aspects of Canada's economy, land, people and government — all in easy-to-read tables. Take the Canada Quiz to test your knowledge of this country. The answers to all of the questions can be found within Canadian Statistics site.

An on-line database profiling Canada's people, labour, manufacturing, investment, international trade, industries, and more. Provides data that allows you to track trends in virtually every aspect in the lives of Canadians.

An interactive learning tool which offers a large collection of statistics about Canada and Canadian citizens.

Elementary, secondary and postsecondary students can check this handy site for data and information to help with homework and to find programs that support in-depth research, teaching and learning. Teachers will find data, publications, and teaching tools created and selected for school teachers and teacher librarians.

This quiz allows you to compare yourself with successful self-made business people on some key traits and characteristics. The quiz consists of 75 statements. Respond to each statement, then click the Calculate Risk button to see your quiz results, which measure traits such as adaptability, intuition, risk tolerance and decisiveness.

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Date Modified: 2005-11-28 Important Notices