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December 6, 2007

In This Issue:

• New Documents
• News Items
• Events

New Documents

Business Information by Sector

Measurement Canada

1. New – Consultation – Request for temporary dispensation from meter reverification. Consultation period starts on December 3, 2007 and ends on December 28, 2007. This consultation initiative will be of primary interest to electricity industry and consumer stakeholders.
   
   

Language Industry

1. New – "Community Interpreting in Canada" is a study that takes a close look at community interpreting in Canada. The study fosters greater awareness of this field and provides an opportunity to more accurately define the opportunities for the stakeholders. Research results are presented in the form of a document painting a picture of community interpreting in Canada.
   
   

Canadian Pharmaceuticals

1. New – Life Science News Briefs, Volume 7, number 32 – November 28 2007.
   
   

Business Support and Financing

Small Business Financing Data Initiative

1. New – Financing Canadian SME Exporters Study – June 2007. Conducted to examine the extent to which Canadian SME exporter firms face difficulty in accessing debt financing from commercial lenders compared to non-exporters, the study shows that they reject applications for operating loans from early-stage SME exporters at a rate more than four times that of the rejection rate for established firms. Early-stage SME exporters (those operating since 2002) are also more likely to be turned down for term loans than established firms (those operating prior to 2002). Since start-up exporter firms are less likely to receive debt financing, it will be increasingly difficult for international new ventures (those firms operating since 2002 that derive more than 25 percent of sales from exports) to prosper within Canada's relatively small home market.
   
   

Paperwork Burden Reduction Initiative

1. New – Survey Briefing #2 – November 2007. The Statistics Canada Survey of Regulatory Compliance Costs is an important new source of information to help government make informed policy decisions to relieve business from compliance burden and to track changes in burden over time. It provides various qualitative and quantitative indicators on the cost of regulatory compliance and the impact of paperwork burden on business. The cost of regulatory compliance to small business is the focus of this second briefing. It provides estimates on the average internal and average external cost of compliance for 12 key federal, provincial, and municipal regulatory requirements. The results are further broken down by size of establishment – number of employees – to facilitate comparisons in compliance costs estimates across size categories.
   
   

Licences, Legislation and Regulations

Canadian Intellectual Property Office

1. New – Canadian registered industrial designs – from December 1861 to present day – are now accessible online. In December 2005, CIPO announced a new Canadian Industrial Designs Database that included 10 000 designs registered as of June 15, 2002. Since then, much effort has gone into the electronic back capture of all the designs prior to 2002 and now over 110 000 Canadian industrial designs can be accessed.
   
   

Spectrum Management and Telecommunications

1. New – Notice No. DGRB-009-07 – Effective January 19, 2008, Industry Canada will migrate its Spectrum Management System Database as well as all existing radio station licences and broadcasting certificates to the NAD83 standard.
   
   
2. New – Notice No. SMSE-011-07 – Radio Standards Specification 142, Issue 3: Narrowband Multipoint Communication Systems in the Bands 1429.5-1430.5 MHz and 1493.5-1496.5 MHz.
   
   

News Items

News Releases

1. Building permits, October 2007
   The value of building permits remained above the $6-billion mark for the sixth month in a row in October, thanks to marked gains in commercial and institutional intentions and strong demand for multi-family units. Municipalities issued building permits worth $6.7 billion, up 6.8% from September.
   
   
2. Canadian economic accounts, third quarter 2007 and September 2007
   Economic growth moderated in the third quarter as real gross domestic product advanced 0.7%, down from 0.9% in the second. Economic output was up 0.1% in September, after increasing 0.2% in August and 0.1% in July. A more detailed analysis is available in Canadian Economic Accounts Quarterly Review.
   
   
3. Industrial product and raw materials price indexes, October 2007
   In October, prices for manufactured products fell for a sixth consecutive month, with price declines in almost all major product groups. Prices for raw materials rose slightly, led by crude oil.
   
   
4. Government Opts for More Competition in the Wireless Sector
   The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, today released details on how the auction for Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum, to be held on May 27, 2008, will be conducted. Of the 105 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum to be made available, 40 MHz will be set aside exclusively for new entrants to bid on. The other 65 MHz will be available to all bidders. The spectrum being set aside amounts to less than 14 percent of the total mobile spectrum that will be in use after the auction.
   
   
5. Competition Bureau Applauds Nova Scotia Move to Permit Greater Competition in Dental Hygiene
   The Commissioner of Competition is pleased that the Government of Nova Scotia has introduced a bill that will permit greater competition for dental hygiene services in Nova Scotia. Bill 24, tabled in the provincial legislature on November 27, 2007, would permit dental hygienists to become a self-regulating profession and to practice independently of dentists. It is anticipated that the elimination of these barriers will result in a more competitive market to the benefit of all Nova Scotians.
   
   
6. BizPaL Launched in Oakville
   Starting and running a business in the Town of Oakville just became easier thanks to BizPaL, a new online business permit and licence service that saves time spent on paperwork and helps entrepreneurs start up faster.
   
   

Articles and Commentaries

1. Poland Playing the Investment Game Well
   By Stephen S. Poloz, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Affairs and Chief Economist, Export Development Canada
   For any country to win its fair share of global investment has always been difficult. Poland has been doing well at the investment game, but the competition is about to get a lot tougher.
   
   

Events

1. Canada Pavilion at the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008
   Tokyo Big Sight, March 27 to 30, 2008

   For companies in the animation production field or the animation technology or services sector, the Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF) is an excellent opportunity to meet the important players of the Asian animation world, including broadcasters, animation production firms or distributors.

   TAF has been growing steadily since its start and promises to provide even greater opportunities in 2008 with a new international business approach and more services to foreign exhibitors and visitors. In addition to the exhibitors, buyers from more than 20 countries including China, Korea, and Taiwan come to the show each year hoping to find new content and technology.

   Companies interested in participating in the fair or attending networking events during TAF should contact Stephane-Enric Beaulieu, Trade Commissioner, Embassy of Canada, 7-3-38 Akasaka, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 107-8503, Japan; by telephone at (81-3) 5412-6232; by fax at (81-3)5412-6250, or by email at stephane.beaulieu@international.gc.ca.

   For more details on TAF See the official Tokyo International Anime Fair Website at http://www.tokyoanime.jp/en/.