I am responsible for moderating comments on the CBJ blog. As I checked them today, I was not surprised to find 83 new comments-82 of which were spam. I have come to expect it. While spam is a natural by-product of blogging, I continue to be taken aback at what kind of spam we’re receiving. I am not at all shocked to find links to porn sites or advertisements for certain enlargement products. After all, the adult industry can’t often market their businesses in mainstream media, so they...

What started off as a Facebook page, objecting to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision to prorogue Parliament, sparked into a nationwide protest that attracting people by the thousands. CBJ staffer Antonia McGuire was there to participate in a protest for the first time in Toronto. Carrying signs with messages ranging from No to Proroguing, Yes to Democracy to Harper Go Back to Work, the crowd dressed warmly and shouted loudly for all the cameras—and ultimately, Stephen Harper to hear....

It’s not business news, but it is worthwhile. As I read the news and receive updates about the conditions in Haiti, I am reminded that as members of a developed country, we steward a great deal of the world’s economic resources. I am encouraged that people and organizations are stepping up to help. For example, International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda just announced today that the Canadian government is pledging $80 million to humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti. This Haitian disaster...

The print world flinches again, as CanWest looks for buyers for its newspaper division. As someone who writes in the digital realm, I am thankful for the job security. But as someone who likes to feel the newspaper in my hands, I mourn for the state of print. I used to think that people simply wouldn’t abandon that morning coffee and paper routine. Judging by the web traffic of online news sources and magazines–including our own site–Canadians are adjusting. But are we okay with...

One day, a few years from now, we will look back on the metal detector used for airport security with the same puzzled look that creeps on our faces when we recollect smoking in bars, or, in the Neolithic era, in hospitals. The metal archway will be a relic.  Transport Canada announced this week that they will be start installing full-body scanners in major Canadian airports starting this month, after American airports did the same in response to the attempted terrorist attack where a single lunatic...

It’s not lip service; 2010 really is a happy new year. According to RBC’s Canadian Consumer Outlook Index, we’re feeling a lot more optimistic this year. The outlook report rose eight percentage points in December, indicating people had less anxiety about their jobs, are less likely to delay major purchases, are exercising financial prudence and incurring less debt. As for the big picture outlook, more than half of Canadians view the economy as good, with 60 per cent expecting...

What makes Canada an economic leader in the coming year? The next 5 years? This coming decade? CBJ just published our January 2010 edition of the magazine, which features a look at Canada’s economic strengths going forward. But we want to hear from our readers. Why do YOU think we will be at the top of the class in 2010?

I will make this short and sweet, but to get right at the heart of it-does customer service really exist anymore? And if it does, what form should it take, and should the level of service you get depend on how much you spend? I take into consideration two examples, both of which I’ve been meaning to write about forever. The first, the terrible treatment a close friend of mine received when he bought a very nice motorcycle from a very big motorcycle company, and then got attitude every time...

I just finished writing the Arctic sovereignty piece for CBJ and something stuck out to me that I didn’t elaborate on. So I thought I would do it here. The polar ice caps are melting at alarming rates. While we don’t know for sure whether climate change is directly our fault, I suspect the way humans have treated the planet since the industrial revolution hasn’t exactly helped. As I was researching about how countries are scrambling to claim as much territory in the Arctic Sea...

Ah yes, it is back-to-school time. You may have read the Globe and Mail’s editorial in its Report on Business section about how Canadian innovation starts in the classroom. I couldn’t have agreed more with both contributors-senior vice-president and chief economist of Bank of Nova Scotia, Warren Jestin, and vice-president of research and innovation at York University,  Stan Shapson-who argue that “fresh thinking about our ‘innovation ecosystem’ is needed for adapting to...