With the way commodities performed last year around the world—who really wanted to attend a conference, or go to a mining show, in order to talk about making deals or forge new partnerships?

Times have surely changed. Along with thousands of other eager attendees, I will be at the Prospectors and Developers Association Conference next week, Monday through Wednesday, scoping out new stories and making some new contacts. Coverage will be included in all George Media publications next month.

Though last year was tough for the sector, I’m looking forward to re-connecting with old friends, and hopefully making some new ones!

George Media will not be at a booth, but you can surely find me, or my colleague Aaron Weafer, scoping out the scene. We look forward to meeting you!

With its central Toronto locale, down the street from the TSX, PDAC 2010 is sure to be a hub of activity for anyone who’s considering investing, reporting, or looking for new strategic partners. For more information and to register visit http://www.pdac.ca/pdac/conv/index.html.

See you there!

Sara Kopamees, Editor in Chief

This week, AIG gets a shout-out for issuing even more bonuses to its executives–sometimes people have to learn the hard way, twice. After public fury over the $165-million paid from bailout funds in March, AIG is back with the handouts. Next week, millions more will make its way around the C-Suite.

No, this isn’t Canadian news, but it’s an issue that Bay Street isn’t totally innocent of either (READ: Nortel). It’s certainly a worthwhile discussion.

Some say executives are entitled to these bonuses because it’s in their contracts, and cutting them out would set a negative precedent. Others say it was executives that drove these companies into the ground and don’t deserve to be compensated for performance. As a non-expert, I say (struggling) taxpayers didn’t write the contracts and therefore aren’t liable to fulfill said contracts.

Of course, the public is rightly enraged. When unemployment rates are increasing by the month, it’s not surprising there is little interest in paying for other peoples’ (undeserved) Ferraris/McMansions/French villas.

The payments AIG is set to make next week are a part of the $9-million in performance bonuses promised to about 40 senior managers in 2008.

The Canadian Business Journal is proud to call ourselves the first all-digital publication to be audited by BPA Worldwide.

What’s the big deal?

Third-party media auditing shows our advertisers we’re transparent and accountable’ an invaluable quality, especially during a recession when people are looking for certainty.

Let’s face it, when times are tight, one of the first expenses to get scaled back is usually marketing. Media buyers have to be careful how they spend the limited budget they have, leaving no room to gamble with ad dollars. Choosing an audited publication, such as CBJ (shameless plug intended), represents an informed marketing decision to ensure ROI. Media buyers can rest assured, knowing that metrics are accurate and up to date.

CBJ is excited to be the first to step up and do our due diligence. We hope that others in our industry will follow suit.