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

Unsurprisingly, visitors from the U.S. spent more than half of that ($61.1 million); the Chinese were next, spending $7.8 million; third on the list was the U.K., spending $5.1 million.

Congratulations to British Columbia. Don’t spend it all in one place.

Why? Easy: attention, glory and patriotism.

The Olympics are a blast to watch and I’ll admit to the swell of pride I feel when Canada wins gold in something. But at the end of the day, it’s a series of sports events.

As a recently wed woman, I can draw a parallel between the Olympics and a wedding. Like a bride before her wedding, host cities await the attention and legacy of their special day(s), enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime party, and ignore the imminent bill until the after the honeymoon.

Is a wedding important? Sure. It’s a fabulous celebration. But is it worth going into huge debt over? No. I would say the same about the Olympics. I believe the Games are a great time to unite the world in peace, but I wouldn’t say the billions in debt are worth it.

What do you think?

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 take the low road. Fine.

What I have a harder time fathoming is the amount of prescription drug spam we receive. These are respected products with commercials and with word-of-mouth momentum. It would be like McDonald’s or Nike spray painting their logos on a few mailboxes-nefarious and unnecessary.

Are these drug companies actually hiring spammers? They must be. I don’t see why someone would spend time spamming on behalf of a company just for fun.

My real question is about brand. Is their brand equity better just by virtue of flooding the blogosphere? What of negative brand equity? Some say it doesn’t exist and that all press is good press.

What do you think?

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. As a news reporter, I used to mock those clichéd chants that went something like this: “hey, hey, ho, ho!” In lieu of a camera and note pad, I picked up a sign to participate in the politically neutral event. And come they did by the thousands from Antigonish, Nova Scotia to Montreal, Quebec and Yellowknife.

When asked why protest in the first place when clearly the big wigs aren’t listening, I said, it’s part of our civil duty. And it’s that simple. When governments prepare new policies they must consult stakeholders that will be affected, it is equally our right and duty to be engaged, to care and participate in the democratic process. Who else is better equipped to bring attention the issues to the House of Commons, where our elected politicians represent us?

The coolest thing about social media is that it’s a great tool, when used right, to effect change. So tweet your heart out or post a blog with your thoughts and stand for your rights, but golly just don’t sit there. Millions around the world aren’t given the chance to have a say.

Personally I believe Mr. Harper’s decision to suspend or prorogue Parliament is nothing but a public relations stunt to save face during a major international event, Vancouver 2010 next month. With the Conservatives neck to neck with the Liberals in the polls, tension is stirring. Spring election anyone?

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 is devastating, but it provides us with a tremendous opportunity to practice giving. I’m sure you’re aware of a million aid groups, but in case you’re moved now, here’s a link to the Red Cross: http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=000043&tid=016

Be well!

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 it?

My question is: Are people just as happy to read stories online or are they just accepting the seeming fate of print media, giving up and moving with the trends?

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 tried to blow up a plane with powders sewn into his underwear.

Underwear is a running theme in this issue. People are getting theirs in a bunch over the issue of privacy. What makes the scanners attractive as security tools is that they give a very accurate and precise image of the body. Even though the monitor of the scanners will be in another room, and the identity of the patron will be indiscernible, it will still mean that someone, somewhere, will be seeing passengers in their birthday suits.

I think those concerned about privacy have a point. It’s a very slippery slope we are on. Cameras are on the street, googlemaps monitor our homes and streets and the internet has become a photography purgatory. If someone’s body scan were to wind up on the internet, time would be helpless in assuaging the embarrassment, as it would be online for eternity.

That said, as surveillance and the internet evolves, so do our security needs. No longer does detection fit the bill. Passengers must be scanned and virtually stripped in order to (hopefully) prevent more crazed people with the modern-day terrorist’s predilection for using planes as weapons in being successful.

Personally, I am willing to go through the new machines since it means augmented security overall. As surveillance becomes more prominent, I figure my privacy will be likely maintained as I am lost in the volume of data generated by all these tools.

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 the economy to improve over the next year.

That’s the spirit, Canada. No one knows what the future holds, but at least we (well, most of us) have good attitude.

On behalf of CBJ, I wish you all a wonderful and prosperous new year.

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?