Backblog | Economic Development Canada

In a pair of editorials recently (http://goo.gl/Tv2gE and http://goo.gl/0qSGQ) I discussed the problems at RIM and criticized the company both for its actual performance and for the way it communicated (entirely failed to communicate) with customers during the recent data outage.

I just returned from a meet-and-greet arranged in Kitchener by Communitech to connect early stage technology companies to potential investors. Although tonights event felt a bit like an awkward high school dance, I think that the efforts being made by Communitech in K-W are exceptional.

There has been an abundance of gloom and doom expressed in the media since the “great recession of 2008”. The markets seem to have been irreversibly shaken and the image of the global economy irreparably tarnished. It is in these uncertain times that decision makers begin to make several grievous mistakes. In this post we will address the importance of not losing sight of what is important to business success, regardless of the state of the economy, particularly from an IT investment perspective.

Industry Minister Christian Paradis gave a speech today [September 19, 2011] at the Wireless Canada Technology Showcase. The talk included references to forthcoming copyright reform, the reintroduction of privacy reforms (formerly Bill C-29), and plans to move forward with spectrum auctions.

The International Telecommunications Union yesterday released its Measuring the Information Society 2011 report, which benchmarks information society developments worldwide.  The centrepiece of the report is the ICT Development Index, which tracks 11 different indicators focused on access, use, and skills (the eleven indicators are: fixed telephone line subscriptions, mobile subscriptions, international Internet bandwidth, households with a computer, households with Internet access, percentage of individuals using the Internet, broadband subscriptions, mobile broadband subscriptions, adult literacy, secondary and tertiary enrolment).

The past year has not been kind to Research in Motion Ltd., Canada’s leading technology company. The Waterloo-based maker of the BlackBerry smartphone has seen its share price nosedive in the wake of less than stellar launches of new products such as the Playbook, disappointing earnings guidance, and plans to cut its global workforce.

Dwayne Winseck examines the growth of the Canadian network media economy from 1984 to 2010.

The OECD has released its latest round of data on broadband services in 33 of the world's most developed countries [update: While today's release [June 23, 2011] is new and incorporates this information into the OECD Communications Outlook 2011, a reader points out the broadband data was first released two months ago].

The CRTC's vertical integration hearing opens today with fifty groups scheduled to appear over the next week and a half.  I've written a couple of articles about the issue over the past year. Last September, I noted the Canadian consolidation felt like a last stab at a walled garden approach that has consistently failed and argued:

With the new Parliamentary session set to kick off today [June 2, 2011] with the election of a new speaker, new cabinet members are busy brushing up on the myriad of issues they will face in the coming months. The appointment to cabinet comes with a private mandate letter from the Prime Minister that sets out his expectations and policy goals.

Christian Paradis delivered his first public speech yesterday [May 31, 2011] as Industry Minister at the Canadian Telecom Summit.

Silicon Valley like its metallic namesake is shiny and alluring to those in the tech and digital media sector. In comparisson, Ontario often seems dull and staid. Although Canada has had its share of tech and Net success stories over the years, the news and blogs are saturated with coverage of the happenings in the Valley. Often Canadian tech companies are only covered in mainstream media when they sell out or move down south.

The Hill Times is reporting there is speculation the government is considering splitting the Minister of Industry position into two - one to focus on innovation, science and technology and the other on the rest of the Industry portfolio.

Last night's election results have left many online speculating about the future of digital policies in Canada. I think it is hard to project precisely what will happen - we don't even know for certain whether Tony Clement and James Moore will remain in their portfolios or move elsewhere (there are a fair number of open cabinet positions which could mean changes). Assuming they stay the course, however, the Conservative positions on digital policies are strong in a number of areas.

Digital policies may not have played a starring role in the current election campaign, but neither have they been ignored.

The World Economic Forum has published its Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011 that ranks countries on a wide range of information technologies metrics.