Web Search Guide Canada

Thomson Corp. Peter C Newman

Thomson Corp. Peter C Newman calls David Thomson of Thomson Corp "fortune's child". This article has some snippets of information about one of the world's largest information companies.

Thomson will become chairmain of Thomson Corp in May, "one of the world's largest electronic information providers, with 2001 revenues of $11.2 billion. Its stock, 73 per cent of it owned by the Thomson family, is currently worth $34.8 billion." It operates in 143 countries. ". By 2005, an estimated 80 per cent of Thomson's revenues will flow from products and services delivered electronically, mostly through the Internet. The rest will come from advertising and traditional ways of delivering information such as books. "

"Thomson Corp. is divided into four information divisions: Learning, Financial, Legal & Regulatory, and Scientific & Healthcare, with the first two producing annual revenue jumps last year of more than 30 per cent. Its Institute of Scientific Information provides 1.6 million links to full-text journal articles, and another company, Derwent, boasts a database of 1.7 million genetic sequences. For doctors, there are databases that allow them to learn instantly which antibiotic combination will help a patient -- for example, one in shock with fever and seizures. Lawyers can access a billion records, including statutes and past case histories."

Fortune's Child by Peter Newman. (May 6, 2002) Maclean's

e-government Canada leads in providing

e-government Canada leads in providing electronic government services according to a survey done by Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting) in January 2002. People working on income tax in the last few days will especially appreciate the large CCRA site. Canada edges out Singapore and United States for provision of services. Rachel Ross, the technology columnist, at the Toronto Star wasn't impressed. The Auditor General Sheila Fraser had released her annual report on April 16. It "detailed federal government mismanagement - including how taxpayers' money is wasted - heaped scorn on the government's information systems."

Canada leads in e-government by Simon Tuck (April 23, 2002) Globe and Mail
Auditor's report bashes 'No. 1' rated online service by Rachel Toss (April 26, 2002) Toronto Star

Canada Reads During April, CBC

Canada Reads During April, CBC Radio sponsored a project to select one book for Canadians to read together. Five books were chosen by a panel and discussed on CBC Radio One during the week of April 15th. Each day one book was eliminated and on April 23rd the winner announced.

Mary Walsh hosted the discussions. Books and panelists were
· The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - chosen by former prime minister Kim Campbell
· Whylah Falls by George Elliott Clarke - chosen by writer Nalo Hopkinson
· The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence - chosen by writer Leon Rooke
· A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry - chosen by actor Megan Follows
· In The Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje - chosen by musician Steven Page and also the WINNER.

The site, http://cbc.ca/canadareads/, has the audio files from the five discussions, books selected by Canadian celebrities, and the people's choice list.

E-Mail NUA Internet Surveys picked

E-Mail NUA Internet Surveys picked up the report from eMarketer that "88 percent of Internet users in Canada use email on a weekly basis" based on a study by Ipsos-Reid. Ipsos-Reid in a survey conducted in December 2001 and January 2002 determined that 92% of Canadian Internet users use e-mail regularly and 88% weekly. Moreover, they are receptive to "e-mail campaigns" especially news and information (58%) and entertainment (38%). eMarketer estimates there are 16 million Internet users in Canada.

Net Users and E-Mail Marketing in Canada (April 16, 2002) eMarketer

Canadian Artist Gregory Colbert, a

Canadian Artist Gregory Colbert, a Canadian photographer, is recognized in an article in the New York Times for his work in photographing the "the mystical relationship between humans and animals". Colbert's work is being displayed at Venice Biennale.

"Now, in the vast and sober space of the Arsenale, the Renaissance-era shipyard owned by the Venice Biennale, Mr. Colbert, 42, is for the first time exhibiting the fruits of these voyages. And as he might have hoped, the result is a discovery not only of this Canadian artist but also of an ageless realm in which elephants and whales as well as manatees, royal eagles, sacred ibis, cranes and falcons cohabit and communicate with humans. Comprising 200 images and a 58-minute documentary, the show, "Ashes and Snow," runs here through July 6."

A Canadian Photographer's Voyages of Discovery by Alan Riding (April 22, 2002)

Also see art exhibits - gregory colbert - venice word

NOTE: (Feb 12, 2004) This weblog has no connection to Gregory Colbert.

Canadiana: The sisters Catherine Parr

Canadiana: The sisters Catherine Parr Traill and Susanna Moodie come together again at this website by the National Library of Canada. http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/3/1/index-e.html Get a sense of their lives and times in Ontario in mid to late 1800s through biographies, photos, selected passages from writings, and letters.

Strategis Robert Berkman of FindSVP

Strategis Robert Berkman of FindSVP featured Strategis in his April 2002 edition of The BestBizWeb Eletter. Specifically he recommended Strategis's Create Your Own Market Research Report (http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/bi18355e.html) because "users can conduct a free search of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Trade Data Bank's market research reports. Searches can be restricted by country, world region, and by specific industry." He liked the site very much, saying, "This site is a very pleasant surprise indeed, since many of these in-depth market research reports available free here are ones that you'd have to pay for access as a subscriber to the U.S. government's equivalent export assis-tance site, Stat-USA (www.stat-usa.gov)! But while this site was created for Canadian firms, it's open to anyone. The search screen is simple but effective, and in a few seconds you can be reading topnotch market studies for absolutely no cost! Consider this site when you are doing international market research and don't want to pay for a market research study."

To subscribe to BestBizWeb go to http://www.bestbizweb.com.

News Bourque.com made the front

News Bourque.com made the front page of the Globe and Mail Business section on April 2, 2002 because of a fake story about Finance Minster Paul Martin that said he was leaving politics to breed cattle and ducks. The story sank the Canadian dollar and probably brought lots of traffic to www.bourque.com. The ABout Bourque page says it is the "Canadian Drudge" (the scandal Web sheet in the US that has had several scoops). Pierre Bourque does have stories and also a good index to publications, wires, pundits, video news, audio news, travel and other useful collections.

Government of Canada News Government

Government of Canada News Government of Canada has a newsroom at http://news.gc.ca/index_e.html. Has today's news and news by department.

Culture Canada Government of Canada has also launched Culture Canada http://culturecanada.gc.ca/. Has links to topics such as Aboriginal Culture, Archaelogy, Books, Film, Performing Arts, Museums etc.

"CultureCanada.gc.ca is the Government of Canada's one-stop Web access to government resources on the subjects of Culture, Heritage and Recreation. Created as part of the Treasury Board Secretariat's Government On-Line initiative, CultureCanada.gc.ca is based on the GOL principles of "organizing information around the needs and expectations of Canadians", as well as "taking a whole of government approach" in providing information."

Weblogs: Peter Scott of the

Weblogs: Peter Scott of the University of Saskatchewan presented a session on Weblogs & Blogging: What & Why? at Internet Librarian Internation 2002 March 20th. He lists several examples of weblogs done by librarians including his own, Library News Daily.

E-Commerce Statistics Statscan has released

E-Commerce Statistics Statscan has released figures on Electronic commerce and technology (April 2, 2002) based on 2001 data. Value of sales over the Net and business activity, although up substantially from 2000, is still low.

- 7% of businesses reported that they sold over the Net, up from 6%.
- 29% of businesses have a web site. Information and culture is highest at 65%, private sector educational at 62%. Transportation and warehousing were least likely (11%).
- $10.4 billion in customer orders in 2001, up 43.4% since 2000 . Business to business was 8.1 billion up 39.5% from 2000, and business to consumer $2.3 billion, 59%.