January 2013 - Business in Calgary

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The Calgary Chamber of Commerce inaugurates its new chair of the board Joe Lougheed

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January 2013 $3.50

www.businessincalgary.com

Total Renewal

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THIS IS NOT AN AD FOR ROCKY MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT. But it is an ad for everything we stand for. Things like honesty, integrity, and helping you put food on your family’s table. But above all, it’s an ad to let you know that none of those things are going away because we’re calling ourselves Rocky Mountain Equipment. Because even if the name on the sign is changing, our values won’t.

Introducing the new Rocky Mountain Equipment DEPENDABLE IS WHAT WE DO.

Contents PUBLISHERS

Tim Ottmann & Pat Ottmann

EDITOR

Derek Sankey

Volume 23 • Number 1

On our cover…

Joe Lougheed, Calgary Chamber of Commerce

COPY EDITORS

Lisa Johnston & Nikki Mullett

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Kenji Doshida

ADMINISTRATION

www.businessincalgary.com

Jessi Evetts jessi@businessincalgary.com

January 2013 $3.50

Art Director

Nancy Bielecki nancy@businessincalgary.com Sarah Schenx info@businessincalgary.com

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Richard Bronstein Frank Atkins David Parker Lonnie Tate Mary Savage John Hardy

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Ben Freeland Michael Fotheringham Andrea Mendizabal Stewart McDonough

PHOTOGRAPHY

Cover photo courtesy of Ewan Nicholson Photography Inc.

DIRECTORS OF CUSTOM PUBLISHING

Bernie Cooke bernie@businessincalgary.com Kim Hogan kim@businessincalgary.com

EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING & ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES

1025, 101 6th Ave. SW Calgary, AB T2P 3P4 Tel: (403) 264-3270/Fax: (403) 264-3276 Email: info@businessincalgary.com

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The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents of any advertisement, and all representations of warranties made in such advertising are those of the advertiser and not of the publisher.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced, in all or in part, without the written permission of the publisher. Canadian publications mail sales product agreement No. 41126516

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Total Renewal

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce inaugurates its new chair of the board Joe Lougheed

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• Private School • Corporate Health & Wellness • Oil & Gas Completions

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ADVERTISING SALES

Brent Trimming brent@businessincalgary.com Evelyn Dehner evelyn@businessincalgary.com Rachel Katerynych rachel@businessincalgary.com Carla Wright carla@businessincalgary.com Bobbi Joan O’Neil bobbi@businessincalgary.com Renee Neil renee@businessincalgary.com

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Cover 29 • Total Renewal

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce reinvents itself

By Derek Sankey

This Month’s Features 22 • Calgary’s Economic Business Outlook 2013 Indicators point to a slow but steady year ahead

By Derek Sankey

34 • RRSPs, TFSAs and Financing Retirement in an Age of Debt

By Ben Freeland

40 • Taking Workplace Health and Wellness Seriously Bu John Hardy

View our electronic issue of this month’s magazine online at www.businessincalgary.com

6 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Private Company Services www.pwc.com/ca/dbia

Building lasting value

Contact: Ian Gunn Business Advisor 1 866 750 4 PWC ian.h.gunn@ca.pwc.com

We can help you create an agile business that anticipates challenge and thrives in today’s evolving markets.

Š 2012 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership. All rights reserved. 3092-06 1112

Contents

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Volume 23 • Number 1

(This Month’s Features cont’d) 49 • Private Schools Feature and Directory 75 • Oil & Gas

Completions: Making it all Happen

By John Hardy

82 • Enhanced Protection Included in the Alberta New Home Warranty

Changes to the Alberta New Home Warranty will mean new homebuyers can have greater confidence in their investment and receive better protection prior to, during and beyond construction

By Heather Ramsay

49 82

Regular Columns 10 • Coming Clean

By Richard Bronstein

12 • Guarded Optimism for 2013

By Frank Atkins

14 • I Like Canada

By Lonnie Tate

85 • Leading Business 90 • The Calgary Report

Current developments for Calgary Telus Convention Centre, Tourism Calgary, Calgary Economic Development, and Innovate Calgary

94 • Marketing Matters

By David Parker

8 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

SMARTER TECHNOLOGY FOR A SMARTER PLANET

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For a technology that’s built to be invisible, cloud computing is making sweeping changes everywhere you look. From the way we work to the way we live, remote IT services are

putting unbelievable power right at our fingertips. But while more and more companies are discovering the extraordinary efficiency gains of the cloud, few are aware of how much potential is left untapped.

In a recent study, 68% of firms using the cloud to disrupt markets expected to outperform their peers.

YESTERDAY THE BACK ROOM, TOMORROW THE BOARDROOM.

At most companies, the cloud is taken at face value – a conduit for increasing f lexibility and reducing complexity. Meanwhile, forward-looking businesses are rethinking the cloud to enable them to profit from an explosion of new social, mobile and analytics capabilities. They’re transforming business models, disrupting industries and getting to market in no time.

Selling seafood fresh off the hook.

Engineering medicine from genomics.

Serving dynamic tennis action outside the venue.

TO REVENUE STREAM. So conversations that were once held only in IT departments are now happening across the C-suite. And rapidly deployable resources like IBM SmartCloud give decision makers plenty to brainstorm about.

“Removing the burden of infrastructure really allows you to focus on improving your strategy and mission.”

Marc Hoit, CIO, NC State

CLOUDS BUILT FOR RAINMAKING.

RETHINK I.T., REINVENT BUSINESS.

One such example is 3M. These early movers are using the cloud to analyze image design based on eye movement.

Graphic artists everywhere can now upload their files and get instant feedback on what will most likely grab viewers’ attention. It’s a radically different proposition with untold, new market potential.

In the trends of an expanding digital world, we see a perfect storm of innovation forming.

And for today’s Canadian businesses, the cloud is ready to be capitalized on. ibm.com/whycloud/ca

LET’S BUILD A SMARTER PLANET.

3M Visual Attention Service is a cloud-based tool for analyzing designs like this ad.

IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, Smarter Planet and the planet icon are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the Web at www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml. © International Business Machines Corporation 2012.

Coming Clean • Richard Bronstein

By Richard Bronstein

Coming Clean

T

hose year-end school plays and concerts are now over, most of the leftovers from holiday season meals have been cleaned out of the fridge and the top 10 lists of everything have mercifully expired from view. So what next?

For me, a correction. In the year 2013 and forever after I will never again refer to peak oil.

I wrote a number of columns with peak oil as a theme and it is obvious this is a seriously flawed way of analyzing energy supply and demand.

Maybe in some far distant Camelot, peak oil will be an important consideration. But for today and in the immediate future, there is clearly no such thing as peak oil. In November the International Energy Agency reported the world is awash with oil. And despite that the IEA still sees a bright future for the Alberta oilsands as part of the mix so long as progress is made in mitigating CO2 emissions growth in production and transportation.

The extreme green crowd is not going to like that. But if they want to keep flying to eco-destinations, to receive parcels from online sources, and enjoy that raw kale and beet salad grown within 100 kilometres, they are going to have to rely on petroleum products.

All this bodes well for Canada, if we can get the right pipelines and other infrastructure in place.

• • • • A symbol of continued prosperity is the announcement of a huge new office tower in Calgary, the highest building in Western Canada when it is completed a few years hence. Hopefully it will be a fine architectural addition to the downtown. But certainly it cements Calgary’s standing as a major corporate centre for years to come.

It will also contribute to another growing attribute of Calgary. You may have heard that a recent straw poll of Canadians confirmed Toronto as the most hated city in Canada. Guess who came in at number two? Calgary.

Why do they hate us? I’m not sure. But I don’t think it is a bad thing. People only hate you when you are rich, successful and powerful. Which means you tend to be obsessed with yourself. Just like Toronto.

So we’re doing something right. What we have to do is not 10 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

just show it in bricks and mortar. We need to keep building a lively, colourful city that excites the imagination of our youth and which is inclusive of people of all backgrounds.

We need to encourage creativity and excellence in art, culture and design of our community. And who knows, maybe in another generation they’ll hate us as much as Toronto.

• • • • Did Premier Alison Redford direct a contract for Alberta’s tobacco lawsuit to a firm in which her ex-husband is a principal? Is that a conflict of interest? Did she mislead the Legislature on the issue?

It seems to depend on your definition of terms. And what does that remind you of?

Well it reminds me of President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Whatever it was they did in the Oval Office, by the time the lawyers, advisers and public relations spinners got through with it, it was determined that the president and the intern did not actually have sex.

Hillary got over it, Bill got over it and the Clintons are still the number one power couple in the United States, so much that Hillary seems to have a lock on the 2016 Democratic party nomination for president. (Not sure what happened to Monica, though.)

So the Opposition and the media did a good job in raising this issue in Alberta, but it’s over and now it’s time to move on.

The Alberta government has huge challenges ahead. Its finances are not in good shape while it faces ever-pressing expenditures on infrastructure and services for a growing population. The government does not have such a direct role to play in energy development and transportation, but it has to stick handle these issues carefully on the national political stage. And the next crisis is always just around the corner.

What the Redford government does not need is to be constantly fighting bloopers of its own making. A lot of people believe that Alison Redford came to office to change how politics was done in Alberta. We still seem to be waiting.

• • • • A healthy and happy new year to everyone. May the rest of the world be blessed to have as few problems as we do in Canada. BiC

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Guarded Optimism for 2013 • Frank Atkins

By Frank Atkins

T

he state of the world economy seems to dominate the news lately, as it always does when the economic news is not particularly good. The U.S. is mired in what may be called stagnant growth, and the European Union has entered another recession. In spite of this, the Canadian economy is one of the most stable economies in the world, and the western provinces (especially Alberta and Saskatchewan) are the major contributors to this economic growth.

One of the major impediments to a full economic recovery is that we seem to have placed responsibility for economic recovery in the hands of politicians. Being politicians, these individuals continue to do what they are good at, which is basically playing political football with the economy. It is helpful to look at three examples of this behaviour.

The first, and most obvious, is the behaviour of politicians in the U.S. regarding the fiscal cliff. By the time that this article gets published, there may be some political compromise, but I suspect that this will not help the U.S. economy very much. We tend to forget that the economic mess that led to the fiscal cliff is largely a creation of politicians in the first place.

As with any economic problem, the mistakes go back a long way. The Clinton administration handed the Bush administration (that is George W. Bush) a balanced budget. (As an aside this does not absolve Clinton from his contribution to the economic

Guarded Optimism for 2013 downturn of 2008, but that is another whole article). Bush took the balanced budget and turned it into a deficit.

Obama took the deficit and turned it into a nightmare by drastically increasing spending during the downturn. This spending turned out to be largely wasteful, and left the U.S. with a federal budget deficit that is, for all intents and purposes, out of control.

Now the fiscal cliff arguments centre on how to manage this deficit. Predictably, the Democrats wish to raise taxes and leave spending alone, while the Republicans want the opposite. Any compromise here will only shuffle the problem down the road.

Second, look at the European Union (EU). Several of the economies in the EU are what can only be described as “basket cases.” Think of Greece. This economy is full of individuals who want government entitlements, but who also do not want to work so that they can pay taxes to finance the entitlements that they feel that they deserve. The government gave them these entitlements in order to buy votes. Now they are basically asking that the strongest EU economy, Germany, bail them out, but there is a resistance to restructuring as a price of the bail out. Once again, there will likely be a political compromise that will not deal with the problem, but rather just shuffle it down the road.

The third example is, somewhat surprisingly, the Alberta economy, which seems to be doing well in

12 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

spite of what the politicians are doing. Klein eliminated the deficit that was handed to him by Getty, and retired the net debt of Alberta.

This should have set the stage for a period of long-run stable economic growth. Instead, successive administrations have ramped up spending beyond anything that could remotely be described as long-run sustainable.

Today, there is very little difference between the current state of government finances and the mess that was inherited from Getty’s administration. What separates this situation from the U.S. and the EU is that the Redford administration does not want to acknowledge that there is a problem. This is somewhat frightening. However, the end result is the same: the problem is being shuffled down the road.

In spite of the overall tone here, I am somewhat optimistic for 2013.

Sooner or later economic problems have to be dealt with properly. In Canada, the Harper administration appears to be leading the way. We have well-defined deficit reduction targets, and we are willing to be honest about our progress in meeting these targets. I am hopeful that other politicians will look on this as a good example to follow. BiC Frank Atkins is an associate professor of economics at the University of Calgary and a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Public Sector Accountability.

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I Like Canada • Lonnie Tate

E

By Lonnie Tate

Are You Exposed To Paying I Like Canada U.S. Estate Tax?

I

t is the new year and I thought time to reflect on why I like being a Canadian. When writing this column, I poke at a lot of things that give me angst. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love our country ... I do ... and that is one of the very best things ... I can write what I want.

I like the can-do spirit in Alberta. Thanks to the abundance of natural resources, every citizen can have a rewarding career ... and most do. There is a safety net for those less fortunate and thankfully, it is not often abused.

I like our health-care system. Now I know I gripe about Alberta Health Care but my comments have been about the administrative nightmare in the system, not the professional services rendered. U.S. health care is better for the one per cent who can afford it. But day in, day out, for the 99 per cent who do not have more money than they need, ours works better (and works better for everybody).

I like Canadian honesty and integrity. In this country, most people look you in the eye, say what they mean and mean what they say. We are (by and large) a country of straight-shooters. And if there is legitimate disagreement on an issue or a business deal, there are relatively short-form ways to resolution. I spend almost half my life in California, and speak with all kinds of people who talk to someone five feet behind me and to the right. The only time there is eye contact is when they want something. And if there is a dispute ... look out.

As a kid, I followed the Lone Ranger and Tonto and I still use Tonto’s line: “Hmmm Ke-mo Sah-beh, white man speak with forked tongue.” Of course, Tonto was played by Jay Silverheels and was a Canadian. (He was really a Mohawk named Harold J. Smith born near Brantford, Ontario – if you really need to know.)

I like our politics and our electoral system. It is way better than some others. If you live under a rock and have missed the recent U.S. federal election, give me a call and I will explain.

I like the current Canadian system of gun control. Citizens who need and want long guns have them. Guns that are used primarily to kill people are severely restricted and in my view, that is a good thing. Consider the alternative where 14 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

I like the can-do spirit in Alberta.

Thanks to the abundance of natural resources, every citizen can have a rewarding career ... and most do.

in America, somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000 people die in any given year from gunshot wounds. Yes, that is way more than they lose in their wars.

I like Canada’s stance in international and geopolitical fields. We are seen as fair-minded and circumspect. We are the best peacekeepers in the world and I like the federal government improving our military presence. Being equipped to do roles appropriate to our size is really important. We have some influence in international affairs and that gives our citizens pride in what we do.

I like hockey. As a kid I played, as a dad I coached and as a grandfather I cheer for my grandson. He is 15, plays in a select league in Toronto, notwithstanding he has juvenile diabetes. Proud? You bet I am! And I miss the NHL. What a bunch of idiots. There are 10 teams too many and the median annual income for a player is more than I will make in my lifetime. Good grief! There I got a rant in.

I like CBC. I watch it little and listen to it less. But it does provide a cultural foundation for our thin population spread across a massive landscape. And let’s face it; it is a buffer against American influence.

And finally, I like living in the country next to America.

They are warm; we are cold. They let us into their country during the really cold part of the year and treat us with respect. Of course we bring money which is always important to Americans. Their sales and service models are better than ours and I enjoy them. They protect us because we have natural resources that they need and we buy the things that they make.

MacMillan Estate Planning Corp. wi But I’m still a Canadian. I have a choice and I wouldn’t Wine and Cheese Seminar on Tuesd have it any other way. BiC

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Off The Top • News

The Banff Centre attains LEED Gold for new Kinnear Centre for Creativity and Innovation The Kinnear Centre for Creativity and Innovation at The Banff Centre is the first facility in Banff National Park to attain LEED® Gold Certification for new construction.

Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and opened in July 2010, the Kinnear Centre was built to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ certification, an international benchmark for design, construction and operation of high-environmental performance buildings.

“We are extremely proud to attain LEED Gold Certification for the Kinnear Centre for Creativity and Innovation,” says Jeff Melanson, president of The Banff Centre. “This certification reflects our strong commitment to environmental leadership, and recognition of The Banff Centre’s location within the pristine mountain environment of Banff National Park.”

One of only 16 buildings in Alberta to ever achieve LEED Gold Certification for new construction, the Kinnear Centre is also one of only three LEED-certified buildings in Banff, according to statistics published by the Canada Green Building Council. The Banff Community High School and Town of Banff Fleet Transit Services Building have also attained LEED certification.

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The Kinnear Centre was constructed as an interdisciplinary hub for The Banff Centre, providing 60,000 square feet in three storeys with extensive meeting and conference facilities, innovative rehearsal and performance space, informal gallery areas, the Maclab Bistro, and the Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives.

Projects with LEED® certification must meet prerequisites in six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design.

The Kinnear Centre was constructed with an efficient exterior building envelope, sun shading to reduce energy use, and an innovative storm water management system. The building

Off The Top • News

capitalizes on its stunning mountain views and provides 100 per cent of occupied space with access to views.

Fully 78 per cent of wood products were supplied from FSC-certified sources. A 37 per cent energy savings relative to the Model Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (MNECB) was achieved. Restoration of natural montane vegetation in green areas following construction completion ensured the maintenance of wildlife corridors.

Showers, bike racks and change rooms were added for employees, to encourage green commuting, while green housekeeping practices and procedures include green power purchase, and green building education modules for employees maintaining and working in the Kinnear Centre.

Diamond Schmitt Architects is among the world’s top 10 design firms for the cultural building sector, with an awardwinning portfolio of opera houses, concert halls, libraries, academic, research and residential buildings in their international portfolio. BiC CanadaSharperEye_BIC2/3pageVert_ol.indd 1

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 17

10/11/12 3:20 PM

1864

I

The Persuasive Power of Champagne John A. Macdonald and company journeys east, with $13,000 of champagne in tow, for the Charlottetown Conference on Confederation. After a five-day marathon of speeches, resolutions, lobster lunches and balls, a bold new federation is born.

1958-63

Confederation’s Centennial Drive

P E

As Canada approaches 100, a campaign takes off to construct a national memorial to the founding fathers. Each Canadian contributes 15¢ to the creation of a public arts complex that covers more than a city block.

Every Canadian owns a piece of

Confederation Centre of the Arts The National Memorial to the founding of our great nation,

Almost 150 years ago, a few politicians gathered in

Confederation Centre is best known as home to The

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to discuss the

Charlottetown Festival and Canada’s longest running

idea of a merger of the colonies. That historic event

musical, Anne of Green Gables–The Musical™, which

in 1864, known as the Charlottetown Conference,

has drawn millions of visitors to P.E.I. since opening

was commemorated in 1964 with the construction

in 1965. Over 70 original theatre productions have

of a major public arts centre. Forty-nine years later,

been mounted at The Charlottetown Festival,

Confederation Centre of the Arts continues to pay

employing thousands of actors, dancers, musicians,

lively tribute to Canada’s founding and ongoing

and directors from across the nation.

development as a nation.

The Confederation Centre Art Gallery is the largest gallery east of Montreal, with a permanent collection of more than 16,000 works. Hundreds of young people take part in a full range of arts education programs including the new School of Performing Arts.

HONOURING the vision of Canada’s founders. SHOWCASING the best in visual and

East meets West At the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Confederation Centre organizes and executes the hot ticket ‘Atlantic Canada House’, welcoming more than 75,000 guests in over two weeks to discover the region’s culture and spirit, culinary delights, and famed East Coast hospitality.

2013

Alberta artist Jane Ash Poitras Poitras, of Fort Chipewyan, creates the mural Those Who Share Together, Stay Together for the Confederation Centre Art Gallery. Poitras is just one of dozens of Albertans who have exhibited or performed at the Centre since 1964.

2010

1997

1964-65

A National Memorial is born Confederation Centre of the Arts is officially opened by HRM Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Anne™ makes its world debut; its first of 3,000 performances to date.

The 49th Charlottetown Festival Confederation Centre launches its summer festival with the world premiere of a new musical entitled Evangeline.

This powerful love story is based on Longfellow’s famed heroine who becomes separated from her lover, Gabriel, during the deportation of the Acadians.

located in historic Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

In many ways Confederation Centre has become the heart of the historic city of Charlottetown. Much more than a memorial to the Fathers of Confederation, this National Historic Site attracts 250,000 visits per year (in a province whose population is only 145,000!)

Confederation Centre of the Arts is a true embodiment of a living memorial—Islanders and tourists pack the seats in the four theatres, browse the art gallery and shop and dine at the gift shop and restaurant, all located

Anne of Green Gables–The Musical™, Canada’s longest running musical, debuted at Confederation Centre and has toured coast to coast across Canada, to New York, London, Tokyo and beyond.

Tess Benger 2011 Photo: Louise Vessey

within the Confederation Centre complex.

performing arts. STRENGTHENING our national identity.

www.confederationcentre.com

It started with a vision...

It started with Prairies

EDWARD MCNALLY Big Rock Brewery

EDWARD MCNALLY

Then and now

P

rominent lawyer, southern Alberta farmer and iconic Calgary brewer: it’s a rare combination of careers and that’s Edward (Ed) McNally. As a young man from Lethbridge, McNally studied law at the University of British Columbia (UBC) during the late 1940s. As a student, he first started making beer in a Vancouver rooming house – given his love of local, pure-tasting beer. In 1951, he graduated from UBC and moved to Calgary where he practiced law for over 30 years.

Weekends were spent on a family farm south of the city where McNally discovered the joys of growing his own produce. His passion for farming grew and expanded as he forayed into growing barley and raising exotic cattle.

Throughout his life, McNally’s entrepreneurial spirit has been ever-present; he is a voracious reader and maintained his appetite for good, local beer. During the early ’80s, he was fascinated by the “mushrooming microbreweries” in the U.S. as he believed there was a market for “real beer” in Alberta. He wanted to produce beer that was flavourful and true to the Reinheitsgebot, derived from the Bavarian Law of Purity of 1516.

While practicing law, McNally represented a group of Alberta barley growers and he discovered Alberta’s climate produced two-row barley that was ideally suited for malting. He also had access to fresh glacial water that was ideal for ales, and ultimately this combination propelled him forward to pursue a new business venture – at the age of 60.

Up until that time, most of the barley grown on the farm was used as cattle feed,

a vision...

The Year Award. Three years later, he received an honorary doctorate of law degree from the University of Calgary.

In 2004, McNally was awarded the Mount Royal College Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award and the following year, he was the recipient of the Governor General of Canada, Order of Canada. In 2005, he received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Lethbridge. In 2009, McNally was an inductee into the Calgary Business Hall of Fame.

Past directorships held by McNally include positions with the Alberta Barley Growers, Alberta Genetics, Algonquin Oil and Gas Ltd., Huntly Cattle Company Scotland and Western Barley Growers Association.

His philanthropic contributions and donations have assisted countless organizations throughout Alberta, and his efforts have helped people from all walks of life.

In March 2012, McNally retired from the role as CEO although he’s still involved with the brewery and maintains an active role as chairman of the board of directors. When he’s not at the brewery you will find him on the family farm, enjoying a slightly slower pace while he keeps an eye on the crops and cattle.

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® honours outstanding Canadians who have turned their unique business vision into successful reality. In 20 years, the program has achieved several major milestones in Canada including over 8,400 nominations received, more than 2,900 award finalists named, and they have presented more than 875 awards — including 38 lifetime achievement awards.

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but in 1985 things changed, and the Big Rock Brewery was established.

McNally “imported” their first brew master from Europe and started creating beers that he wanted to drink – not what would sell or be popular – which explains why the first three beers were Bitter, Traditional and Porter. Of the three, Traditional was an instant hit and continues to be a bestseller.

One year after Big Rock had been in production, there was a strike at the Molson and Labatt breweries.

During the summer of 1986, Big Rock was the only beer available in Alberta and the brewery operated 24-7 to meet demand.

In 1993, Big Rock Brewery launched “The Big Rock Eddies,” a promotional contest designed to get their beer drinkers involved in advertising. The customers competed to create the best “Big Rock” ads and it proved to be highly successful. Now in its 20th year, the Big Rock Eddies has evolved into a national “red carpet event.”

McNally’s life experiences and determination, coupled with hard work and dedication – to both the community and business – has culminated in the success that is now Big Rock Brewery.

It is the second largest Canadianowned brewery that’s dedicated to the production of a vast selection of pure malt, unpasteurized beers.

McNally has been honoured for his vision, business acumen, community involvement and commitment for decades. In 1992, he received the Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, Pinnacle Award of Business Excellence as well as the Haskayne School of Business, Distinguished Business Leader Award.

In 1995, McNally was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of

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Calgary’s Economic Business Outlook 2013 Indicators point to a slow but steady year ahead

By Derek Sankey

C

algary may be landlocked, but this city is definitely an island. In the national and global economic picture of things, the Calgary and Alberta economies continue to outshine virtually every other economy when it comes to population growth, economic growth, employment growth, resource development, construction and personal income growth. By most measures, the city is sitting pretty in most respects. Economists and industry insiders, however, warn residents not to get too cosy with that reputation.

“Everywhere else in the world, it’s still quite volatile and not as buoyant,” says Bruce Graham, president and chief executive of Calgary Economic Development (CED). We are, however, sitting on the largest accessible natural resource of its kind in the world. “It’s a game-changer,” he says. “It’s changing the city as well as the country.”

In 2013, most economists paint a fairly uneventful (albeit comfortable) picture, with the notable exception of the sluggish U.S. economy and the sagging eurozone economies – two regions vital to Canada’s (and Alberta’s) economic health.

Calgary has established itself as a major global centre when measured in terms of its resource potential for the world. What will be crucial to Calgary’s success in the months and years ahead to ensure prosperity will be its continued reputation for entrepreneurialism and innovation. Business in Calgary takes the pulse of some of the major sectors of the economy in its annual Economic Outlook for 2013.

22 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

ECONOMIC BUSINESS OUTLOOK 2013 • Business

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The sector that makes Calgary’s economy hum appears to be set for a slow-but-steady takeoff in 2013, but experts predict the latter part of the year will see more activity. The Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) predicts a stronger third and fourth quarter as the industry continues to attract more attention from Asia and other global investment giants and demand – and therefore prices – slowly improves, barring another global economic recession.

“We’ve seen a little bit of softening … but it’s going to be a good year,” says CED’s Graham.

Now in the midst of the industry’s typical winter Mark Salkeld, PSAC’s president and CEO ramp-up, don’t expect a hectic pace as oil and gas companies make cautious and strategic investments, but it should remain strong overall. “It’s busy and there’s going to be activity going on,” says PSAC’s president and CEO, Mark Salkeld.

There are still plenty of challenges, however. The issue of exporting Alberta’s crude oil – via Eastern Canadian markets, to the West Coast via the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and the proposed Keystone XL pipeline – still looms large on the industry’s horizon, and firmly in the scope of environmentalists and other critics. Accessing new markets is a longer-term issue, however, since it will take time to build any proposed pipeline project.

Natural gas prices, meanwhile, remain well below historical norms, which doesn’t encourage a lot of activity on that front. A lot of companies are sitting on cash reserves waiting for prices to firm up, which Salkeld predicts will happen in 2013. Reserves are at 90 per cent capacity across North America, “so the ability to tap into that whole market is not as robust as it has been in the past,” he says.

Encouragingly, Williams Energy Canada Ltd. and Provident Energy Ltd. built the largest fractionation tower in Canada recently, which provides the condensate the industry needs to produce diluents for moving crude oil.

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce’s 2013 economic forecast predicts a decrease in oil demand as well as prices, leading to slower economic growth in the year ahead. “Nonetheless, Alberta will likely continue to be the envy of the country in 2013,” states the report.

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ECONOMIC BUSINESS OUTLOOK 2013 • Business

The Economic Outlook by the numbers: • Alberta is forecast to lead Canadian economic growth with 3.4 per cent in 2012 and 3.0 per cent in 2013 • Employment growth for Canada of 1.7 per cent is forecast for 2013 (down from 3.1 per cent in 2012) • Employment forecasts for Alberta show growth of 2.8 per cent in 2013 and 2.9 per cent in 2014 • Canadian oil and gas drilling activity is forecast at 11,400 wells in 2013, up from the final tally in 2012 of about 11,250; Alberta is forecast to experience modest gains in drilling in 2013 at 7045 wells (up three per cent) compared to Manitoba at 750 wells (up five per cent); B.C. at 385 (down 11 per cent); and Saskatchewan at 3,199 wells (down one per cent) • Alberta’s annual GDP growth is forecast at 3.5 to 4.0 per cent in 2013 • The Canadian economy will grow by 1.7 per cent GDP in 2013 • The 2013 unemployment in Calgary is forecast to range from 4.0 to 4.5 per cent • Calgary will be a leader in GDP growth in the 3.5-4.0 per cent range Sources: Scotiabank Global Forecast / Calgary Chamber of Commerce / PwC and Urban Land Institute

24 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

ECONOMIC BUSINESS OUTLOOK 2013 • Business

Real Estate & Construction

Strong demand for commercial real estate space and a tight supply put upward pressure on rental rates in 2012 (up 23 per cent year-over-year), leading speculators to suggest the lack of new immediate supply will see the trend continue this year. The next significant supply to come only will be Eighth Avenue Place, which is expected to reach completion in 2014. The proposed new giant tower planned by Brookfield Office Properties – the so-called “225 6th Avenue Place” or “Brookfield Place” – wouldn’t come into supply until at least 2017 at the earliest and other projects that are under construction or into pre-leasing wouldn’t be available until 2015. “That aside, there’s still a lot of stuff happening in the market,” says Graham.

Downtown commercial real estate vacancy rates have continued to decrease since 2010 and finally reached their lowest point since 2008 last year – a decrease of 42.5 per cent year-over-year. Energy companies looking to upgrade or expand are quickly snapping up most of the prime available space. Tenants should expect, if anything, for the downtown commercial market to tighten up more in 2013.

Residential home construction continues to proceed at a good clip as more people move to Calgary, fuelling the

further expansion of inner-city condo developments and urban sprawl on the outskirts of Calgary in the single-family home market.

The PwC and Urban Land Institute’s Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2013 report listed Calgary first in investment and development prospects and second in homebuilding prospects for the year ahead. The city posted its highest annual population increase in five years last year, causing forecasters to believe the real estate and construction markets will remain active, reflected by the relatively high number of building permit applications.

Labour Market

Calgary and Alberta are notorious for labour shortages in the trades and construction, in particular. But the demand for labour of all types across the city remains high. The city’s low unemployment rate – it now sits at about 4.5 per cent – isn’t expected to budge either way much in 2013. Total employment growth, however, has been on a downward trend beginning last June, around the same time oil prices started to slide, notes the Calgary Chamber of Commerce’s 2013 forecast.

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OUTLOOK 2013 • Business

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all others, but has proven resilient as always. Compared to other major Canadian cities, Calgary ranked just above Regina (four per cent) and basically matched Edmonton (4.5 per cent), depending on when you measured it.

Long-term forecasts continue to show Calgary and Alberta have a voracious appetite for more skilled workers, with various employment forecasts calling for growth of about 2.8 per cent in 2013 and 2.9 per cent in 2014. Between 2007-17, one forecast showed Calgary’s employment growth would require an additional 244,000 jobs during that time-frame. For the oil and gas industry, which has so far been able to secure most of the staff it needs, the labour market is basically always at a tipping point if the economy performs any better. “We’re hanging on … but then labour will be the next thing,” says Salkeld.

Manufacturing

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26 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

The bulk of Calgary’s manufacturing sector is directly or indirectly tied to the oil and gas industry, producing much of the infrastructure the industry needs to complete its projects locally. In a Conference Board of Canada report, the authors noted overall economic activity in Calgary improved due in part to “continued strength in the manufacturing and business services sectors.”

The health of the U.S. economy, however, continues to make many of the city’s manufacturers that rely on that critical export market to remain nervous. Many indicators show U.S. economic activity to be sluggish – at best – and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon, a worrisome trend as some economists fear a recession south of the border.

The other major factor is always the value of the Canadian dollar, which has been fairly consistently in the $0.90 range up to par. It seems that like most other sectors of the economy, it’s a steady pace with no major hiccups either way. Then again,

OUTLOOK 2013 • Business

Calgary has firmly established itself as a retail boom town. It consistently leads the country in terms of retail sales growth, attracting large U.S. retailers and Canadian outlets alike.

Retail sales in the Calgary region are forecast to balloon by $7.2 billion to $28.7 billion a year by 2015, a far cry from the national average pace of growth.

2008-09 proved that anything could happen, especially when you take into account the broader implications of the global economy.

Retail & Wholesale

Calgary has firmly established itself as a retail boom town. It consistently leads the country in terms of retail sales growth, attracting large U.S. retailers and Canadian outlets alike. Retail sales in the Calgary region are forecast to balloon by $7.2 billion to $28.7 billion a year by 2015, a far cry from the national average pace of growth. Another report by KubasPrimedia in late 2012 forecast sales in the region to increase by 8.5 per cent in 2013 to $28.6 billion – clearly a moving target.

Target is an apt descriptor, given the footprint the U.S. chain is establishing north of Calgary, with its gigantic distribution centre serving Western Canada and several stores in the city, adding to the existing plethora of retailers occupying the city’s 37.2 million square feet of retail space.

Alberta ranked the highest in Canada in wholesale sales last year, reaching $6.5 billion by last September alone (not including the vital Christmas shopping season), up 7.4 per cent from a year prior. That compares to national growth of 2.2 per cent. Expect more of the same in 2013 – healthy growth, but vulnerable to any swings the economy may throw our way. BiC

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www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 27

Total Renewal • Cover

Total Renewal The Calgary Chamber of Commerce Reinvents Itself

By Derek Sankey - Photos by ewan nicholson photography inc.

A

s the Calgary Chamber of Commerce inaugurates its new chair of the board on January 1, 2013 – Joe Lougheed – Business in Calgary took the opportunity to discuss where he envisions the Chamber moving in the year ahead – and to get a closer look at the man filling those shoes.

When Joe Lougheed, the prominent Calgary lawyer and son of the late former premier of Alberta Peter Lougheed, ties up his eight-year-old son’s skates and cheers him from the stands in the local hockey arena, business and politics is the furthest thing from his mind. Or when he drops off his six-year-old daughter for dance practice, he’s not thinking about his new role as the incoming chair of the board of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

He’ll have time for that later. Family has always been a cornerstone of a man who counts his mother and father as the most influential people in his life so far. Not bad role models. There have been many along the way. And not only has he built an impressive career as a highly-skilled lawyer, and created his own name for himself as an influential power-broker in Calgary’s business and political circles, Lougheed continues his father’s tradition of being intricately involved with all aspects of the community.

So it comes as no surprise that he finds himself taking the helm of one of Calgary’s oldest and most venerable business institutions: the Chamber. Today, though, Lougheed is more focused on what he describes as a “targeted renewal” – basically a complete change in strategic direction – of the Chamber itself. The organization officially left its historical building on Centre Street and 6th Avenue SW and is waiting to move into a more modest office on a single floor of the Burns Building across from city hall. It’s a move that reflects where the Chamber is headed these days.

“Members don’t need to come to the Chamber anymore,” says Lougheed. “We will reach out to business across the city and go to them, as opposed to have them come to us.” In all quadrants of the city, the Chamber intends to cease being what some have considered a “stuffy” place to gather for the city’s business elite, and will actively go out into all of Calgary’s diverse communities under the leadership of Adam Legge, the organization’s president and chief executive since September 2010.

Change has been a long time in the works. It continues to evolve.

28 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

“All businesses are adapting to change. The Chamber is no different. If businesses in Calgary don’t adapt to the new reality, they will probably face more challenges,” Lougheed says. “It’s a targeted renewal by the board to ensure the Chamber of Commerce remains relevant to its members in promoting the success of their businesses – not just the current generation of business leaders, but the next generation of businesses. It must be relevant to the young entrepreneurs starting up new companies.”

These changes include a revamped website, increased use of social media, networking events hosted around the city and an array of new programs. That doesn’t mean it won’t remain true to its roots. “Business in Calgary and Alberta doesn’t sit still,” says Lougheed. “I think the Chamber and certain other organizations in Alberta and Canada play a very important role in standing up and advocating for the businesses in this city and province.”

Lougheed and his entire team, including Legge, will work with the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and organizations with similar mandates, such as Productivity Alberta (which helps businesses in Alberta improve efficiency, productivity and overall competitiveness). It’s recognition of the interconnected nature of business in this province.

“The oil wells aren’t on 4th Street,” he says. “We need to ensure the entire province remains competitive throughout Alberta.”

The Chamber has identified four major pillars to tackle, each of which brings their own unique challenges.

First, and in no particular order, is competitiveness. This includes everything from municipal growth management to fiscal reform to how the province and city negotiate a new civic charter. Municipal debt, budgeting and parking rates are all on the agenda.

“Alberta remaining competitive in Canada’s economy is critical because Calgary and Alberta’s resources have become an engine of growth for this country,” says Lougheed.

Second is people. “We have phenomenal human resources – our people. These are the people who will diversify our economy through ideas and innovation,” Lougheed says from his office in downtown Calgary. “The Chamber needs to ensure that we as a city accommodate and promote a healthy environment for our city and community.” That means working with educational institutions, training peo-

Total Renewal • Cover

ple, retaining them, exporting our knowledge, innovation and expertise, and ensuring a vigorous, skilled workforce.

Also on that agenda are the Federal Immigration Program and the Temporary Foreign Workers Program. “(Those programs) needs to be streamlined to our labour and economic needs,” Lougheed says. “We’re in a small province. We need the people to develop our resources and to diversify our economy.”

Third is leading responsibly. That includes fiscally, environmentally and socially. “We have an opportunity to lead

in Canada on fiscal reform and Alberta should be leading responsibly in environmental matters, fiscal matters, on innovation and in attracting quality labour and talent to our province … and how we treat that labour when they get here,” he says.

As Alberta looks beyond its traditional markets for access to places like China, and through expansions such as the XL pipeline, Northern Gateway and to markets in the East, that brings Lougheed to the fourth pillar: new market access. www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 29

Total Renewal • Cover

Joe Lougheed, incoming chair of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce: • Prominent Progressive Conservative lawyer Joe Lougheed (Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP) is the son of the late former premier of Alberta Peter Lougheed (elected from 1971-85 as premier) • Married to wife Vivian for 10 years, with two children • Undergraduate degree from Queen’s University, BA (Honours), 1987 • London School of Economics and Political Science, International Relations Certificate, 1988 • Dalhousie University, LLB, 1991 • Year of Call to the Bar: 1992 (Alberta) • Areas of expertise in law: China, clean technology, climate change, corporate and commercial law, corporate governance, private equity and venture capital, public policy/government relations/regulatory affairs, securities and corporate finance

Not just abroad, but even within Canada. B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan have already signed on to the New West Partnership trade agreement, which streamlines rules and regulations on everything from trucking to services in order to reduce internal trade barriers. There are also heavy policy issues like opening up more access to export our resources to Eastern Canada – issues often fraught with politics.

“The Chamber will not get into political debates about one issue or another,” he says with a pause. “The Chamber’s job is to take politics out of the conversation. Canada needs to have free and open markets for all of its goods and services.”

What’s refreshing about Lougheed is that he has an “Everyman” quality about him. He’s a down-to-earth and realistic guy who drives a 14-year-old Audi A4 standard base model.

He couldn’t be happier with it. “I’m inherently frugal,” he says with a characteristically self-deprecating laugh.

When he’s not at the office, he’ll likely be found hiking, skiing or snowshoeing in the mountains to the west – a resource that’s often take for granted by native Albertans, he says. “People that are new to Alberta and Calgary are amazed at how lucky we are to be so close to the mountains.” If not there, then he’s probably going to be found involved in one community initiative or another.

Over the years, he has served on the Heritage Park Foun30 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

dation, the Developmental Disabilities Resource Centre, was on the advisory board for the Kids Help Phone, has been on the board of trustees for Queen’s University (his alma mater) and was on the board of the Alberta Lung Association. He is currently the vice chair on the board of SAIT Polytechnic.

“I grew up in an environment where service to your community is important. My father has been a role model,” he says. “To create a community, the focus is not on ‘me’ or any one person; a community is built on ‘we.’”

The entrepreneurial spirit, while it creates huge benefits to society, brings its own challenges, Lougheed says. It can strain the social fabric of a community if people aren’t staying in Calgary and its communities. “The challenge in Alberta is to work together in a community sense to build a longer-term vision of Alberta, while retaining our entrepreneurial drive,” he adds and goes on to joke: “The problem is you get 10 entrepreneurs in a room and they’ll have different views on which way to go.”

Solving social challenges is just as integral to the Chamber’s purpose as standing up for the business community.

“It’s how we respond as a society to some challenges that people have that matters,” says Lougheed.

He points to one area as an example: education. He’s passionate about developing young minds into the next gen-

New Tax Rules Mean New Pressures New PSB rules could be felt by independent contractors and the companies that use them.

By Debra Beck

Companies that rely on independent contractors, as many in the oil and gas and resource industries do, may feel the pressure of a change in tax law.

New tax rules outline an additional tax on independent consultants and subcontractors who carry on employment-like duties through a Canadian corporation. The rules have Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) rooting out personal service businesses (PSB), which are now subject to significantly higher tax rates than small businesses. In many cases, the tax differences can be so significant that a CRA audit could be devastating to a subcontractor, raising the probability of financial distress and disruption to their duties to employers or contract providers.

“These contractors aren’t necessarily doing anything wrong from a tax perspective. They’re just falling into these rules and the companies they work for may be in a position to make changes to help and protect them,” explains Dylan Hughes, CA, a Tax Partner for MNP in Calgary.

The new legislation came into effect in October 2011, increasing the corporate tax rate by a whopping 13 percent.

What’s a PSB? PSBs are corporations put in place to earn an employee’s income. They employ no more than five employees and the incorporated employee has to own more than 10 percent of the company. In the resource industry, this could include almost every individual contract corporation that employs an individual shareholder as a primary labour provider in its contract(s) with clients.

Corporations offer lower tax rates on income and can also allow splitting of income with related parties to reduce the overall family tax liability. “Setting up a corporation was not a bad thing, and some people did it strategically,” says Hughes. “However, there was a perceived abuse which has resulted in the creation of the additional increased tax on companies deemed to be a PSB.” The use of corporations by subcontractors was attractive because it enabled the transfer of certain business risks, costs and liabilities. This shift means that corporations established for legitimate reasons are now subject to punitive tax rules that were intended to target tax avoiders.

The issue for contractors “It’s expected that many contractor corporations caught by CRA will argue that they’re independent contractors and should therefore be exempt. This is a grey area of tax, so CRA audits could result in tax reassessments against PSBs and legitimate contractors alike. Unfortunately, it puts legitimate independent contractors at risk,” adds Hughes. “CRA could assess your contractor’s business relationships as employment relationships, even if they have multiple contracts with different clients.”

Many independent contractors may be unaware of this potential business-threatening issue. A corporation with, for example, a December fiscal year-end will not be impacted by these rules until their December 31, 2012 corporate income tax filing—but it’s important to take action sooner rather than later.

What employers of independent contractors can do Companies that use independent contractors are encouraged to help them avoid the negative tax consequences of being deemed a PSB. Employers should look at how they are dealing with independent contractors and make changes to protect them where necessary. “Now is a good time to look at solidifying your relationships with contractors, making sure that the contracts you have with them don’t put them at a tax disadvantage,” says Hughes.

Final words This shift in the tax rules could be highly detrimental to businesses in the oil and gas and resource sectors. Making sure your contractors are protected and aware that they need to act quickly and prepare for the possibility of CRA scrutiny is critical in light of these new rules.

MNP’s Taxation Services group has extensive experience in this area and can help your company create a plan to address and mitigate this risk.

For more information on this topic or other tax related topics, contact Dylan Hughes, CA at 403.537.7658 or dylan.hughes@mnp.ca.

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Dylan Hughes, Tax Partner MNP

06/12/2012 3:11:09 PM

Total Renewal • Cover

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce’s newly-elected board members will begin their roles on January 1, 2013.

The new executive committee is comprised of: • Chair: Joe Lougheed, Partner, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP • Immediate Past Chair: David Sprague, CEO, Agriculture for Life • Chair Elect: Leah Lawrence, President, Clean Energy Capitalists Inc. • Second Vice Chair: Rob Hawley, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP • Vice Chair, Finance: Denis Painchaud, Director, International Government Relations, Nexen Inc. • CEO: Adam Legge, President and CEO, Calgary Chamber The full board of directors for 2013 includes: o David Allen, President, Calgary Land, Brookfield Residential Properties Inc. o Bill Brunton, President, Stratus Marketing Inc. o Eva Friesen, President and CEO, The Calgary Foundation

We have moved!

o Rob Hawley, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP o Guy Huntingford, Publisher, Calgary Herald o Leah Lawrence, President, Clean Energy Capitalists Inc. o Rob Lennard, Vice President, Lennard Corporation o Joe Lougheed, Partner, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP o Denis Painchaud, Director, International Government Relations, Nexen Inc. o Dilan Perera, President, Perera Consulting Group Ltd. o Linda Shea, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, AltaLink o David Sprague, CEO, Agriculture for Life o Paul Waddell, Business Development, Cole International Inc.

eration of leaders. Aside from being on the board of SAIT, he is attuned to everything going on in the school system at all levels. He points to the recent amendment of the Alberta Education Act as a major victory to address the province’s abysmal 25 per cent high school dropout rate (one of the worst in the country).

The amendment allowed for public funding for high school students to extend beyond the previous age of 19 to its revised age of 21. “That is an example of a public policy change.

If we can get more of our students finishing high school, they will be in more challenging and productive jobs,” he says. Not to mention, somewhat awkwardly, (and realistically), more taxpayers.

Changes like that also bring tangible benefits to the community in every sense. The Chamber supports Aboriginal education programs to help address the unique needs and challenges of those communities – another

critical part of the identity of Alberta and its wider business community.

Some people view these social challenges as problems. Not Lougheed. “It is not anyone’s problem. It’s everyone’s opportunity,” he says. “We must engage respectfully and responsibly our Aboriginal community so they are part of the solution in Alberta remaining competitive.”

When he thinks about the people he has met, and the experiences he’s had, during his five years of being directly involved with the Chamber – not including attending many of its functions and networking events over the 15 years prior – he thinks about what it really means to be an entrepreneur and to be successful. From his early days growing up, he learned that success requires the ability to adapt.

Asked about what advice he would give to aspiring young adults about attaining their dreams, he draws on a simple yet very wise quote from Sir Winston Churchill: “Never give up.” BiC

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www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 33

Retirement in an Age of Debt • Banking, Financing & RRSP

Retirement in an Age of Debt

by Ben Freeland

C

anada, it has been said, is the land of peace, freedom and the pursuit of maximum RRSPs. Introduced in 1957 by the Government of Canada, the registered retirement savings plan is a uniquely Canadian phenomenon that has since become the gold standard for retirement savings plans in the country, with nearly six million people – or 26 per cent of eligible tax filers – contributing to such a plan as of 2010. But in spite of its ubiquitous nature, many Canadians still harbour misconceptions and fears about this made-in-Canada retirement planning solution. Most financial experts, however, consider many of these fears to be unfounded, particularly in light of recent regulatory changes that have lessened the risk of old age security clawbacks. Still, advisers are quick to note that these and other frameworks are for nought without an overarching retirement savings plan coupled with a disciplined debt-reduction strategy.

While Canada has proven to be one of the most resilient developed economies in the post-2008 world, the country’s continually rising levels of consumer debt remain an ominous trend. The latest statistics show that Canadians are among the most indebted people in the world, with household credit debt in relation to disposable income having risen to a staggering

34 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

163 per cent by the second quarter of 2012 – higher than either the U.S. or the U.K. Recent findings have also shown an increasing number of Canadians are entering retirement while carrying debt, with major consequences to their retirement savings and benefits. In the case of RRSPs, retiring with debt means larger withdrawals, higher taxable income and greater potential for OAS benefit clawbacks.

While RRSPs remain the default retirement plan for a great many Canadians, the introduction of the tax-free savings account (TFSA) in 2009 has made the picture somewhat more complicated. TFSAs offer certain advantages over RRSPs in that they are not constrained by the age limit of 71 for contributions as RRSPs are, and can be replenished as funds are withdrawn. In addition, TFSAs are advantageous for those who are taxed at a higher marginal rate upon retirement than at the time of contribution. Nevertheless, they remain a largely unknown quotient whose eventual impact has yet to be determined. “TFSAs may over time prove to be the more significant retirement vehicle,” asserts Deb MacPherson, partner and national leader of KPMG Enterprise’s tax practice in Canada (Calgary). “But they’re still new and we have yet to see what impact they will have.”

Retirement in an Age of Debt • Banking, Financing & RRSP

For many Canadians, RRSPs remain clouded with fear and misunderstanding.

For many Canadians, RRSPs remain clouded with fear and misunderstanding. Chief among these is the fear that income generated from an RRSP or RRIF will preclude the retiree from eligibility from income-tested programs or subsidies.

This fear is particularly pronounced among high-level earners, who risk losing a substantial portion of their savings through OAS clawbacks. MacPherson asserts that this fear, while not unfounded, should not deter clients from investing in RRSPs. “Pension-splitting rules have provided relief from OAS clawbacks for many retirees whose income is greater than the current $69,562 threshold where benefits are taxed back at a rate of 15 per cent,” she explains. “Since these rules were brought in [in 2007], you’re seeing far fewer retirees giving up benefits.”

Another common misconception about RRSPs is the prevalent notion that spousal RRSPs no longer have significant value in the advent of the new pension-splitting rules. While spousal RRSPs are perhaps no longer as vital an income source for many retired couples, they continue to offer a greater degree of flexibility than pension income splitting, as the latter is limited to half the recipient’s eligible pension income. “Unless you are receiving a monthly pension from a former employer, you are not eligible to split income from an RRIF or LIF until you turn 65,” MacPherson explains.

“Withdrawals from a spousal RRSP prior to age 65 allow the spouse to take advantage of lower marginal rates.”

A consistent headache for many Canadian financial advisers is the yearly scramble by RRSP holders come Feb36 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

ruary as they attempt to make their annual payment at one fell swoop. While many financial advisers reluctantly adopt a “better late than never” view of this situation, industry professionals are unanimous on the disadvantages of this approach. “We have 12 months 60 days to contribute to our RRSPs but every year the majority of Canadians will make their RRSP contribution in the last three weeks in the month of February,” asserts William Lee, senior manager of retail banking at Canadian Western Bank in Calgary. “Many financial institutions have extended hours to accommodate the RRSP rush.” MacPherson concurs, adding that last-minute payers face a double risk. “By waiting until February, not only are people missing out on a year of tax-free growth on their investments, but they run the risk of overpayment if they don’t check to see if they’ve already contributed – and incurring significant penalties for doing so.”

While RRSPs remain the standard in retirement planning in Canada, tax-free savings accounts are very much on the ascendency. From an initial $5,000 annual limit in 2009, as of next year Canadians will be eligible to invest $5,500 per year in TFSAs and up to a cumulative $25,000, while also allowing tax-free withdrawals. In addition, TFSAs allow for funds to be replenished after being withdrawn, as opposed to RRSPs wherein that room is simply lost. “TFSAs have become another buzzy word, particularly around RRSP times,” asserts Lee. “Canadians are still unsure of the benefits of the TFSA. The question often asked is should I have RRSPs or TFSAs or both.” MacPherson contends that while TFSAs have definite

Retirement in an Age of Debt • Banking, Financing & RRSP

Chief among these is the fear that income generated from an RRSP or RRIF will preclude the retiree from eligibility from income-tested programs or subsidies.

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Retirement in an Age of Debt • Banking, Financing & RRSP

Regardless of the instrument chosen, financial advisers are unanimous in their emphasis on an all-encompassing retirement savings plan with a combination of maximized RRSPs and TFSAs and non-registered savings, as dividends and capital gains lose their tax-preferred treatment when contained within registered plans.

benefits, a downside exists to their relative flexibility. “A significant concern with TFSAs is that they may be used more as savings accounts than retirement tools,” she explains. “In the case of RRSPs, the taxation on withdrawals makes people think twice before tapping into them for consumption.”

Regardless of the instrument chosen, financial advisers are unanimous in their emphasis on an all-encompassing retirement savings plan with a combination of maximized RRSPs and TFSAs and non-registered savings, as divi-

dends and capital gains lose their tax-preferred treatment when contained within registered plans.

Furthermore, all concur that debt reduction must be prioritized in any retirement plan. “When I meet with someone who is hoping to retire in, say, five years, I emphasize the importance of prioritizing debt reduction,” says MacPherson. “If a person is obliged to retire and still has debt, generally my advice is to find another job – even a part-time or seasonal one – and apply all income earned to the balance owing.” Lee adds that while the earlier one begins saving for retirement the better, there are opportunities at all stages of life. “Good saving habits can start at any stages of life. The first step is to determine how much you can afford to put aside each month for saving and then sit down with your banker to develop a plan.”

While experts will continue to debate the merits of RRSPs and TFSAs, financial experts nationwide are in agreement that the primary problem facing Canada’s aging population is an overall lack of planning and an evermounting private debt problem. “Financial literacy and education is the key,” says Lee. “Talk to your bankers; they have a wealth of information and advice to help you achieve your financial goal.” BiC

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38 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

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Taking Workplace Health and Wellness Seriously • Corporate Health and Wellness

Taking workplace health and wellness

By John Hardy

W

seriously

orkplace health and wellness is sometimes misunderstood. It’s much more important and relevant than impromptu workouts and sweating with group aerobics, group Zumba, group yoga, group Pilates, group diets and group stop-smoking classes.

Health and human resources experts try to reinforce that the workplace is not much different from personal lives

when it comes to overall wellness. By far the biggest obstacles to workplace health and wellness are ... us!

At work and at home, we’re caught up in the present and have a hard time realistically looking into the future. We want quickie and cinchy no-pain fixes for personal health issues rather than the lasting results of longer, slower and more solid options – like workplace health and wellness.

Continued on page 42

40 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Surgery scheduled within weeks; not months or years

How long are you prepared to wait?

I

t starts with a visit to your doctor: you are told you will have to see a specialist for a proper diagnosis. You wait six months for the appointment where you are told you will need an MRI to confirm the diagnosis. Two months later, the specialist’s office calls to review the MRI results and schedule surgery for six months later.

Your life has been put on hold for 14 months. Are you that patient?

The wait is over. HealthSure™ Medical Access Insurance is a unique plan that’s specifically designed to expedite medical services. It’s proactive. It provides coverage for diagnostics such as MRIs, 10 types of specialists and certain surgical services. It helps people to access health care in a timely manner, while shortening the queue for others.

“The public health system is costing employers money.

Employees on disability who are waiting to get MRIs or see specialists translates to lost time, lost productivity and higher health and disability premiums. It is also detrimental to the mental health of the employee. With HealthSure, the employer can help their employees get diagnostic services sooner,” says Marie Milone, marketing manager of Acure Health Corporation, wholesaler of the HealthSure program.

From an employer’s perspective, when an employee is sick and left untreated – due to medical wait times – it creates residual problems. The employee is probably on prescription drugs for pain management and sometimes not able to function at full capacity.

HealthSure provides access to specialists in the following categories: orthopedic, cardiology, general surgery, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, spine team, neurology, rheumatology, urology, and ear, nose and throat.

“HealthSure is a forward-thinking approach that helps people while easing the public health-care system,” explains Milone. “HealthSure takes people off of the ‘wait list’ and helps them via the private system.”

Milone adds, “According to the Fraser Institute, a little over two per cent of Canadians are on at least one wait list at any given time and that’s roughly 800,000 people who could have benefited from HealthSure. For example, the average wait time for an MRI or CT scan in Alberta is four to 10 weeks*.

With HealthSure, the wait is three to four days.”

HealthSure is available to all corporations either on a stand-alone basis or as an add-on to an existing group insurance program. HealthSure premiums are tax deductible and the benefits to employees are tax free.

HealthSure is the first insured product that solves this waittime problem and depending on the size of a company, coverage (per employee) can be obtained from $14.50 - $49.00 per month. The coverage is available with or without surgery.

Alberta employers understand the importance of employee retention and loyalty. It’s about attracting the best people, retaining the best people and treating them the best.

• Individual programs are available.

• Group coverage available for two or more.

• Surgical program unwritten by the Lloyd’s of London. * The Fraser Institute’s “Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2011 report”

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Taking Workplace Health and Wellness Seriously • Corporate Health and Wellness

Giving credit where it’s due, about 10 years ago the Alberta government recognized that not only do Albertans spend approximately 60 per cent of their waking hours at work but that the workplace was having either positive or negative impacts on the health and wellness of working people.

As in private life, not only foolish pride and stubborn denial about anxiety, stress, mood swings, “not feeling great,” depression, chronic aches, pains and other warning signs mask that, despite doing a good job at work, something is just not right.

Meanwhile, human resource professionals and some senior management are taking workplace health and wellness very seriously, even prioritizing it as a vital aspect of successful organizations.

From hectic factory floors, the endless and strategic maze of cubicles to the rows or tight offices that empty on to carpeted, sterile hallways, it’s no longer token perks or afterhours things to sign up for. On the contrary, professionally 42 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

designed and multifaceted health and wellness programs are becoming more and more common components of the Alberta workplace.

Giving credit where it’s due, about 10 years ago the Alberta government recognized that not only do Albertans spend approximately 60 per cent of their waking hours at work but that the workplace was having either positive or negative impacts on the health and wellness of working people.

Ever since, at least in Alberta, an aging population and anticipated labour and skills shortages have been driving corporate investments in health and wellness.

The numbers crunched out to show that noticeable increases in the incidence of chronic disease and some com-

Taking Workplace Health and Wellness Seriously • Corporate Health and Wellness

mon health risk factors in the workplace urgently needs the attention of employers.

And the numbers never do lie. All those “call-in sick” situations add up.

Employees with four lifestyle risk factors – obesity, physical inactivity, lousy diets, smoking and high alcohol intake – report 50 per cent more absences from work than those without these risk factors.

The numbers from the operating room and the lunch room do have some things in common. Canada has the second highest incidence of diabetes among its peer countries, and obesity and other diabetes risk factors continue to increase for both men and women.

In 2005, Canada was losing $500 million annually due to chronic disease. These losses are predicted to reach $1.5 billion per year by 2015. Where the workplace comes in is (as Alberta realized) the majority of an individual’s waking time is spent at work and the medically-proven fact that many chronic conditions are preventable.

The shaming facts are that about 80 per cent of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease cases and 40 per cent of cancer cases are linked to lifestyle behaviours that can be avoided.

Behaviours that result in obesity – which is a proven risk factor for both heart disease and cancer – can be modified.

With little time at home and the majority of time at work, the number of overweight or obese Canadians continues to increase and just two years ago, more than half of Canadians (51 per cent) self-reported that they were overweight or obese.

Of course it is ultimately up to the individual but the workplace does have options.

Every HR department has reams of proof that the number of sick days and the work missed due to illness, disability, stress and depression are definitely increasing in most companies.

Eventually it’s time to show the boss that numbers also reflect the company’s increasing costs related to employee benefits and absenteeism and that they could keep going higher unless the company puts in place solutions to help employees maintain and improve their health.

Continued on page 47

The numbers from the operating room and the lunch room do have some things in common. Canada has the second highest incidence of diabetes among its peer countries, and obesity and other diabetes risk factors continue to increase for both men and women.

44 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Focus on Workplace Mental Health and Improve Your Bottom Line

T

alking about mental health issues can be tough, especially at work. Yet, recent survey results collected by the Conference Board of Canada indicate we need to start talking.

One in two Canadian employees reported they were either currently experiencing or had previously experienced a mental health issue. A total of 500,000 Canadian employees miss work everyday due to a mental health concern, and this number is likely underreported.

The impact on the Canadian economy is estimated at $51B per year. It’s estimated that lost productivity due to absenteeism and presenteeism costs $6.3B and turnover resulting from mental health issues costs about $6.3B. The good news is that at least approximately 20 to 30 per cent of these costs can be avoided with adequate programming and treatment solutions. The question we often hear from employers, however, is “How do we successfully develop and implement a workplace mental health program with limited funds?”

It’s a good question.

The Canadian Mental Health Association’s Workplace Mental Health program understands the challenges that businesses experience when it comes to providing adequate mental health programming to staff. We understand senior level staff and managers have a tough role – they need to ensure business operations are running smoothly and efficiently, quarterly goals

are being met, and client needs are satisfied. We understand ensuring staff psychological health and wellness is not always top of mind.

Yet, when employers invest in mental health (and physical) the benefits can be exponential. Companies with the most effective health and productivity programs average 40 per cent higher revenue per employee, spend $551 less in health care per employee and experience lower turnover rates. Additionally, by providing a psychologically safe and healthy workplace, employers are better protected from liability charges related to exposure to an identified workplace hazard.

Lastly, investing in mental health will establish your company as a leader in workplace mental health and set the standard for others to follow.

Investing in your workplace’s mental health is a win-win.

Employers save money, reduce liability and risk, and typically experience an increase productivity rates which, in turn, leads to increased revenue generation. Employees feel a greater sense of respect, safety, and fairness – they become more engaged and invested in the work they do. They stick around, recruit top talent, sing your praises to clients and the community.

While finding the funds upfront may be difficult, we encourage you to make the investment. Your employees, your community and your bottom line will thank you.

National

Bottom Line 2013 Calgary Perspective Inspiring Mental Health and Wellness in your Workplace

Metropolitan Conference Centre | Calgary | February 27, 2013

Expectations for workplace mental health are changing. Are you ready?

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Soon, employers and labour will be able to use the new National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace.

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Attend National Bottom Line Conference - Calgary Perspective to learn and discuss practical ways to implement the standard, meet legislative expectations, and hear about new ideas to inspire mentally healthy workplaces.

Live guest speakers in the morning featuring Dr. Joti Samra (TV and Media psychologist), and a live webcast of Vancouver speakers in the afternoon featuring Dame Carol Black (expert advisor on Health and Work in the UK) and Michael Landsberg (Host on TSN). Hosted by Doug Dirks (CBC’s The Homestretch)

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Mental health for all

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Profits generated by MICs are distributed to its shareholders according to their proportional interest.The investor in a MIC earns a blended rate of return based on the interest earned from each respective mortgage. The pool is continuously managed with new mortgages replacing mortgages that are matured. A MIC provides a convenient way to diversify a portfolio of investments; funds invested in a MIC are secured by real property.

A MIC is ideal for those investors who want a rewarding yet effortless investment and who do not have the time or interest in assuming the administrative responsibilities attached to running a mortgage portfolio. Investments in a MIC are RRSP, RRIF, RESP, LIRA and TFSA eligible.

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Taking Workplace Health and Wellness Seriously • Corporate Health and Wellness

The contradiction is that although workplace health and wellness programs may be more common in the Canadian workplace, there is a strange disconnect and misunderstanding between what employers and employees think are wellness programs.

A growing number of savvy local companies that want to attract and keep good workers invariably have senior management who understand the indisputable, true connection between employee satisfaction and employee health. They walk-the-walk of workplace wellness and genuinely grasp the workplace-wellness concept as sound, legit business strategy with a provable win-win payoff.

And without a hint of corporate crassness, many employers who invest in workplace wellness programs do it because it makes business sense. The company’s investment and commitment to workplace wellness often leads to reduced benefits costs, reduced absenteeism and higher productivity.

The contradiction is that although workplace health and wellness programs may be more common in the Canadian workplace, there is a strange disconnect and misunderstanding between what employers and employees think are wellness programs.

According to the 2011 Buffett National Wellness Survey, close to three quarters of organizations surveyed said they offered wellness initiatives to their staff. But less than a quarter of the employees in the very same survey mentioned not knowing anything about wellness programs being offered or available at work.

Communication should not get all the blame. Information and education about workplace health and wellness were

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 47

Taking Workplace Health and Wellness Seriously • Corporate Health and Wellness

some of the reasons why the Conference Board of Canada launched a massive research project and, in 2012, published the business eye-opener, Making the Business Case for Investments in Workplace Health and Wellness Report.

“Although our primary purpose was making a business case for workplace health and wellness to Canadian businesses of all sizes,” explains Louise Chenier, the co-author of the board’s expansive report, “we felt it was vital to include a ‘how-to formula’ and a framework for not only setting up actual workplace wellness programs but effectively communicating their role and value.

“Workplace wellness is so much more than stereotypical physical activity, exercise, nutrition, massage and stop-smoking sessions,” she says. “That’s why some companies are customizing programs for their staff but calling it by an easier to understand name, like organizational health management.”

The Alberta government has been a trendsetter about workplace wellness for more than a decade. The provincial Healthy U @ work program was started to help and support workplaces that wanted to improve the health and wellness of their employees. For eight years the Premier’s Award for Healthy Workplaces continues the annual recognition of Alberta employers who invest in the well-being of their staff with health promotion programs.

One of the 2012 Premier’s Award winners was the Hyatt Regency in Calgary.

“It’s gratifying and a testimonial to our staff that we were given this wonderful award,” says Heather Stickle, the Hyatt Regency’s director of human resources, “but workplace wellness and how it affects our workdays, our happiness and our personal lives is just part of our workplace culture.

“Since we ramped up our workplace wellness programs, we have noticed a 30 per cent drop in absenteeism. We are a staff of 370 people and we try to focus on the positive and actually call it ‘The Happiness Advantage,’” Stickle explains.

“It helps us understand that we cultivate whatever is around us, the good and the bad.

“We constantly ask staff for suggestions about what we can do differently and do better. Two years ago, one of our team spontaneously mentioned that while we’re trying to cut back on junk food, we have four staff pop machines and only one juice machine. It was a terrific point and we switched. Two years later we are drinking 21 per cent less pop.

“From staff input about layout and design when we renovated our beautiful staff restaurant facility, hooking up Wi-Fi just for staff, bike racks and yoga classes to personal financial wellness seminars, group volunteering in the community, inter-department walking contests – it’s just a really fun place to work,” Stickle smiles. BiC

Because sTRONG cONNecTIONs MaKe sTRONG NeTWORKs

TM

ENMAX Corporation

48 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

ENMAX Envision would like to recognize Pivot Data Centres as a local enterprise that shares ENMAX’s commitment and character in delivering an exceptional customer experience. Like a “pivot”, we believe that our businesses are crucial centres in which something revolves around and depends on. We look forward to many years of continued business and success with our valued business partner, Pivot Data Centres.

Alberta Independent Schools • Private Schools Feature

Alberta Independent Schools: Providing a Public Benefit for Children and Society

C

algarian Andrew Nikiforuk in School’s Out (1993) argued that North American schools fail to make any difference to half their students. “Our schools have become a costly, bureaucratically dominated daycare system producing kids who can’t add, write, or think.” So how well are Alberta schools faring now?

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of the OECD tests the knowledge of 15 year olds in an international perspective. PISA makes it possible to compare individual provinces to other provinces and also other countries. Update results are not yet available but Alberta ranked near the top in 2009.

Parents may wish to search the PISA site to be assured that Alberta is performing quite well on international scores but it will tell little about local Calgary schools. For a local context, parents may wish to check out the Fraser Institute Report Card. Although the results may be narrow in scope and educational establishments object to these rankings, they still mean something as the report measures achievement over time.

Twenty per cent of Alberta students take one or two additional years to complete high school for a range of reasons.

Alberta has been putting considerable effort into improving completion rates of high school students and the added supports are improving the situation with some unique programs for “at-risk” students.

For selecting strong academic high schools, the Report Card is very telling as it shows how many courses students take on average, and what percentage of students complete within three years versus four or five. Diploma exam marks versus teacherawarded marks are definitely something to which universities pay attention. The raw ranking of schools in itself, however, does not provide enough local detail on many other aspects of schools that parents may want to know about.

Classroom teachers definitely have a far better context for judging overall progress of a student on a daily basis even though subjective bias elements do come into play. A variety of assessment practices and assignments over several years for an individual student as to what needs to be tailored to

their learning strengths and weaknesses is crucial.

Since Inspiring Education discussions started about five years ago when Albertans provided considerable input on what 21st century education should look like, the Education Act has passed a range of reforms to make good schools better and the performance of all students great! At least that is what all parents would want for their children, for the future quality of life and for what the province seeks to improve in terms of local needs and global competitiveness on the world stage. Do independent schools have a role?

Alberta Education System and Independent Schools Alberta’s education system strongly respects the spirit of diversity in education and as a modern democracy, supports parental choice. More importantly, as part of its unique heritage as a province Alberta respects a pluralistic education system, and appropriately supports educational choices for parents and students with policy and with partial funding to independent (private) schools – non-profit schools not operated directly by government.

The more than 100 private community-operated kindergartens (ECS operators) and independent (private) schools perform a public function, educating approximately 4.5 per cent of the K-12 students in the province. These schools are not hosting an exclusive private function unworthy of public support. All grants provided, regardless of the portion, at the end of the day benefit a student with an education.

Not only does the individual student benefit, a larger common good generates from it as well and this makes for an improved society as a whole.

Alberta’s publicly-accredited independent schools have long been part of the picture in providing parents with a wide variety of alternative choices for educating children.

The Calgary area, for example, is home to approximately 50 independent (private) schools. Parents in Calgary may have more choices for their children’s schooling than anywhere else in the province.

Like the public schools, Alberta’s accredited independent www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 49

W E B B E R AC A D E M Y O P E N S

NEW SCIENCE CENTRE e third floor of the High School wing at Webber Academy has been transformed into a state of the art science facility with 5 new labs/science classrooms, a preparation lab and collaborative rooms for staff and students. e design of our facility is ground-breaking and follows many of gr the current trends found in university lab design by creating flexible class spaces that can turn into Chemistry, Biology or Physics labs at any time during a lecture. KLR Design Group worked with City Core Commercial Contracting and Italinteriors in the development of the new centre.

As a modern science facility, collaboration and technology are at the core of the design. ere are several break-out spaces where the students and teachers can gather to discuss ideas or work on different projects while they stay connected through computers, media and direct interaction. One of these spaces is the students’ collaboration room. Here our science students work in teams on special tasks and assignments. e room has an apple TV and interactive wall where students can draft their ideas and discuss their solutions in a gorgeous setting overlooking the foothills and a wonderful view of the Rocky Mountains. e room is separated from one of the regular classrooms by glass barn doors and can often act as a lab space as well. fr Similarly, the Senior High science teachers share a spacious collaboration room located directly next to the preparation lab, allowing them to prepare for classes and experiments in a very productive manner. is design induces teamwork and cooperation not only among science teachers but also between students and teachers.

WEBBER ACADEMY For more details visit www.webberacademy.ca

e prep area is a spacious room between one of the regular classrooms and the teachers’ collaboration work area. Here is where many of the ideas and hypothesis of teachers and students are tested and collaboration at its finest takes place. To maximize safety, our design includes a secure secu room for chemical storage that is not accessible to students. e lab occupies a central place in our facility and it is surrounded by glass walls giving students and teachers a sense of participation in laboratory work.

e new science centre provides the Senior High science students with an unique setting for hands-on learning to prepare them for success in university.

Our facility is beautifully designed to enhance team-work, creativity as well as independent learning at the centre of science at Webber Academy.

For more information please attend the following Information Evenings:

Thursday, January 10, 2013 @ 7pm Thursday, February 21, 2013 @ 7pm

Alberta Independent Schools • Private Schools Feature

(private) schools are required to meet the core provincial outcomes for learning. Public-accredited independent schools receive partial grants and in turn share the same public accountability framework as charter, Francophone and other public and separate schools.

The public benefit that independent schools provide is deliberately mischaracterized by critics as solely a private good, suggesting that there is no public value to the education provided; therefore, students attending independent schools are assumedly not worthy of any investment by the province. Since no public benefit is gained, they claim, all funding should be eliminated. This narrow interpretation of public good and public schooling is simply wrong.

A nine month 1998 Task Force on independent schools conclusion states: “The Task Force believes that private [independent] schools meet a public good, they meet the needs of certain students, they reflect the diversity of Alberta society, and they provide choices for parents.” (Task Force Report, Part 1, 1998, p. 4).

Alberta, by respecting the heritage and diversity of its education system, builds on the strength of parental choice and a bit of a competitive spirit to improve the education system as a whole. The government has acknowledged for years the foundational freedom and importance for all forms of schooling, including independent schools.

Recent research on education systems across Canada provides strong evidence on the positive contributions of independent schools. A Rising Tide Lifts all Boats: Measuring Non-Government School Effects in Service of the Canadian Public Good (2012) available online at www. carduseducationsurvey.com illustrates the many desirable positive social outcomes of non-government schools. The study data, collected in March 2012, examined graduates of Canadian secondary schools aged 24-39 and reviewed longterm effects in relationship to educational outcomes from various provinces. Graduates of non-government schools do indeed contribute to the public good.

More Than an Economic Benefit is Evident Of course, the primary reason public support is justified for independent schools has always been because a foundational benefit is provided in that they educate children.

And if they fail to do that reasonably well, they disappear quickly. Lack of positive results and lack of confidence from students and parents means empty seats and closed doors.

Prior Right of Parents and School Choice No parent should be forced to send their child to any school in which they do not have confidence whether it is a public, separate, Francophone, charter or independent school. Students should not be compelled to attend schools that are not enabling them to find educational success. Confidence in Alberta’s education system is generally high since 95 per cent of students are enrolled in public systems and its programs of choice of one kind or another – separate,

52 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

public, alternative, charter, Francophone and home education – all funded equitably.

Independent Schools as Threat or Benefit Less than five per cent of the students in Alberta attend independent schools. In the USA, by comparison, 12 per cent of students attend private schools. An important indicator, however, is that one in five public school teachers in the USA enrol their own children in private schools; in some cities nearly half of the teachers choose non-government schools. If the narrow definition of “public” education were applied in Alberta, where the separate, Francophone and public charter schools and alternative programs were classified as somehow not being part of the “public,” then the number of teachers working and sending their children to selective forms of schooling in Alberta would be very high at approximately 40 per cent.

Financial Matters and Independent Schools: 70 Per Cent of What?

Many who oppose school choice for parents continue to mistakenly report funding to independent schools as if it were 70 per cent of everything; that is, of the total-per-student cost of education. For independent schools accepting the full public school accountability pillar, funding is 70 per cent of a few main grants but it is not 70 per cent of all grants or of the total public-per-student expenditure on education. What is missed from the edited economic analysis is that some expenses for education that the province pays for public schools are not included in the grant structure as it applies to independent schools. Pension and benefit costs, the cost to the public of providing free land to public schools, major costs for infrastructure such as roads, utility corridors and school buildings – all these costs to the public purse are not considered. The $2.2-billion unfunded pension liability for public teachers is also parked somewhere else in the provincial budget, yet it is an expense related to education.

Education always comes with a cost; it is never free. Since independent schools must pay all of their capital costs, transportation and administrative costs, and a good part of their instructional and operational costs from private sources, parents are required to pay tuition fees to cover the difference.

Teaching and Parenting Perspectives

Teaching is a very demanding task. Teachers obviously have heavy obligations as they are responsible for planning day-to-day learning activities and are regarded as one of the more significant influencers.

Schooling philosophies have spectrums like parenting models. Some education idealists call for more informal schooling models while others demand far more direct control over instruction. Parenting and schooling, regardless of type, inevitably involve influences on children’s futures.

No individual school is able to be all things to every stu-

Alberta Independent Schools • Private Schools Feature

dent, and increasingly, the Alberta education system has tailored its framework to accommodate many school choices.

While public schools may offer a spectrum of choices under one central jurisdiction, many independent schools tend to tailor their program to a specific type of program. Some schools may emphasize more athletics, others more art and music. Some may reflect greater diversity of world views with varying emphasis on languages, cultures and religions.

As an aggregated system, independent schools have a high percentage of special needs students similar to the public system. Forty per cent of the total funding from Alberta Education in 2009 was for specialized supports for students in the non-government schools.

Making responsible choices may seem complex, but parents need not be overwhelmed. Parents who choose independent schools act on the pivotal parental right to exercise choice in their children’s schooling – a choice that is compatible with their deep desire to do what is best for their children’s future.

Provincial Accountability As non-profit and non-government institutions, Alberta’s publicly-accredited independent schools, in most cases, are required to meet the same standards of accountability in education as public schools. Alberta’s education system requires all schools to deliver services with a high degree of uniformity in terms of core learning outcomes and operational standards.

For years, Alberta’s independent schools have been required to meet the basic K-12 education system goals.

Instruction must meet or exceed the minimum hours for instruction. The teachers are required to hold Alberta Professional Teaching Certificates. They are evaluated externally by evaluators appointed by the registrar before they obtain their Alberta Permanent Professional Certificate. Students are subject to the same provincial achievement tests and Grade 12 diploma exams. Each independent school, just like a public school jurisdiction, must provide annual operation plans, three-year plans and Annual Education Results Reports to Alberta Education. Annual budget plans and audited financial statements are also submitted to Alberta Education as a standard requirement. Alberta Education regularly monitors the schools.

pay a good deal of the education cost from private sources.

They pay twice through both taxes and tuition. Education of any student, regardless of provider, needs to be understood as a public benefit, not a private good. Therefore, independent schools, like other schools, perform an important public function of educating students; and in Alberta that education is provided in a context where all provincial requirements are met.

Why Choose an Independent School?

Parents select independent schools primarily for the type of programs offered, the quality of teaching and the philosophy of the school. The culture and climate fostered by the leaders in the schools are very important factors for parents when choosing a school. Uppermost in parents’ minds is the quality of the teachers and the programs. Schooling, after all, is primarily about acquiring a high-quality education. However, parents want their children to experience more than quality teaching; they want them to experience caring teachers, to build character, to enjoy positive social relationships with classmates and to become positive contributing citizens.

When it comes to independent schools, some of the schools have long-established histories. The parents and the support communities have a strong sense of ownership for the school’s success. When it comes down to the basics of education for many parents, it is not so much the school system, but the individual school that really matters. In fact, it is the quality of the classroom teaching and learning, and the kind of relationships that their children experience from their teachers and classmates that often count the most.

To find out more about Calgary area independent schools and their locations, schools that are members of the Association of Independent Schools and Colleges (AISCA) are listed at www.aisca.ab.ca. AISCA represents approximately 85 per cent of Alberta’s publicly-accredited independent schools. To find out more about Alberta’s accountability requirements for publicly-accredited independent schools, visit http://education.alberta.ca/parents/choice/private.aspx. BiC

Caring Cultures and Personalized Environments A benefit of small schools and classes means that principals and teachers know every student. Small schools make for a more personable and caring culture; a more controlled environment keeps the focus on student learning and on positive social relationships.

A misinformed educational establishment often argues that provincial support takes money away from public schools. They fail to acknowledge that the province avoids more than $135 to $140 million annually because parents, in addition to paying regular taxes for public systems, also www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 53

STRATHCONA-TWEEDSMUIR SCHOOL NOTABLE ALUMNI HONOURED Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) alumni who have demonstrated notable accomplishments in leadership, service and dedication to their profession and/or community were selected as STS’ first Nil Nisi Optimum Notable Alumni.

These ten remarkable individuals bring honour and pride to their alma mater.

Dan Hays ’54 – Retired Senator, Member of the Privy Council of Canada, Partner at Norton Rose Canada I am honoured and grateful to the School. I am reminded of lessons learned and lasting friendships made as a student at Strathcona School for Boys. May Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School continue to build on its founding values and respect for modernity.

May graduates continue to succeed in the roles they choose to pursue.

Shannon Bowen-Smed ’82 - President and CEO, BOWEN Workplace Solutions My years at STS formed a foundation that has enabled me to achieve much more than I could have imagined, both in my career and on a personal level. Thank you for the years of mentoring, learning and guidance that have shaped me into the person I am today.

Dr. Jill Nation ’70 – Physician and Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary At Tweedsmuir, much of our learning was done in small groups, an innovation at that time that was well ahead of the current trend in team learning. The love of learning I found at Tweedsmuir has carried all the way through my career where I continue to enjoy teaching in small groups and working with adult learners.

Jamie Clarke ’86 – Extreme Adventurer, Everest Summiteer, owner of Out There Adventure Centre & Live Out There web business.

My love for outdoor pursuits was fostered at StrathconaTweedsmuir School where I went on many Outdoor Education trips.

Having gone to the mountains to hike and ski when I was an early teen, shaped my life in a significant way. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I hadn’t had that exposure to the outdoors when I was young.

Judd Palmer ’90 - Owner of the Old Trout Puppet Workshop

Dave Pierce ’90 - Emmy-winning songwriter, composer, producer STS taught me how to dream big and overcome obstacles in order to achieve the best.

I have a great deal to be grateful to STS for. Most of all, the school culture nurtured individuality. The teachers saw each of us as singular people and gave us the resources to find out where our particular personalities might lead us.

That’s an enormous gift.

Albert Schultz ’81 - Actor, Director and founding Artistic Director of Toronto’s celebrated Soulpepper Theatre Company Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School is where I found my voice. Everything that I’ve done started at STS. They gave me the impetus to move forward.

Justice Rosemary Nation ’71 – Justice of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench At Tweedsmuir: An Academic School for Girls, I learned how to be strong academically in what was rather a protected environment, which allowed me to develop a strong sense of self. This helped me immensely when I entered a work environment where a woman’s place was not the norm.

Nick Graham ’76 – Owner of Fresh Happy People & Former Chief Underwear Officer of Joe Boxer Corp.

Craig Adams ’95 - NHL player for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Harvard Graduate One of the things I loved about my years at STS was the setting. No matter what I was doing I always felt close to nature there, and for me it was an ideal setting in which to learn. The lessons I learned from the faculty, the athletics, and the OE trips have been invaluable. The friendships I made will last a lifetime.

My years at Strathcona School for Boys and later at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School influenced my ability to create and sell underwear. I recall my final year at STS as the happiest year of my educational experience. STS was a welcoming and warm community and made me feel at home and I remember it very fondly.

CLOSER THAN YOU THINK Closer to Nature – Hands-on learning on our 220 acre country campus Closer to Calgary – With over 75% of our student body from Calgary Closer to University – Graduates accepted to 70 universities across 60 areas of study in the past two years Closer to Mentors – Connection to a network of over 4,800 alumni Closer Financially – Scholarships and Financial Aid available For information on how to apply please contact: Lydia Hawkins, Director of Enrollment Tel: 403-938-8303, Email: enrollment@sts.ab.ca, Web: www.sts.ab.ca

Where every child's potential is nurtured

• Full Day Programs from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6

• Bus Service & Before/After School Care

info@rivervalleyschool.ca Phone (403) 246.2275

Providing an Inclusive Education With Proven Academic Results River Valley School is an inclusive, dual stream private school for children from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 and we believe that every child has unlimited potential. Offering Progressive and Montessori streams, we offer learning opportunities that consider the whole child during this significant developmental period.

A leader in providing inclusive educational programs with proven results, River Valley School meets the needs of students whose abilities range from learning challenges to giftedness and everything in between. Each child receives personalized attention and instruction is catered to the needs of the individual. Mentorship and leadership skills are taught in order to provide a well-rounded elementary school experience that promotes independence, confidence, citizenship and academic success.

Our inclusive mandate extends beyond the walls of our classrooms. We offer children a multitude of special programs working with experts in their field. Some of our innovative programs are described below.

Jump! Math As a model school for the University of Calgary, we have undertaken JUMP! math as the main curriculum support for mathematics at River Valley School. The philosophy of this program puts emphasis on providing a support system and building the student’s confidence and self-esteem in mathematics. In JUMP! lessons, students explore and discover mathematical concepts independently in manageable steps, providing a scaffold for all students to help them achieve their full potential.

AIM Language Learning Students at River Valley School learn through the Accelerative Integrated Method (AIM). This is a “Gesture” program with a strong emphasis on building high frequency vocabulary. The program incorporates drama, music, writing and dance as the gestures are used to convey meaning and expressions to language.

Arrowsmith Program® Beginning September 2013, River Valley School will be the first authorized site for providing the Arrowsmith Program in Alberta.

This program is founded on neuroscience research and over 30 years of experience demonstrating that it is possible for students to strengthen the weak cognitive capacities underlying their learning dysfunctions through a program of specific cognitive exercises. Strengthening these weaker capacities of the brain increases the overall functioning of these specific cognitive areas allowing them to be used effectively for learning.

Kodály Music Method The Kodály method of music instruction uses a childdevelopmental approach to introduce music skills to children.

It includes the use of rhythmic movement and syllables as a tool for reinforcing and internalizing rhythmic concepts in children. Singing and moving are natural activities for children. The Kodály approach attempts to incorporate music education and the use of game songs to enhance musical literacy in students.

For more information, please contact us at (403) 246.2275 or by email at info@rivervalleyschool.ca. To view our academic results and annual education report, please visit the governance section on our website at www.RiverValleySchool.ca.

• [section] Directory • Private [title] Schools Feature

Alberta Education Private Schools

Access International College (Calgary) Inc. Accredited ECS, Grades 1 – 12 B1 - 2451 Dieppe Avenue S.W. Box 100 Calgary, AB T3E 7K1 Phone: (403)217-3830 Fax: (403)217-3818 Email: accesscollegecalgary@gmail.com Website: www.accesscollege.cc

Airdrie Koinonia Christian School Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1 - 12 2104 Yankee Valley Blvd SW Airdrie, AB T4B 0R7 Phone: (403)948-5100 Fax: (403)948-5563 Email: secretary@akcs.com Website: www.akcs.com

Akiva Academy

Accredited ECS, Grades 1 – 6, Grades 7- 9 140 Haddon Road S.W. Calgary, AB T2V 2Y3 Phone: (403)258-1312 Fax: (403)258-3812 Email: office@akiva.ca Website: www.ucalgary.ca/~akiva/

Alberta Chung Wah School Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 10- 12 #270, 328 Centre Street S.E. Calgary, AB T2G 4X8 Phone: (403)973-7773 Fax: (403)232-6337 Email: info@albertachungwahschool.ca

Aurora Learning Calgary Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 6 – 12 623 - 35th Avenue NE Calgary, AB T2E 2L2 Phone: (403)277-9535 Email: jdalbers@shaw.ca

Banbury Crossroads School

Member of the Canadian Coalition for Self Directed Learning Accredited Eligible for Funding J/K,ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 B1 #201, 2451 Dieppe Avenue S.W. Calgary, AB T3E 7K1 Phone: (403)270-7787 • Fax: (403)270-7486 Email: general@banburycrossroads.com Website: www.banburycrossroads.com Offers Home Education Program Offers Home Education Blended Program

Bearspaw Christian School & College Accredited Eligible for Funding Jr. K, Sr. K, Grades 1 – 12 15001 - 69 Street NW Calgary, AB T3R 1C5 Phone: (403)295-2566 • Fax: (403)275-8170 Email: info@bearspawschool.com Website: www.bearspawschool.com

Accredited ECS, Grades 1 – 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 2220 - 39 Avenue N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 6P7 Phone: (403)735-3335 Fax: (403)219-3059

Calgary Chinese Private School Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 10 - 12 599 Northmount Drive N.W. Calgary, AB T2K 3J6 Phone: (403)264-2233 Fax: (403)263-3895 Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 10 – 12 #110, 138 - 18 Ave SE Calgary, AB T2G 5P9 Phone: (403)228-5335 Fax: (403)228-5330 Email: jyu156@telus.net

Calgary French & International School

Accredited Eligible for Funding Preschool, Jr. K, ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 700 - 77 Street S.W. Calgary, AB T3H 5R1 Phone: (403)240-1500 Fax: (403)249-5899 Email: admissions@cfis.com Website: www.cfis.com

Calgary Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 2 - 12 1677 - 93rd Street SW Calgary, AB T3H 0R3 Phone: (403)686-6444 Fax: (403)686-6588 Email: pistvanffy@calgaryacademy.com Website: www.calgaryacademy.com

Calgary Academy Collegiate

60 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 10 – 12 150 Beddington Boulevard NE Calgary, AB T3K 2E2 Phone: (403)274-6925 Fax: (403)275-7799 Email: ccac@cma-ccac.org

Calgary Chinese School

Bethel Christian Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 10 – 12 1677 - 93rd Street SW Calgary, AB T3H 0R3 Phone: (403)686-6444 Fax: (403)686-6588 Email: pistvanffy@calgaryacademy.com www.calgaryacademy.com

Calgary Chinese Alliance School

Calgary Islamic Private School Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 2612 - 37 Avenue N.E. Calgary, AB T1Y 5L2 Phone: (403)248-2773 Fax: (403)569-6654 Email: nhaymour@hotmail.com

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2012 • 1

Directory • Private [title] Schools • [section] Feature

Calgary Jewish Academy Accredited Eligible for Funding Nursery - Grade 9 6700 Kootenay Street S.W. Calgary, AB T2V 1P7 Phone: (403)253-3992 Fax: (403)255-0842 Email: karmelb@cja.ab.ca Website: www.cja.ab.ca

Cultural Centre Chinese Learning Academy Accredited Grades 10 – 12 197 - 1 Street S.W. Calgary, AB T2P 4M4 Phone: (403)262-5071 Fax: (403)232-6387 Email: info@culturalcentre.ca

Calgary Quest School

Delta West Academy

Calgary Waldorf School

Eastside Christian Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 3405 Spruce Drive S.W. c/o Spruce Cliff Elementary Calgary, AB T3C 0A5 Phone: (403)253-0003 Fax: (403)253-0025 Email: info@calgaryquestschool.com Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9 515 Cougar Ridge Drive S.W. Calgary, AB T3H 5G9 Phone: (403)287-1868 Fax: (403)287-3414 Email: c.foote@calgarywaldorf.org

Chinook Winds Adventist Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 10101 - 2nd Avenue S.W. Calgary, AB T3B 5T2 Phone: (403)286-5686 Fax: (403)247-1623 Email: izayachkowski@albertasda.org

Clear Water Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding Jr. K, K, Grades 1- 12 2521 Dieppe Avenue SW Calgary, AB T3E 7J9 Phone: (403)217-8448 Fax: (403)217-8043 Email: btomiak@clearwateracademy.com Website: www.clearwateracademy.com

Columbia College

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 10 – 12 802 Manning Road N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 7N8 Phone: (403)235-9300 Fax: (403)272-3805 Email: Columbia@Columbia.ab.ca Website: www.columbia.ab.ca

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 - 12 414 - 11A Street N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 4P3 Phone: (403)290-0767 Fax: (403)290-0768 Email: info@deltawestacademy.ca Website: www.deltawestacademy.ca Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 1320 Abbeydale Drive SE Calgary, AB T2A 7L8 Phone: (403)569-1039 Fax: (403)569-1023 Email: admin@ecaab.ca Offers Home Education Blended Program

Edison School

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 Site 11, P.O. Box 2, R.R. 2 Hwy 2A, 1KM North of Okotoks Okotoks, AB T1S 1A2 Phone: (403)938-7670 Fax: (403)938-7224 Email: office@edisonschool.ca Website: www.edisonschool.ca

Equilibrium Senior High & ESL School Accredited Eligible for Funding 707 - 14 Street N.W. Calgary, AB T2N 2A4 Phone: (403)283-1111 Fax: (403)270-7786 Email: school@equilibrium.ab.ca Website: www.equilibrium.ab.ca

Foothills Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 3 – 6, Grades 7 – 9, Grades, 10 – 12 745 - 37 Street N.W. Calgary, AB T2N 4T1 Phone: (403)270-9400 Fax: (403)270-9438 Email: info@foothillsacademy.org Website: www.foothillsacademy.org

62 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Greek Community School Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 10 - 12 1 Tamarac Crescent S.W. Calgary, AB T3C 3B7 Phone: (403)246-4553 Fax: (403)246-8191

Green Learning Academy & Foundation

Accredited (A Private Charitable Non-Profit School) Pre-school, JK, K, Grades 1- 11 (ADL program) #150, 7260 - 12 Street S.E. Calgary, AB T2H 2S5 Phone: (403)873-1966 Fax: (403)873-1967 Email: information@greenlearning.com Website: www.greenlearning.com Offers Student Directed Teaching Program Offers Home Education Program Offers Home Education Blended Program

International School of Excellence Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades preschool – 12 3915 - 34 Street N.E. Calgary, AB T1Y 6Z8 Phone: (403)234-0453 Fax: (403)250-2401 Email: ISOE@telus.net Website: www.ISOE.ca

Italian School of Calgary Accredited Grades 7 – 9, Grades 10 – 12 24 Beddington Way N.E. Calgary, AB T3K 1N9 Phone: (403)264-6349

Janus Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 1 - 6 2223 Spiller Road SE Calgary, AB T2G 4G9 Phone: (403)262-3333 Fax: (403)693-2345 Email: contact@telusplanet.org Website: www.janusacademy.org

Janus Junior High/High School Academy Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 7 - 12 8516 Athabasca Street S.E. Calgary, AB T2H 1S1 Phone: (403)262-3333 Fax: (403)693-2345 Email: contact@telusplanet.org www.janusacademy.org

West Island College

30 years of excellence

West Island College invites you to discover a school driven by passion, led by inspiration and committed to innovation. Come find out what West Island College will mean to you.

Student Leadership

Rigorous Academic Programmes

Business Institute

Outdoor Education

Advanced Placement

Spanish as a Second Language

International Studies

Whole Child

Technology

French Immersion

Wolves’ Athletics

Late Immersion

Community

Experiential Education

Fine Arts

Extensive Co-Curricular Activities

7530 Blackfoot Trail SE Calgary, AB admissions@westislandcollege.ab.ca Tel: 403-444-0023

www.westislandcollege.ab.ca

the pursuit of excellence

49 years and more than 1800 graduates

At Calgary Christian School, we spend our time teaching and growing with students as they discover all God has created them to be.

… we believe it’s been time well spent.

Calgary Christian School God’s Children Making the World a Better Place

Elementary Campus Preschool to Grade 6 2839 49 Street SW

admissions@csce.net 403-242-2896 www.calgarychristianschool.com

Secondary Campus Grades 7 through 12 5029 26 Avenue SW

RUNDLE COLLEGE Excellence in Education

RUNDLE COLLEGE PRIMARY Preschool - Grade 3 2445-23rd Avenue SW

RUNDLE COLLEGE ELEMENTARY Grades 4 - 6 2634-12th Avenue NW

RUNDLE COLLEGE JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH

Grades 7 - 12 7375-17th Avenue SW OPEN HOUSE JANUARY 10, 2013 AT 6:30PM

RUNDLE COLLEGE ACADEMY Grades 4 - 12 4330-16th Street SW (Learning Disability Program)

www.rundle.ab.ca

DISCOVER RUNDLE: • Independent, coeducational, day school for students in Preschool to Grade 12 • Accredited by Alberta Education, affiliated with CAIS (Canadian Accredited Independent Schools) and a member of Calgary's Independent Schools Athletic Association • Small class sizes averaging 6-15 students per class (depending on program) • Rigorous academic curriculum and university preparatory program for the upper grades • Focusing on developing well-rounded students prepared for life beyond the classroom • Dynamic and dedicated faculty with numerous teaching specialists in both academic and complimentary courses • Exceptional extracurricular programs in athletics, intramurals, clubs, second languages, music, and drama • Extensive field trip and travel programs • Leadership, humanitarian, and character development programs • Academy program for students in Grades 4-12 with diagnosed learning disabilities

RUNDLE COLLEGE ALUMNI See where they are studying

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INTERNATIONAL: Bristol • King’s College • University College London • University of Edinburgh • University of Queensland

Directory • Private [title] Schools • [section] Feature

Khalsa School Calgary Educational Foundation

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7 - 9 RR6 Site 1 Box 2 Calgary, AB T2M 4L5 Phone: (403)293-7712 Fax: (403)293-2245 Email: cheryl.hunt@khalsaschoolcalgary.ca

Language School-German Canadian Club Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 10 – 12 2626 - 23rd Street NE Calgary, AB T2E 8L2 Phone: (403)248-0994 Fax: (403)248-0994

Lycée Louis Pasteur

The International French School Maternelle (3-5 yrs old), Elementary (Gr. 1–5), Collège (Gr. 7–9), Lycée (Gr. 10-12) 4099 Garrison Blvd. S.W. Calgary, AB T2T 6G2 Phone: (403)243-5420 Fax: (403)287-2245 Email: bureau@lycee.ca Website: www.lycee.ca

Maria Montessori School Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6 Building B4, #003 2452 Battleford Avenue S.W. Calgary, AB T3E 7K9

Montessori School of Calgary Accredited Eligible for Funding Preschool (3-6 yrs), Grades 1- 6 2201 Cliff Street S.W. Calgary, AB T2S 2G4 Phone: (403)229-1011 Fax: (403)229-4474 Website: www.montessoryschoolofcalgary.com

Mountain View Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 Building B4, 2452 Battleford Avenue S.W. Calgary, AB T3E 7K9 Phone: (403)217-4346 Fax: (403)249-4312 Email: mva@mountainviewacademy.ca Website: www.mountainviewacademy.ca

New Heights School and Learning Services

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Preschool (2 ½ - 6 years), Grades 1– 12 1323 McKnight Blvd. N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 5T4 Phone: (403)240-1312 Fax: (403)769-0633 Email: New.heights@newheightscalgary.com Website: www.newheightscalgary.com

Phoenix Home Education Foundation Centre Accredited Grades 10 – 12 Bay #1, 2821 - 3 Avenue NE Calgary, AB T2A 7P3 Phone: (403)265-7701 Fax: (403)275-7715 Email: info@phoenixfoundation.ca Offers Home Education Program Offers Home Education Blended Program

Renfrew Educational Services - Child Development Centre

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS for typical children and children with disabilities 3820 – 24th Avenue N.W. Calgary, AB T3E 6S5 Phone: (403)291-5038 Fax: (403)291-2499 Email: renfrew@renfreweducation.org Website: www.refreweducation.org

Renfrew Educational Services - Park Place Centre

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS for typical children and children with disabilities 3688 – 48th Avenue N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 6S5 Phone: (403)291-5038 Fax: (403)291-2499 Email: renfrew@renfreweducation.org Website: www.refreweducation.org

Renfrew Educational Services - Sundance Centre

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS for typical children and children with disabilities and grades 1-4 for children with disabilities 75 Sunpark Drive S.E. Calgary, AB T2E 6S5 Phone: (403)291-5038 Fax: (403)291-2499 Email: renfrew@renfreweducation.org Website: www.refreweducation.org

Renfrew Educational Services - Bowness Centre

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS for typical children and children with disabilities 8620 48th Avenue N.W. Calgary, AB T2E 6S5 Phone: (403)291-5038 • Fax: (403)291-2499 Email: renfrew@renfreweducation.org Website: www.refreweducation.org

Renfrew Educational Services - Janice McTighe Centre

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS for typical children and children with disabilities and grades 1-6 for children with disabilities 2050 - 21 Street N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 6S5 Phone: (403)291-5038 • Fax: (403)291-2499 Email: renfrew@renfreweducation.org Website: www.refreweducation.org

68 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

River Valley School

Accredited Eligible for Funding Junior Kindergarten – grade 6 3127 Bowwood Drive N.W. Calgary, AB T3B 2E7 Phone: (403)246-2275 Fax: (403)686-7631 Email: info@rivervalleyschool.ca Website: www.rivervalleyschool.ca

Rundle Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding For students with learning disabilities Grades 4-12 4330 - 16 Street S.W. Calgary, AB T2J 4H9 Phone: (403)250-2965 Fax: (403)250-2914 Email for admissions: rogers@rundle.ab.ca Website: www.rundle.ab.ca/academy

Rundle College Primary School Accredited Eligible for Funding Prek-grade 3 2445 - 23 Avenue S.W. Calgary, AB T2T 0W3 Phone: (403)229-0386 Fax: (403)229-2669 Email for admission: spencer@rundle.ab.ca Website: www.rundle.ab.ca

Rundle College Elementary School Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 4 - 6 2634 - 12 Avenue N.W. Calgary, AB T2N 1K6 Phone: (403)282-8411 Fax: (403)282-4460 Email: spencer@rundle.ab.ca Website: www.rundle.ab.ca

Rundle College Junior Senior High School Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 7 - 12 7375 - 17 Avenue SW Calgary, AB T3H 3W5 Phone: (403)250-7180 Fax: (403)250-7184 Email: spencer@rundle.ab.ca Website: www.rundle.ab.ca

St. John Bosco Private School Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9 712 Fortalice Cres SE Calgary, AB T2A 2E1 Phone: (403)248-3664 Fax: (403)266-1978 Email: stjohnbosco@shaw.ca Website: www.sjb.ihom.ca

Ranked Consistently as one of Alberta’s Top Schools Clear Water Academy offers a program unlike any other in Calgary. Children learn in a safe, caring and personally formative environment enabling them to succeed to their highest potential.

Beyond the excellent academic instruction, abundant opportunities exist for your child: competitive athletics, faith formation, fitness, outdoor pursuits, the arts, languages, growth in virtue, volunteerism, leadership, international travel, and more.

CAMPUS TOURS AVAILABLE Call (403) 240 • 7917 to arrange yours today!

WWW.CLEARWATERACADEMY.COM

A private Catholic Education Junior Kindergarten through grade 12

Directory • Private Schools Feature

Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 RR 2 Okotoks, AB T1S 1A2 Phone: (403)938-4431 Fax: (403)938-4492 Email: admissions@sts.ab.ca Website: www.sts.ab.ca

Tyndale Christian School Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 28 Hart Estates Blvd. NE Calgary, AB T1X 0L3 Phone: (403)590-5881 Fax: (403)590-6998 Email: tyndale@efirehose.net

Webber Academy

Edge School

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 5-12 33055 Township Road 250 Calgary, AB T3Z 1L4 Tel: (403) 246-6462 Fax: (403) 217-8463 Email: info@edgeschool.com Website:www.edgeschool.com

Glenmore Christian Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 739 - 20 Avenue N.W. Calgary, AB T2M 1E2 Phone: (403)284-2610 Fax: (403)284-2675 Email: contact@swedishschool.com

Accredited Eligible for Funding JK and Kindergarten , Grades 1 – 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 1515 - 93 Street S.W. Calgary, AB T3H 4A8 Phone: (403)277-4700 Fax: (403)277-2770 Email: nwebber@webberacademy.ca Website: www.webberacademy.ca

Tanbridge Academy

West Island College

Heritage Christian Academy

Swedish Language School

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 4- 9 (grades 1-3 added for 2013) Corner of Highway 22X and 53rd St. S.W Calgary, AB T2J 2T9 Phone: (403)259-3443 Fax: (403)259-3432 Email: jhart@tanbridge.com Website: www.tanbridge.com

The Chinese Academy Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 10 – 12 6620 - 4 Street N.W. Calgary, AB T2K 1C2 Phone: (403)777-7663 Fax: (403)777-7669 Email: chineseacademy@telus.net

The Third Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 B4 Currie Barracks 2452 Battleford Avenue SW Calgary, AB T3E 7K9 Phone: (403)288-5335 Fax: (403)288-5804 Email: smattu@thirdacademy.com

Third Academy Calgary South Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 Box 4 Site 22 RR8 Calgary, AB T2J 2T9 Phone: (403)201-6335

Trinity Christian School

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 #100, 295 Midpark Way S.E. Calgary, AB T2X 2A8 Phone: (403)254-6682 Fax: (403)254-9843 Offers Home Education Program

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 - 12 7410 Blackfoot Trail S.E. Calgary, AB T2H 1M5 Phone: (403)255-5300 Fax: (403)252-1434 Email: nicolebernard@westislandcollege.ab.ca Website: www.westislandcollege.ab.ca

Yufeng Chinese School

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9, Grades 10 – 12 27 Citadel Ridge Close N.W. Calgary, AB T3G 4V4 Phone: (403)289-7876 Fax: (403)210-0261

Alternative Banff Hockey Academy Grades 7 – 12 College bound hockey athletes Box 2242 Banff, Alberta T1L 1B9 Phone: 1-888-423-6369 Fax: (403) 760-0868 Email: registrar@banffhockey.ab.ca Website: www.banffhockey.ab.ca

Calgary Christian School Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1 – 12 North Building, 2839 – 99 Street, S.W. South Building, 5029 – 26 Avenue S.W. Calgary, AB T3E 0R5 Phone: (403)242-2896 Fax: (403)242-0682 Email: admissions@csce.net

70 January2012 2013 BUSINESS BUSINESSIN INCALGARY CALGARY | | www.businessincalgary.com www.businessincalgary.com 4 •• January

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6, Grades 7- 9 16520 – 24 Street, S.W. Calgary, AB T2Y 4W2 16520 – 24 Street, S.E. Calgary Phone: (403)254-9050 Fax: (403)256-9695 Email: admin@glenmorechristian.com Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 12 2003 McKnight Boulevard, N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 6L2 Phone: (403)219-3201 Fax: (403)219-3210

Masters Academy

Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 6 4414 Crowchild Trail S.W. Calgary, AB T2T 5J4 Tel: (403)242-7034 Fax: (403)242-3515

Master’s College

Accredited Eligible for Funding Grades 7- 12 4414 Crowchild Trail, S.W. Calgary Calgary, AB T2T 5J4 Tel: (403)242-7034 Fax: (403)242-4629

Menno Simons Christian School Accredited Eligible for Funding ECS, Grades 1- 9 7000 Elkton Drive, S.W. Calgary, AB T3H 4Y7 Tel: (403)531-0745 Fax: (403)531-0747

WHERE A PASSION FOR SPORT DRIVES A PASSION FOR LEARNING AND LEADING JOIN US AT OUR

OPEN HOUSE

Wednesday, February 6th 6-8pm

Big Goals Belong In and Out of the Classroom

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s a university preparatory program, Edge School challenges student-athletes in Grades 5-12 to achieve a level of excellence reflecting their personal best. Through the purposeful integration of academics, athletics and character-building, we offer an innovative learning environment where student-athletes achieve a balanced life.

Edge school offers skill trWaining in dance, figure skating, soccer, golf and hockey. Our flex academy program is for student-athletes with demanding schedules, training in other sports such as luge, swimming, tennis, equestrian, and gymnastics. In our model, sport is a vehicle for character development; instructors and coaches highlight fair play, teamwork and integrity in all aspects of training and competition.

Edge student-athletes receive a complete education with small class sizes and personal learning plans.

Supported by a broad range of accredited course offerings, post-secondary counselling, and college scholarship services, Edge supports each student-athlete to achieve their athletic and academic goals.

Edge is committed to the holistic development of student-athletes. Extensive, in-house health services such as a nutritional program, sport psychology support, high performance training centre and an on-site Athletic Therapy Clinic are just a few of the ways the school ensures success for its students and families.

Since the first graduating class in 2004, Edge students have been recognized and accepted into some of the world’s most prestigious universities and organizations. With alumni attending Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Queen’s University, Juilliard School, and Joffrey Ballet School, Edge is proud of every student-athletes achievement.

Located in the west end of Calgary, the 170,000-square-foot facility is a world-class athletic, recreational and community-use complex housing two NHL-sized arenas, two NBA-sized courts, two professional dance studios, a golf centre, and more.

edgeschool.com Follow Us!

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elcome to a centre for learning where children are encouraged to reach and grow within an emotionally supportive community. Welcome to a school that pushes students academically but never forgets to nurture creativity, curiosity, social development, and physical well-being. We welcome you to join us as we celebrate achievement and imbue a lifelong passion for learning, exploration and self-improvement.

At Edison, we place an emphasis on the attitudes of our students. Developing a positive attitude toward learning, teamwork, and setting and achieving personal goals is crucial. While each member of our faculty believes in our core values of academics, community and leadership, we are aware that the foundational development of positive attitude starts in the home. The Edison community works in partnership with the parents and caregivers of our students to provide support and guidance to each family.

Our rigorous academic program is complimented by a global perspective that includes discussion and debate as well as off-campus excursions and community involvement. Elementary and middle

school students learn the Singapore Math Program in addition to provincial requirements. By graduation, most of our students have completed at least one Advanced Placement course, with many high school graduates entering university with nearly a full semester of university credit.

Edison offers a beacon for those parents who wish, through a parent-school partnership, to foster the growth of caring, responsible, contributing members of the community who are happy, healthy and achieve their potential.

Please visit our website at www.edisonschool.ca, or contact Beth Chernoff at 403-938-7670 ext. 200 for more information or to arrange an interview.

• Kindergarten to grade 12 • Student to teacher ratio of 12:1 • Uniforms • Busing available to Okotoks and south Calgary

www.edisonschool.ca

BANFF HOCKEY ACADEMY ACADEMICS . ATHLETICS . PERSONAL GROWTH

The Banff Hockey Academy is a premier hockey preparatory school located in beautiful Banff, Alberta.

We are looking for driven young men and women, grades 7-12, with a passion to be their absolute best and make a positive impact upon their communities. If this sounds like your child, then contact us! Tel: 403.760.0833

registrar@banffhockey.ab.ca | www.banffhockey.ab.ca

Completions: Making it all Happen • Oil & Gas

Completions: making it all happen

By John Hardy

Completion is not a new, breakthrough science. The complex technology that is completion – the casing, cementing, perforating, gravel packing and installing a production tree – is an innovatively evolving science.

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ompletion is not a new, breakthrough science. The complex technology that is completion – the casing, cementing, perforating, gravel packing and installing a production tree – is an innovatively evolving science.

And thanks to Alberta ingenuity and expertise, the evolution is getting more exciting than ever.

Aside from the highly-specialized details and hardcore jargon, after an oil well has been drilled, a big (and pricey) good news/bad news decision must be made: will the well be a producer or will it get plugged and abandoned as a dry hole?

When it is good news, completion makes it happen.

Prepping the bottom of a hole to required specifications, running-in production tubing and the other down-hole tools, perforating and stimulating the hole and the other stages of the completion process transforms the drilled hole into a viable, producing well.

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 75

Completions: Making it all Happen! • Oil & Gas

“The completions industry is driven by a need for the latest technology. Newer and newer techniques, systems and processes is vital to maximize the available oil and produce it as efficiently as possible,” says Joe Watmough, a Calgary-based engineering consultant with over 30 years experience in completion design and drilling operations. Watmough Joe Watmough is a terrifically knowledgeable and much-in-demand completions expert who works extensively in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, and in Eastern Canada, North Africa and the Middle East.

Currently he juggles a gruelling schedule commuting back and forth, consulting and training engineering staff for a multinational company in Iraq and teaching the Fundamentals of Well Completions courses for the Petroleum Institute for Continuing Education in Calgary.

It may be a bit of a simplistic cliché but in every business – from plumbing to rocket science – having the right tools 76 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

is crucial. Watmough explains that oil recovery from drilled wells or horizontal heavy oil wells may be more technical and specialized than some other industries but no different in relying on “the right tools.”

That’s where completion comes in.

“The key to the oil and gas industry’s long-term viability and success is efficient recovery. This business has some incredibly high costs and with the kind of money it takes to bring product out of the ground, companies demand nothing but the latest and most effective completion technology,” Watmough says.

“It’s all about maximizing product recovery and minimizing risk. For every 10 wells you drill, two or three may turn out to be productive. So you need to make sure you get every drop you can.”

Watmough is an enthusiastic booster of Alberta’s research talent and expertise but with his tremendous completion-industry savvy he easily lapses into technicalities, expounding about “fibre-optic technology, water-flooding technology, steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), downhole sensors that measure flow properties, horizontal heavy oil well completions and the latest intelligent well completion systems.”

Intelligent (also referred to as “smart well”) completions are just one example of the industry’s insatiable need for

Completions: Making it all Happen! • Oil & Gas

what Watmough calls newer and newer technologies. It wasn’t so long ago that intelligent completions were a new concept but now it is solidly established and commonly used to manage reservoir uncertainties. In fact, some global operators such as Statoil, Shell and Saudi Aramco adopted intelligent-completion technology during its early stages of development and use it extensively in wells designed to produce from several zones.

But like the basics of many other businesses, supply is driven by demand. In the strategic business of oil and gas, different wells require different and specialized completion systems.

Major advances both in well-placement and completions technology have drastically improved production rates and today, more reservoir targets are being accessed from fewer well slots by using multilateral wells.

Even with new completion systems, drilling long horizontal wells still exposes operators to various reservoir uncertainties.

There’s consensus among industry experts that the trend is continuing toward drilling longer wells in more complex reservoirs. New and customized completion technologies are required to not only make the wells as productive as possible but to extend well life and allow for necessary down-hole adjustments as the wells age.

Intelligent (smart) completions not only enable reservoir 78 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

engineers to monitor and control production or injection in at least one reservoir zone but it is proving to be a reliable and cost-effective way to achieve better and much more efficient reservoir management.

Although some major oil and gas producers may have the deep pockets for in-house research and development, many (especially Jay Haskell, Absolute’s president Canadian) companies rely on and CEO outside completion-industry leaders such as Baker Hughes, Weatherford, Halliburton and Alberta’s Absolute Completion Technologies (ACT).

“We are trying to raise the level of awareness about new solutions in the Canadian technical community and raise the degree of understanding on how the new products can work within various well bore systems,” says Jay Haskell, Absolute’s president and CEO. “Our goal is to help the oil and gas industry build better wells by utilizing technologies and solutions that will enhance production and recovery efficiency.”

Completions: Making it all Happen! • Oil & Gas

As oil and gas industry and completions service providers agree, the key is new technologies to achieve maximum efficiency.

Completions are constantly evolving.

Absolute is a private, Canadian-based engineering, design and manufacturing company focused on the development, analysis, design and construction of down-hole sand control and flow control technologies. Absolute’s research, development and head office is based in Calgary and product manufacturing is done in Edmonton.

Five years ago, ACT expanded its reach and partnered with Schlumberger, the world’s largest oilfield service company.

“There is tremendous capital investment in oil and gas and there’s a lot riding on the effectiveness of new completion systems,” explains Thane Russell, Absolute’s vice president of business development and technology. “Absolute is perfectly positioned. Alberta is a great place for research and development and provides such a dynamic atmosphere with so much innovation and expertise to draw from.”

Especially with the completions truism that different wells demand different solutions, ACT is focused on developing analytical techniques, simulations, studies and test procedures to fine-tune the completion options and the various needs of their producer clients.

“We specialize in working closely with the customer to get a thorough understanding about their particular situation, their specific challenges and their needs so we can design and almost customize an optimal solution.”

One of the most recent examples of new completions systems happened last summer.

After nearly five years of (secret) in-house research and design, Absolute Completion Technologies introduced their revolutionary Tri-D Weave sand control technology together with a suite of other new sand control and flow control products.

“With Tri-D and our other new systems the primary focus is improving well performance. It’s the core of what we’re all about,” says Haskell. “The ability to match the sand with the best filter media.”

As oil and gas industry and completions service providers agree, the key is new technologies to achieve maximum efficiency. Completions are constantly evolving.

“In one form or another, the screen technology has been out there for a while,” according to Russell. “MeshRite was developed in the mid-’80s; it was revolutionary but it wasn’t widely distributed, marketed or commercialized until the ’90s. Then premium screen was the new technology about 10 years ago. Now it’s Tri-D and it is very exciting.

Thane Russell, Absolute’s vice president of business development and technology

“After the independent lab tests, extensive property and mechanical tests the results show that Tri-D could improve flow capacity two, three maybe four times over.”

Russell is upbeat and confident that the pace and volume of completion research and development is an invaluable learning curve for both completions and oil and gas producers. “The industry has changed and is changing so quickly and we have learned a lot from the completions world outside Canada. Deeper wells and longer laterals – that’s the way it is and the way it is going,” he says.

Watmough echoes the positive and dynamic role of the completions industry. “Thanks to the advanced technology over the past 50 years or so, we have become much more efficient and recovered much more product than ever! But the momentum has to keep going.

“In November I was in Iraq, watching the post American election buzz on TV. They were already talking about ‘energy independence,’ bragging that they are number 2 and soon to be number 1 – thanks to new technologies, drilling holes horizontally, producing very economic volumes and aggressively decreasing their reliance on foreign oil.”

It’s unanimous! New technology is the key. BiC www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 79

Chicago Under New W

New Owner, Adam Dalsin Favourite Dish: Cowboy Cut Rib Eye with lobster mac and cheese.

hen Adam Dalsin and Victoria Harris purchased the Chicago Chophouse in the fall of 2010, they had a vision of a higherend downtown Calgary restaurant focusing on spectacular food, customer service and community involvement.

Two years later and for patrons who frequent the Chicago Chophouse, Dalsin and Harris welcome their customers like old friends. “We try to know their names, their favourite wines and their favourite table, and we encourage our staff to interact the same way,” says Harris. “When our customers arrive, our servers often greet them with a hug!” It is, quite simply, how Dalsin and Harris run their business.

Initially, the couple envisioned many changes, but it didn’t take them long to realize what the business really needed: a new passion infused into the operation. “Many of the original staff remained with us, we changed the menu and updated the restaurant, but the most important thing we did was to listen to our customers and staff,” adds Harris.

The Chicago Chophouse is one of few local restaurants that still offers Canadian prime beef and according to Dalsin, it represents less than the top one per cent of all beef in Canada. “When it comes to beef, ours is among the best.”

As of recently, Chicago Chophouse offers Canadian prime beef as well as the highest level of AAA Alberta beef from Northridge Farms. This further supports the goal of the owners’ original intent of supporting local farmers with organic “real” food; always knowing where their product comes from and where it’s been.

The Chicago Chophouse is one of the only local restaurants that still dry ages as well as wet ages their beef in-house. “Dry aging is an extra step that makes our beef more tender and flavourful – it’s a more expensive process, but it’s well worth it,” asserts Dalsin.

Much like the quality of their beef, the Chicago Chophouse offers a world-class wine list that’s among one of the finest in the city. Steve Tabinski, general manager, is responsible for choosing all of the wines

Chophouse: Ownership for the Chophouse cellar, educating the servers and working with the wine representatives.

“Steve is constantly talking to our customers and wine reps, so our selection is always changing. We represent many different regions and we focus on wines that are not readily available or necessarily well-known, as well as the more talked about and sought-after favourites,” comments Dalsin. “If our customers educate us about a favourite wine, we try to locate it, taste it and bring it in for them and others to enjoy.”

Mohammed Hossen, executive chef, is another major cornerstone of the business. “Moe is very personable with the customers and is committed to using organic foods as much as possible,” adds Harris. “We try to make everything in-house – from our ice cream to our salad dressings, sauces and secret steak spice. It enables our servers to know exactly what is in the food we’re serving, and better enables them to know how to pair the food and wine to make it a great dining experience.”

In addition to the traditional, yet sophisticated ambience that welcomes patrons inside, the Chicago Chophouse also offers two private dining rooms that can accommodate private functions, enabling their venue to hold special events hosting anywhere from two to 200 guests. It is ideal for weddings, corporate functions or any special occasion. Last year, they hosted parties with entertainers including Johnny Reid, Don Felder and Paul Brandt.

On any given day, you will find Dalsin and Harris mixing among their patrons – talking about a variety of topics. “We have a strong presence with our customers; it’s important to know the people who have supported us, and some of our customers have become good friends,” adds Harris with a smile.

“We’ve both been in the industry since a young age and we have seen it from all sides,” says Dalsin. “We really enjoy the interaction with our customers – we meet so many interesting people on a daily basis. We’ve tried to create a very personable and social atmosphere.”

New Owner, Victoria Harris Favourtie Dish: ‘Black and Blue’ Tenderloin (a chocolate demi-glaze, Cajun rub and blueberry Stilton cheese).

Chicago Chophouse 604 8th Avenue SW • Calgary www.chophousecalgary.com 403.265.3000 Serving Lunch & Dinner (Reservations recommended) To book a private or corporate function, please contact Eleni Vincent

Enhanced Protection • Real Estate

Enhanced Protection Included in the Alberta New Home Warranty Changes to the Alberta New Home Warranty will mean new homebuyers can have greater confidence in their investment and receive better protection prior to, during and beyond construction

By Heather Ramsay

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uying a home is an exciting and life-changing event that comes with many questions and opportunities as well as degrees of risk and responsibility. Thousands of people take the plunge every year, making the largest financial and emotional investment of a lifetime – buying a home.

As the result of new legislation, builders will be required to provide warranty coverage for all new homes that are built in the province as of fall of 2013. The change comes after waves of consumer complaints, evictions due to deficiencies and the need for extensive and expensive repairs.

The expanded protection included in the Alberta New Home Warranty means new homebuyers as well as resale buyers and sellers will see new and expanded levels of protection covered in the warranty. According to Alberta New Home Warranty, this program provides the “Home Smart Advantage” and will take some of the mystery out of homebuilding.

Bob Jablonski, president of the Calgary Real Estate Board, is encouraged by the changes made by the provincial government and is keen to see the roll-out of the new program.

“Anything that can be done to further protect buyers is a step in the right direction. We fully support the changes and increased assurance to buyers. The new legislation should instil greater confidence in investment and the quality of product that buyers will receive. Ultimately, this will improve consumer experience,” says Jablonski.

A revised warranty program means that the building industry will continue to be informed and held further accountable for their work. For a custom builder such as Lifestyle Homes, these changes will have no direct impact on their work. “Albeit the New Home Warranty Program 82 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

will raise the bar and challenge some builders and will be a good screening system, it’s still a far cry from the standards and quality we believe should be fundamental in the industry. There are inherent risks in minimum codes and it should be incumbent upon builders to adhere to solid standards and be accountable for what they are building. It is their responsiRyan Armstrong, general manager bility to ensure that they and their of Lifestyle Homes Inc. customers are safe and adequately protected,” explains Ryan Armstrong, general manager of Lifestyle Homes Inc. Armstrong goes on to explain that homeowners will see the benefits of the program changes, yet also need to be diligent in educating themselves about the warranty. “Education on the part of homebuyers and builders is critical.

The workmanship and materials guide is one important and helpful tool. Buying a home is the biggest investment in your life, other than your family. There is no room for errors or omissions on anyone’s part. We build each of our homes as though our own family were going to live there,” he says.

“A home is a living system and there is extensive science to design and construction. We build homes and communities for the long term. In 40, 50 . . . 80 years, we believe people will drive through our communities and still see the quality, craftsmanship and community lifestyle that we worked so hard to create.”

Enhanced Protection • Real Estate

The changes in legislation include extensions and additions to the previous program. As itemized on the Alberta New Home Warranty website, the program has been expanded and now includes the following:

• Deposit Protection (Choose a House or Lot, Make a Deposit)

The return of your deposit(s) up to 20 per cent of the purchase price to a maximum of $100,000 is covered in the event of default by a builder member of the program.

• Builder Performance Protection (Unconditional Sale, Construction Stage)

You’re covered for up to $50,000 (including up to $3,000 in legal fees) towards the completion costs or the discharge of builders’ liens in the unlikely event a builder member should fail to complete a home as contracted. The program provides the administration, co-ordination and supervision of all issues for the completion of your home.

• First Year Workmanship and Materials Protection (House Completed, Take Possession)

If a builder member does not meet its warranty obligations, the program provides for up to $100,000 in costs to repair defects in workmanship and materials during the first year after you take possession. This $100,000 total also includes costs related to the Five Year Structural Integrity Warranty Protection.

• Five Year Structural Integrity Protection (After First Year, Up to Five Years)

The unused portion of the First Year Materials and Workmanship Warranty coverage amount, up to $100,000, can also be applied to the costs to repair major structural defects affecting the load-bearing components of your home in the first five years.

• 10 Year Structural Integrity Protection (Optional) (After Five Years, Up to 10 Years)

At the time of possession, you may also choose to purchase extended Structural Integrity Warranty Protection (at a cost of $200 + GST) for an additional five years for a total of 10 years of structural protection.

• Additional Living Expenses Protection While warranty work is being completed in your home, you may incur incremental excess living costs. The program will reimburse you for up to $6,000 in pre-approved, verifiable living expenses over the span of your coverage.

Chairman’s Club

*Source: Alberta New Home Warranty Program/ www.anhwp.com

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 83

Enhanced Protection • Real Estate

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84 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

From deposit, through construction, completion and beyond, the Alberta New Home Warranty changes are anticipated to boost quality for those who have been of questionable building practices while also reinforcing the calibre of building that other industry leaders continue to champion. Given the ideological and niche market differences between builders in Calgary and area, it is anticipated that some pricing and rates will increase over the coming months.

“It is promising to see the province raise the standards of practice in homebuilding and we hope there are even more changes and additions in years to come. As with any industry, there must be standard codes of practice and therefore accountability. Unfortunately we live in a disposable world of instant gratification. Raising standards and expectations of buyers, builders, communities and cities will ultimately create healthier and safer homes that will house generations to come and not be a financial and emotional burden to those who live there,” explains Armstrong. “There is the likelihood that some builders will have to significantly modify their practices and upgrade product, and will have no choice but to transfer additional or increased costs to their buyers. It will be interesting to see who, how and where that is going to happen. We’ve always been committed to outstanding quality and buyer experiences. It truly is the old adage of you get what you pay for.”

Touted as the strongest provincial new home warranty legislation in the country and backed by the Alberta branch of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association, the program will benefit both builders and consumers by ensuring an even playing field and adequate protection for consumers.

By mitigating risks, protecting everyone and having a process and program by which to manage potential negligence or errors, Albertans should be pleased. “It is obligatory for builders to maintain clear accounts and be proactive with the new home warranty. This is going to spur positive change,” says Armstrong. BiC

JANUARY 2013

Aboriginal communities must be true partners in energy project development, business leaders told

Calvin Helin, the bestselling and multi-award-winning author of Dances with Dependency and The Economic Dependency Trap

R

enowned author and lawyer Calvin Helin recently came to Calgary to provide industry with insights on how they can partner with Aboriginal communities to develop business capacity in the oilpatch.

More than $315 billion in major natural resource projects have already been identified on or near Aboriginal territory and it’s likely that number will only increase as ongoing land claims continue to be settled. So, it’s in the interest of

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 85

2012 Board of

Directors Executive Joe Lougheed – Chair

Dave Sprague – Immediate Past Chair

“We need to get away from the cookie-cutter mindset. Cookie cutters are for cookies. Not people.”

– Calvin Helin, the bestselling and multi-awardwinning author of Dances with Dependency and The Economic Dependency Trap

Leah Lawrence – Chair Elect Rob Hawley – 2nd Vice Chair Denis Painchaud – Vice Chair, Finance Adam Legge – President & CEO Directors David Allen Bill Brunton Eva Friesen Guy Huntingford Rob Lennard Dilan Perera Linda Shea Paul Waddell Management Adam Legge, President & CEO Ben Brunnen, Chief Economist Michael Andriescu, Director of Finance & Administration Jackie McAtee, Director of Member Experience Kim Koss, Vice President, Business Development Leading Business magazine is a co-publication of the Calgary Chamber and Business in Calgary The Calgary Chamber 600, 237 8th Avenue S.E. Calgary, Alberta T2G 5C3 Phone: (403) 750-0400 Fax: (403) 266-3413 calgarychamber.com

industry to figure out the best way of working with Aboriginal communities to develop these energy resources.

“We need to develop our resources but do it in a way that considers the perspective and rights of Aboriginal people,” says Helin, the bestselling and multi-award-winning author of Dances with Dependency and The Economic Dependency Trap. “This must be done in the spirit of true partnership, which may mean giving Aboriginal people the right to own or manage some of these major infrastructure projects.”

Helin spoke to a Calgary Chamber of Commerce audience of 120 people on November 26, 2012. He was the inaugural speaker in the second instalment of the Chamber’s Aboriginal-Business Connection series. The first Aboriginal-Business Connection series, which ran during 2010 and 2011, was the most popular event series put on by the Chamber, with each event selling out in a matter of weeks and attendance throughout the series surpassing more than 1,200 people. Based on this success, the Chamber introduced the second instalment to the Aboriginal-Business Connection series in November 2012 to provide more indepth and robust discussion on the subject of building business partnerships between industry and Aboriginal communities.

During his discussion at the Chamber, Helin touched on the need for business to step up and take a long-term approach of working with Aboriginal communities by investing in these communities and helping them achieve economic self-sufficiency. Since the time-frame for many energy-related infrastructure projects occurs over a period of decades, he suggests it makes sense for industry to help the Aboriginal communities involved in the project attain economic self-sufficiency so everything runs smoothly throughout the entire life cycle of the project. To do this, he recommends industry

86 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

get to know the specific needs and situation of each Aboriginal community.

“We need to get away from the cookiecutter mindset,” says Helin. “Cookie cutters are for cookies. Not people.”

“If you are going to deal with Aboriginal people, you need to know and understand the issues specific to each community,” he adds. “Assume you know nothing about the community and make friends with the people in that community because they will tell you what is really going on and what you need to know.”

Helin also points out it’s important that industry and Aboriginal communities avoid waiting for government to lay out the vision of how they can work together. “The most effective thing you can do is lead by example,” he says. “You need to get people to buy into the vision you have and if you do that, well, government will eventually follow.

The Aboriginal-Business Connection series will continue throughout 2013 with a minimum of three keynote presentations and workshops. For more information, visit calgarychamber.com/abc2.

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Upcoming Events From the city’s best networking events to providing inside knowledge to business, the Calgary Chamber has an event for every need

January 24, 2013

January 31, 2013

Business After Hours

Employment law: What every business needs to know

Meet new clients and make new business connections in the inspiring and innovative atmosphere of DIRTT Environmental Solutions.

January 30, 2013 A corporate guide to workplace diversity

If you run a business or manage people, you need to have a good understanding of employment law. Get the answers to all your questions relating to employment law from two lawyers with McLeod Law during this intimate workshop.

Join Canada’s most experienced diversity trainer for a one-day workshop on employment equity and multiculturalism.

For more information, or to register, call our events department at 403.750.0400 or visit CalgaryChamber.com.

New & Noted Anthem Properties

Guardian Security & Technology Solutions Ltd.

Panni Management & Technology Corporation

CrossFit Motivate

MCM Property Management Ltd.

crossfitmotivate.com

mcmproperty.com

Quality Transmission

Dan Lewis Photography

Merge Development Corp.

Argyle Management Limited

danlewis.ca

Daniel Computing Systems Inc. drscada.com

Elevated Learning Academy Inc.

elevatedlearningacademy.com

OfficeStuff Inc.

Red Recruitment

Sorrenti’s Catering cateringinthecity.com

Speeders Indoor Prokarts outwestequipment.com

88 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Swan Hills Synfuels

swanhills-synfuels.com

qualitytransmission.calls.net

officestuff.ca

Outwest Equipment Ltd.

superiorpropane.com

pioneerps.com

redrecruitment.ca

Mucho Burrito – 1677901 Alberta Inc.

Superior Propane

speeders.ca

VLamar Projects Inc.

A PLACE for ALL Part 1 of an interview with Marcia Lyons, General Manager of the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre (CTCC).

Marcia, I think we should begin the

to communicate instantly around the

interview with a recap of 2012. Can you

world, so we ensure we meet their needs.

tell us how the Calgary TELUS Convention

Convention organizers focus on the

Centre (CTCC) fared during 2012?

educational needs of the attendees and

2012 was a good year. Like all sectors, we did feel the impact of the global recession,

we must ensure they have all the resources they require within our facility.

but we did well in 2010 and 2011, and

Key decision parameters for meeting

even better in 2012.

planners and convention organizers

Statistics from the major international industry associations show that most of the convention facilities worldwide believe that they have now climbed

are having convenient access to hotels, restaurants, and transportation. Do you think the CTCC’s downtown location provides you with an advantage for

out of the recession or forecast moving

attracting meetings to Calgary?

back above 2008 levels in 2013. Do you

Yes, our location is definitely an advantage.

see 2013 as a return to 2008 usage and revenue levels for the CTCC? Our forecast for 2013 looks good and we

We are located in the middle of Calgary’s vibrant downtown core and this gives us a distinct advantage over many other

have strong bookings for the next few

convention facilities. We want to continue

years. Our focus as a management team is

to be a hub for economic development

now on maintaining our momentum and

in Calgary, and we want to ensure that

ensuring we manage growth effectively.

Calgarians use the facility.

There is a lot of discussion amongst the

Your vision for the CTCC seems broad

business community around virtual

in scope!

meetings, teleconferencing, and using social media to connect with customers.

Has this affected the number of meetings held at the CTCC or affected your forecasts for future years?

It is. We want to attract business leaders and scholars from around the world, but we also recognize the role we can play in bringing all of the Calgary community together. We believe in the importance of

No, people still want to meet face to

creating a public and private space that is

face to learn, to build relationships, and

a meeting hub for all Calgarians and not

to create trust. These trends have more

just members of the business community.

impact on the services and infrastructure

We want to highlight the role that the

we provide to our customers. Our clients

CTCC can play in both the economic and

need wireless access and to be able

social growth of our city.

Thanks Marcia. I think we would all like to hear more about the vision for the CTCC so we will continue this interview in next month’s issue.

Calgary-convention.com

Gearing for Success Accelerate your business in 2013

BY ANDREA MENDIZABAL

N

amed the 2012 Incubator of the Year by the Canadian Association of Business Incubation (CABI) for continually developing innovative and effective programs to support southern Alberta’s advanced technology sector, Innovate Calgary is already planning for another year of great programming by rolling out its lineup of seminars and workshops for 2013. From coaching and mentoring to seminars and workshops, Innovate Calgary’s team of dedicated technology commercialization professionals deliver a full suite of programs and services for researchers, early-stage technology companies and entrepreneurs.

2013 Program Lineup CEO Roundtable Held Monthly The CEO Roundtable, for CEOs and presidents of fastgrowth technology companies, is a peer-group networking opportunity that combines private one-on-one coaching, confidential group review of vital issues and leadership learning. Participants experience accelerated company development with this proven model.

Alberta Deal Generator Forums Held Quarterly Through its extensive investor network, Alberta Deal Generator (ADG) provides access to the largest pool of earlystage capital in Alberta. A joint forum between Innovate Calgary and TEC Edmonton, ADG is a not-for-profit program designed to facilitate investment in high-growth technology companies in Alberta. Additionally, the ADG boot camp teaches entrepreneurs how to refine their business plan and develop a dynamic and succinct 10-minute pitch that answers the key questions that every investor wants to know.

Innovator’s Toolkit Series Held in the Spring and Fall The Innovator’s Toolkit Series is a topical six-part series for technology entrepreneurs and companies focused on 90 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

the most effective best practices for company development.

From understanding your market to uncovering financing options, it is designed to provide innovators with valuable insight from “been there, done that” mentors, entrepreneurs and executives.

Speaker Series Held in the Spring and Fall An opportunity for interactive dialogue on technology commercialization and business incubation, join a panel of subject matter experts and seasoned entrepreneurs as they share their stories and knowledge in areas ranging from financial solutions for technology startups to intellectual property strategy.

Tech Showcase and Open House Held in the Fall An evening packed with energy and excitement, this is one of Calgary’s largest tech sector networking events.

More than 400 of Calgary’s who’s who of the advanced technology community come together to learn about some of the city’s most innovative early-stage technology companies. Companies have the opportunity to showcase to: industry, media, potential investors and fellow entrepreneurs.

Go-To-Market Begins in the Fall Build, define and implement a marketing plan to help your business grow. This four-month program combines one-on-one mentorship and applied learning through the delivery of seminars, webinars, sessions and assignments. Key deliverables are the development and expert review of a strategic marketing plan and marketing implementation strategy.

To learn more about this year’s lineup of programs and workshops, visit innovatecalgary.com or phone 403.284.6400.

Connect with Innovate Calgary on LinkedIn or on Twitter @innovatecalgary.

Success and capitalizing on 2012

BY STEWART MCDONOUGH

Strategic direction – how to capitalize on 2012 Tourism Calgary released its 20132015 Strategic Plan in December 2012 – the third edition of a rolling threeyear planning process. The newest iteration of the plan seeks to build off a watershed year that enjoyed historic milestones and saw Calgary leading the nation’s metropolitan centres for a second straight year in number of visitors and visitor spending growth.

A strong 2012 lays a solid foundation that the whole industry will take advantage of as we continue to market our destination in an increasingly competitive tourism marketplace. In the 2013-2015 plan, Tourism Calgary lays out several directional shifts, which include: • Capitalizing on its new tourism brand with image-rich, experiencebased marketing as we position Calgary as the best weekend leisure destination in our regional markets; • Concentrating efforts on growing weekend leisure travel because it can create the greatest, lasting benefit to our visitor economy; • Refining its market presence regionally while increasing investment nationally; and • Committing increased resources to research efforts in order to ensure we are targeting markets with the highest potential return and discovering which messages are resonating with travellers.

The greatest successes for Calgary’s tourism industry over the past few years can be summed up through the Calgary Stampede’s centennial slogan,

“We’re better together.” Industry partnerships and growing alignment among tourism stakeholders hold the key to turning 2012’s success into the foundation for continued growth.

The Tourism Calgary 2013-2015 Strategic Plan can be downloaded at visitcalgary.com/reports.

Three more wins and another record year In December 2012 Tourism Calgary announced three bid wins that continue to demonstrate the value of strategic partnership as shown in the Calgary Sport Tourism Authority (CSTA) model and through the Calgary Hotel Association’s destination marketing fee. The late-year success concludes a record year with Tourism Calgary and the CSTA leading or supporting successful bids that will bring 40 events filling 52,050 room nights in 2012 and future years.

The three bids demonstrate the varied approach to event acquisition.

Both sport events are the largest in their respective national event portfolios; each event was successful due to the commitment of local champions and passionate host committees; and the events will produce myriad benefits including economic, grassroots sport development and dynamic events for Calgarians to enjoy.

Calgary wins bid for 2015 Canadian Open Volleyball Championship Volleyball Canada selected Calgary to host the 2015 Canadian Open Volleyball Championship through a competitive bid process. The event will be held in May 2015 in a combination of venues including the Olympic Oval

and BMO Centre. The 2015 Canadian Open Volleyball Championship is expected to attract 10,000 athletes and 12,000 spectators, which is projected to generate in excess of 18,000 room nights for Calgary hotels. The event is forecast to produce a total gross economic impact or industry output estimated at $16.2 million for greater Calgary and support $3 million in tax revenue including municipal tax revenues of $500,000.

Gymnastics Canada’s largest participant-based event awarded to Calgary Gymnastics Canada has awarded its largest participant-based event to Calgary. The 2014 Canadian Gymnaestrada event will be held June 25 to July 1 at the University of Calgary and University Gymnastics Centre. Gymnaestrada is a form of gymnastics that combines dance with gymnastics skills and acrobatics. The event will welcome 850 participants supporting 1350 hotel room nights and the accompanying economic benefit for Calgary businesses.

The Western Canadian Music Alliance announces BreakOut West 2013 will be held in Calgary The Western Canadian Music Alliance has announced that BreakOut West 2013 will be held in Calgary from October 3 to 6.

BreakOut West consists of four days of music and music business focusing on artists from Western Canada.

Calgarians will be treated to dozens of musical showcases and concerts from performers in a wide range of styles during the week, sometimes in once-in-a-lifetime settings.

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY January 2013 • 91

Marketing the Soul of Calgary

BY MICHAEL FOTHERINGHAM

C

algary has done exceptionally well in many economic metrics over the past two decades and it has been relatively easy to pitch others on our plentiful job opportunities and low taxes as the chief reason to relocate your family or business to the region.

However, research indicates that we are increasingly seeing the global war on talent move beyond this metricsbased sales pitch to a more sophisticated conversation around quality of life and community amenities and it’s time for us to take our messages to the next level. For the first time, possibly ever, research is showing that the current generation of talent is choosing their place first and their job second. This leaves an open door for Calgary to build upon its current metrics and engage in this new dialogue when aiming to retain and attract the best and brightest from around the world.

It’s not that Calgary doesn’t boast great esthetics, social offerings and a spirit of openness; it’s just that what Calgary does have to offer hasn’t been showcased enough to the world. In this spirit, Calgary Economic Development (CED), in partnership with several other community-building partners including the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, CBC and RedPoint Media, launched the ‘Soul of the City’ speaker series in September 2012. The goal of the series is to engage Calgarians in a conversation around what makes cities great and drives attachment by highlighting local success stories and by bringing in internationally-recognized speakers on what The Soul of the City speaker series is held in a variety of ‘soulful’ locations including the other jurisdictions are doing to showcase their city’s Simmons Building in the East Village. “soul.” With a diverse group of presenters and venues, Subsequently, CED hosted local award-winning author the speaker series covers topics such as sustainability, Chris Turner who shared his insights on how urban community-minded commerce, urban design, public art, local sustainability initiatives can reignite communities and food, creativity, festivals and diversity. make Calgary more livable. In the last session of 2012, three The impetus for this series started by examining research leading urban planners shared insights on how development done by the Knight Foundation in 26 U.S. cities for three should allow for greater walkability, adapt to ecological years from 2008-2010. The research, called the “Soul of parameters and move from a car-centric to a person-centric the Community” project, aimed to identify what made orientation. people most attached to their cities and why it mattered.

The lineup for 2013 promises to be stimulating with The study found that the top three factors in driving sessions on: fostering creativity, encouraging diversity, increased attachment were: physical beauty, opportunities embracing local food and celebrating businesses with a for socializing and a city’s openness to all people. The triple-bottom line focus. study also showed that higher levels of attachment results Calgary is more than jobs and low taxes; it’s a wonderful in higher than average GDP growth. Dr. Katherine Loflin, community of creative, entrepreneurial people with an one of the lead consultants on the project, was the kick-off energy that people want to be part of. speaker for the series and had much to say about how to For video highlights and more information on the series please increase attachment levels in Calgary and how that will help visit: www.calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com/soulofthecity. our city flourish in the future.

92 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

IN TE 20 CE LU 12 30 NT S , TH FR 0,0 RE CO E AN OM 00 H NV CA D C GU OS EN LG bE AL ES TE TI AR YO GA TS D ON Y OV ND RY ER

M CO AK AT N E OF T NE PO H EN E CT W C ER EN ION ER GY T S FU L RE

–

DISCOVER HOW WE’RE A PART OF CALGARY’S ENERGY:

calgary-convention.com

David Parker • MarketingMatters

MarketingMatters

By David Parker

T

he busyness of advertising, marketing and public relations agencies over the past year is a good indicator of the economic health of this city. When things go bad they are usually the first to suffer so it’s great to see companies in a growth mode again.

A good example is Evans Hunt Group, a strategic digital marketing firm that doubled its space in the character Cooper Block at the corner of 10th Avenue and 7th Street SW. It has only been four years since Dan Evans and Bill Hunt formed their partnership after both having served in executive positions at Critical Mass, but their success has resulted in developing digital solutions for top global companies and a staff of 50 with a need for 11,000 square feet of working space.

Yet there are times of day when you won’t find many of them there. Staff is offered a flexible work model allowing them to create when and where they feel most productive. No one quits.

And on the Evans Hunt website there is a constant careers page encouraging applications from anyone who feels they could be a player on its all-star team.

The new office is on the sixth floor of the building with open working space at one end and a number of meeting rooms on the west side. Many clients are out of town so hence the need for quiet conference call rooms.

•••••••••••••• Foundry Communications also doubled its size in its move back to the Inglewood district.

Owner and creative director Zahra AlHarazi purchased a business condo in the beltline only a couple of years ago but Foundry outgrew it and took space in the new Atlantic Arts Block building.

New hires to serve a growing list of clients – including Agrium, ATB, Heritage Pointe, National Energy Board, Brookfield Homes and Melcor Developments – needed more space.

•••••••••••••• Randy Milanovic, principal at Kayak Creative, also reports his “online marketing game-changer” company is creating great success stories for its clients.

New owners of Omni Circuit Boards inherited a complex, static website on which the largest text was the price.

Within a month of Kayak working its magic, Omni was able to convert 50 per cent of leads and submissions were up 600 per cent over the previous web pages.

Kayak’s new website for Elrus Aggregate Systems had a similar response and it also re-designed the website for Matco Financial to engage investors through inviting visuals, robust information and social media. Results show the quality score improved an astonishing 572 per cent.

•••••••••••••• Fuse Creative partners Gordon Hawker, Monique Chernier and Chris Shaw are able to celebrate four good years in business thanks to long-term clients like Calgary Telus Convention Centre, Meetings and Conventions Calgary, and Superior Propane that Fuse developed consumer and commercial campaigns for in Atlantic Canada.

It also meant Fuse has had to double its staff since its launch date.

•••••••••••••• The Calgary office of Woodruff Sweitzer was a big winner in the Cana-

94 • January 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

dian Agriculture Marketing Association awards with wins in six categories, including Best of Show French for a website for Bayer HealthCare, and certificates of merit in four more.

Its win in the product sales digital presentation category, created for Versatile Corp., was a QR code-based augmented reality tour.

Woodruff Sweitzer also has offices in Kansas City and Columbia, Mo. •••••••••••••• Jason Au has joined Dialog as communications manager from Peak Communications. Jonathan Barnes, formerly with William Joseph Communications, is in the new role as sales manager for scaffolding and access solution company Armour Equipment. And Abugov Kaspar Architecture as hired Dan Ferguson as its director of marketing and communications.

•••••••••••••• Visitors to Calgary have a wonderful welcome as they wait for their luggage at the interpretive carousels.

Across from Tim Hortons – another great greeter – on the lower arrivals level is a display by Metrographics that promotes our many outdoor recreation areas; all made of the stuff we travel with.

The 30-foot-long display uses hundreds of travel items such as cameras, cellphones, books, umbrellas and suitcases creating the massive moose.

Parker’s Pick: RKA Visualization’s images and animation on Seton’s website is terrific.

It has been years in the making and we cannot wait to show you our brand new building!

Joining us at our new South Campus will be our Campus Alberta South partners:

Athabasca University, Olds College, and the University of Lethbridge