Waterloo Region Prosperity Forum on the Arts Re-Scheduled for Spring 2008

The inaugural Waterloo Region Prosperity Forum on the Arts will occur in the spring of 2008.

A half-day session was held on June 11, 2007, as a prelude to the Forum. This event at Theatre & Company and the Children’s Museum on King Street in Kitchener included addresses from Jim Balsillie, Research in Motion Limited Co-Chief Executive Officer, Dr. James Fleck, Chair, Business for the Arts, and Dr. Ken Coates, Dean, Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo.

At the June session, a Forum date of November 8, 2007 was proposed. However, as a result of the preliminary work undertaken by the event planning Task Force, the agenda has significantly expanded and a session in the spring would be more appropriate for integrating all community interests.

2007 Inductees into the Waterloo Region Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

The 2nd Annual Waterloo Region Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Gala was held on October 2, 2007. The Hall of Fame celebrates and showcases inspirational entrepreneurs who embody the spirit of entrepreneurship in our region, and inspire that spirit in others.

This year’s inductees included:

• Moses Springer, co-founder, Mutual Life Assurance Company
• Joseph Seagram, founder, Joseph E. Seagram and Sons Ltd
• A.R. Kaufman, founder, Kaufman Rubber Company
• J.M. Schneider, founder, J.M. Schneider Limited
• Val O’Donovan, co-founder, COM DEV International
• Klaus Woerner, founder, ATS Automated Tooling Systems
• Dan Einwechter, founder, Challenger Motor Freight
• Mike Lazaridis, founder and co-CEO, Research in Motion Limited
• Jim Balsillie, co-CEO, Research in Motion Limited

2007 Intrepid Award Winners:

• Brad Siim, co-founder, Sandvine
• Marc Morin, co-founder, Sandvine

Bearskin Airlines Commences Nonstop Service between Ottawa and Waterloo Region

Effective October 1, 2007, Bearskin Airlines commenced scheduled air service between the Region of Waterloo International Airport and Ottawa.

Three round trip flights are offered each business day as well as Sunday service. Bearskin’s decision to offer Ottawa-Waterloo Region service follows a request from the Region of Waterloo International Airport along with subsequent surveys of the business community. Local companies and travel agencies completed over 500 questionnaires indicating 98% support for nonstop service between the two centres.

Regular one way business fares will range between $149 and $339 plus taxes and surcharges. Introductory fares, Senior Discounts, Meeting and Convention fares as well as periodic sale fares will also be offered.

Waterloo Region´s Vital Signs Report Released

The Community Foundations of Kitchener and Waterloo and Cambridge and North Dumfries recently released their inaugural Waterloo Region’s Vital Signs, an annual report card on progress in critical social issues including transportation, housing, the environment, learning, and narrowing the gap between rich and poor.

Notable indicators from this report include:

• In 2003, only 51.2% of Waterloo Region households had home access to the internet. This number was considerably lower than Windsor, Hamilton and London;
• There is a critical need for physicians within the Region. In 2004, the number of physicians per 100,000 residents was 128 - translating to 73% of the provincial number of 176 physicians per 100,000. The number of new physicians has not kept up with the Region’s population growth of 8.9% over the past five years.