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Politics: Q&A with Ambassador Gary Doer
Now that Gary Doer’s reign as Manitoba’s premier has come to an end, he can focus on his new gig — Canadian ambassador to the United States. Don’t think this is Doer’s way to settle into retirement, he’ll have to advance this country’s interests in a place that’s more focused on difficult domestic issues and wars abroad, than what its northern neighbours have to say. In this exclusive...
Education: The kids who fell between the cracks
Canadians are an educated lot. More of us have a university education than any other developed nation, and only five countries have a higher percentage of high-school grads than we do. But it’s the masses that are enjoying the benefits of the system — many people who fall outside the norm are left behind. Two groups in particular are falling between the gaps: immigrants and gifted children.
Newcomers...
Taxation: HST makes strange alliances
Despite what it may have looked like, British Columbia wasn’t overrun by tax-hating Republicans in late August. Still, the scene resembled something you might see on CNN — hundreds of irate people waving placards, angry about their government’s decision to harmonize the GST and PST. It was a strange sight. Canadians aren’t known for virulent anti-tax demonstrations. But then again, much about...
Mapping out a prenup
Mapping out a pre-nuptial agreement is never particularly romantic. But it can be especially tricky when children from previous relationships are involved. Winnipeg-based engineer John Lang found this out the hard way. When Lang (not his real name) married his second wife 22 years ago, he wanted to guarantee that his sizable estate would be fairly divvied up among his new wife and his three children...
Politics: Who’s best for business?
If you could cut through the partisan name-calling and endless election speculation, you might notice an eerie sense of déjà vu hanging over the playing field of federal politics lately.
On Sept. 17, 1,500 Tories past and present jammed into a Montreal ballroom to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Brian Mulroney’s first majority government. It was a chance to relive the crowning moment for Canada’s...
Adviser advice
It’s an understandable thought: if two pretty smart guys like Steven Spielberg and Elie Wiesel could get scammed by a crooked adviser to the tune of millions, surely it could happen to anyone. In fact, although Bernie Madoff’s $50-billion Ponzi scheme was deemed the biggest in U.S. history, the actual number of individuals caught up in the scam was relatively small. Still, the impact on investors’...
How to start your own business
Recession, schmecession — now is the time to become your own boss. Here are six handy tips to get you started.
Be original
Coming up with a brilliant, money-making idea is the first step on the path to selfemployment. The second: checking to see if that product or service is already available. However, if it has been done, don’t automatically throw in the towel. “There’s nothing wrong with...
Bryan Borzykowski is a Toronto-based writer and editor working mainly for business publications. He writes for the New York Times, Canadian Business magazine, Globe and Mail, Bloomberg Businessweek Custom Publishing, Toronto Star, MoneySense and more. Bryan's the editor of Review magazine and is a senior editor with Connected for Business magazine. He's also a contributing writer with Hello! Canada and was once a weekly music columnist for Metro News. He's been nominated for several National Magazine Awards and he's co-authored