In The News

Researchers from the University of Toronto have determined two things. One, entrepreneurs simply do not take enough breaks. And two, if they did, they would actually find they would be more productive. 

 

"As a society, we don't like to take 'breaks' maybe because of the perception of being lazy," says University of Toronto Rotman School of Business Ph.D candidate Bonnie Hayden Cheng, who was one of the researchers responsible for the study. She spoke to entrepreneur.com about the study, which found that participants who took breaks "were better able to manage the tasks at hand than those who tried to push through without breaking," the article reports. 

 

It's time for entrepreneurs to start taking some "me time." The process, known as mental disengagement, serves as a "clarity break" and allows people the space and time to put things into perspective. 

 

"Actively taking your mind off the problems at hand actually helps manage multiple role responsibilities and leads to increased levels of [work] satisfaction," says Cheng in the article.

 

Whether this means taking up a hobby or having a nap, whatever you do to take your mind off work will have an impact on your clarity of thought. Turn your cellphone off, encourages Cheng. "The quality of the break is more important than the quantity."

 

Read the full story here. 

Original Source: Entrepreneur.com 

A new report reveals that Toronto donates more to charity than any other city in the country.

 

CP24 reports that, according to Canada Helps, an organization that "facilitates online donations to any registered charity in Canada," Torontonians donated almost $6.5 million through CanadaHelps.org this year. 

 

Ontario in general is quite the giving province. The study says Ontarians donated more than $23 million this year. "Ontarians, per capita, also provided the bulk of the country's relief efforts following Typhoon Haiyan," CP24 reports. The typhoon and the Alberta floods contributed to the largest periods of donations. 

 

Additionally, Ontarians, joined by British Columbia and Alberta, were also more likely to donate using charity gift cards than any other province. 

 

Read the full story here.

Original Source: CP24

 

For years, Deloitte has been ranking the top 500 fastest growing technology-based companies in North America. This year's list looked at companies' fiscal year revenue growth from 2008 to 2012 and ranked them accordingly. To be eligible, companies need to, among other things, have been in business for at least fives years with headquarters in North America. 

 

Several Toronto-based companies made the list, but before we get into that let's take a look at some of the key overall findings. The software sector led the rankings with 241 companies (48 per cent). Twenty-three companies have growth in excess of 10,000 per cent, while overall the five-year growth ranged from 137 per cent to 208,897 per cent. 

 

Here are the Toronto-based companies that ranked:

 

150 – Securefact

272 – Symbility Solutions

292 – QuickPlay Media 

299 – TransGaming

320 – Intelex Technologies Inc. 

339 – NexJ Systems inc. 

375 – GuestLogix 

439 – IntelliResponse Systems Inc. 

466 – Constellation Software Inc. 

493 – Ceryx

 

Read the full report here. 

Original source: Deloitte

Cisco has announced plans to hire 1,700 people in Ontario over the next six years, according to an article that was featured in Bloomberg Technology.

 

Here's an excerpt from the article:

 

 

 

Additionally, Cisco will build a new Toronto headquarters and job opportunities may increase to 5,000 by 2024. 

 

Read the full story here.
Original Source: Bloomberg Technology

Etsy, the online marketplace for artisans, is home to many local entrepreneurs with a plethora of unique offerings. Toronto Life has rounded up a list of ten Etsy shops you need to know, and it's a great suggestion for those of you still looking to fill a couple spots on your Christmas list. 

 

Among them is Pilosale, a shop run by Heather Shaw that TL described as a "natural-hued dream." It features hand-embroidered items including pillows and laptop cases that come in such prints as ruled notebook paper, alphabet print, and pretty birds. 

 

Another is Route401, which features license plate art and maps. There's some neat stuff in here, including a map of Canada with the provinces cut out of individual license plates, and spots memorabilia including the Toronto Maple Leafs logo also cut out of license plates. This shop has a Christmas order cut off date of December 11 (today!) so you might want to check it out on your lunch break. 

 

A third that we like is VonEsteban, which somehow embroiders art onto wood and features numerous iconic Toronto images, such as that of a streetcar and maps of neighbourhoods including the junction. 

 

Etsy is an international online marketplace, but it features hundreds of online shops from local artisans and entrepreneurs. It provides an alternative way to not only give your loved ones a unique gift, but to support the local economy. 

 

Read the full list here. 

Original Source: Toronto Life

It's the holidays, which means there's plenty to do in the city over the next few weeks. We've selected a few top picks from several blogs and lists to help you plan how you spend this season.

 

 

"Jump into the time machine at Black Creek, which has several holiday events planned, including old-fashioned Sunday Christmas dinners, Victorian-style festivities by lamplight, and even a gingerbread-village contest. It’s Yuletide for the whole family, 19th-Century style," writes Toronto.com.

 

 

"Music lovers have a few nights to choose from courtesy of the TSO, which offers its annual performance of Handel’s Messiah from December 17 to 22 with help from the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and a few special vocal guests," Toronto.com continues.

 

Remember this list from last year? It's getting cold, so it's time to dig those skates out of storage and head outside. Check out our list from last winter of the top five places to go skating outdoors in Toronto. The Natrel rink opens on December 14 and the others shouldn't be too far behind. 

 

Christmas Market
 

Canoe.ca nails it with their recommendation to check out Lowe's Toronto Christmas Market in the Distillery District, which "captures the charm of a European market." But hurry, the market closes this weekend (December 15). They also recommend checking out the St. Lawrence Market as well as the famous window displays at the Bay.

 

Read the full story here. 

Original Source: Canoe

Air Canada has announced it will offer daily, year-round service from Toronto to Tokyo as of July 1, 2014.

 

The announcement is significant for two reasons in that it will be the only non-stop flight offered in Canada, and "the first daytime flight to be offered from anywhere in North America," TravelMole reports. 

 

The move will "strengthen our Toronto global hub," Air Canada's executive vice president and chief commercial officer Ben Smith said in the article, making it easier for travellers in both Canada and the U.S. North-East to travel to one of the busiest airports in the world. 

 

Air Canada was recently named the best airline in North America by Global Traveler magazine. 

 

Read the full story here. 

Original Source: TravelMole

Financial services employment accounts for 7.5 per cent of all Toronto jobs, more than world financial leaders including London (7.4 per cent) and New York (6.4 per cent), a new report finds. 

 

The new report issued by the Conference Board of Canada found that 1 in 13 jobs in the Toronto area is in financial services, which "accounted for 13.8 per cent of Toronto's economy in 2011—second only to manufacturing," the Conference Board summarized. 

 

According to the report, 230,000 people worked in the financial sector and supported another 191,000 jobs in 2012. Additionally, the industry has grown 25 per cent since 2002 and is typically growing faster than overall employment as a whole. 

 

"Toronto's stature as a global financial centre is similar to cities such as Frankfurt, Sydney, and Zurich. Toronto's highly-ranked status is founded on its core strengths, which include its diversity and its scale," said Michael Burt, Director, Industrial Economic Trends, in the Conference Board's summary.

 

However, he notes, the city needs to up its game in order to remain competitive.

 

"Nevertheless, policy-makers and the institutions that make up the Toronto financial services sector should not become complacent. Cities such as Dubai, Shanghai, Sao Paolo and Mumbai are aggressively developing their financial sectors. Understanding—and leveraging—Toronto's strengths of diversity and scale are the keys to meeting this challenge from new competitors."

 

Read the full report here. 

Original Source: Conference Board of Canada

Facebook already has the capability to predict tags, but now a new algorithm developed by a team at the University of Toronto could give it the ability to determine relationships between people.

 

The technology is called relational social image search and it works by using the frequency of tags within photos combined with how they appear in proximity to others in photos to determine relationships. Parham Arabi, a professor in electrical and computer engineering, developed and patented the system. Wired explains in more detail how it works. 

 

"If you are tagged in Facebook or Flickr pictures with your mother and are close together, and you are also tagged in separate pictures with your father, the algorithm can determine that there is a relationship between those two and assess how strong that relationship may be. Imagine another set of photos where you feature with both your parents, but only your mother is tagged. If you search for your father in the batch of photos, these untagged images will also be returned because of the high likelihood that he features in the pictures."

 

Arabi has been working on this technology since 2005, but previously he was focused on technology that understood images based on content recognition. He switched it up to develop the current algorithm.

 

"Instead, we decided to focus on a very basic tag information that is often available but almost always ignored, which is the location of tags in images. By running the location of tags in images through our mathematical model, we obtain a relativity graph which helps us both understand social relationships and also to search images better," he told Wired.

 

Read the full story here. 

Original Source: Wired 

 

Chief of Police Bill Blair has been named the most influential person in Toronto, according to a recent article that appeared in Toronto Life acknowledging the 50 most influential people in the city.

 

 He was named for his role in Project Traveller, a year-long investigation that resulted in the massive raid on "the notorious Dixon Road apartment complex north of Etobicoke." I don't think we need to say anymore.

 

He was joined by political bigwigs including Premier Kathleen Wynn (2) " her office controls $120 billion in annual spending and makes all the policy decisions that matter most to Torontonians—transit, education, infrastructure" and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty (5), "the third longest serving holder of that office in Canadian history, and the measure of his success will be his ability to balance the federal books by 2015."

 

Billionaires David Thomson and Peter Thomson tied for third because of large donations to organizations such as Toronto East General Hospital as well as their role in flipping companies. They also control the Globe & Mail and are credited with moving it to its new space on King East, currently in development. In fourth, was George Cope of Bell Canada Enterprise for not only his role in telecommunications, but also his championing of Bell's Let's Talk day, a mental health campaign that has raised $62 million. 

 

The list is rounded out by an assortment of CEOS/COOs, city councillors, real estate moguls, celebrities and personalities, and more. It contains 10 women and 46 men (some listings include multiple people). 

 

Read the full list here. 

Original Source: Toronto Life

 

A new tumblr surfaced on the Internet last week and we can't stop checking it out daily to see which Torontonians are making the list. Called We Are Toronto, the tumblr features short profiles and images of people from "luminaries to the people next door, see the faces that make our city shine."

 

It's the diversity of people captured that makes this blog fascinating, and in a way they're trying to do the same thing we do here at Yonge Street: capture the people who are really making a difference in our city. From small business owners to paramedics, from CEOs to poets, the tumblr reminds us of the good people and good things that are coming out of Toronto. 

 

The blog encourages people to nominate others from their communities and even included a tribute post to Jack Layton. "This blog has made a point to not post current politicians and remain non-partisan, but the overwhelming amount of nominations for career politico Jack Layton of the NDP and the respect he garnered from friends and foes alike make him a wonderful addition to the site. He’s earned his square here," the tumblr writes.

 

It has included such people as Peter Munk, architect Frank Gehry and Degrassi creator Linda Schuyler. It also featured Hannah Alper, who we profiled earlier this year.

 

Check out the full blog here. 

Original Source: We Are Toronto

 

Aon Hewitt's annual rankings of the best employers in Canada are in. The organization has been ranking companies based on employee, leader, and human resource practices surveys submitted by participating organizations for more than 15 years.

There's good news for the GTA this year as the top four companies in the region are also the top four companies in the country (in the same order). Cisco Systems Canada, EllisDon Corporation, Bennett Jones LLP, and Marriott Hotels of Canada have been selected as the four best companies to work for in the nation.

 

Here is the full list of top organizations in the GTA:

 

1. Cisco Systems Canada*

2. EllisDon Corporation*

3. Bennett Jones LLP*

4. Marriott Hotels of Canada*

5. Chubb Insurance Company of Canada*

6. McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited

7. Flight Centre

8. Keg Restaurants Ltd.*

9. Edward Jones*

10. LoyaltyOne Inc

11. PCL Constructors Inc.*

12. Hatch*

13. The Co-operators*

14. SAP Canada*

15. Stikeman Elliott

16. Starwood Hotels and Resorts Canada

17. OMERS Administration Corporation*

18. TD Bank Group*

19. Novotel Canada

20. Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

21. Delta Hotels and Resorts

22. Aecon Group Inc.

23. G&K Services Canada Inc.

24. National Bank

25. Allstate Insurance Company of Canada*

26. Golder Associates Ltd.

27. GlaxoSmithKline Inc.

28. Earl's Restaurants Ltd.

29. Amex Canada Inc / Amex Bank of Canada

30. Dillon Consulting Limited

31. Procter & Gamble — Market Development Organization

32. Miller Thomson LLP

33. The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited

34. Morguard Corporation

35. Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP

 

1. Arrow Professional Services*

2. iGATE Global Solutions Ltd

3. Intelex Technologies In.

4. Achievers*

5. IHG

6. Intuit Canada

7. Klick Inc.

8. OPTIMUS I SBR Inc.

9. CAAT Pension Plan

10. C.S.T. Consultants Inc.

11. peopleCare Inc.

12. Geo. A. Kelson Company Limited

13. 99 bottles Inc. o/a beerbistro

14. TIC Travel Insurance Coordinators Ltd.

15. Furlani's Food Corporation

16. Gibraltar Solutions Inc.

17. Wakefield Canada Inc.

18. Vital Insights Inc

19. SOCAN - Society of Composers, Authors and Music Pu

20. Pinchin Environmental Ltd.

21. Phonak Canada

22. Ryan ULC

23. CWB Group - Industry Services

24. Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc.

25. MasterCard Canada

 

* Also appeared on the Best Employers in Canada list

 

For the full list of Canada's best employers, click here. 

Original Source: Aon Hewitt

How technologically sound a city is has quickly become the new standard for which cities are judged internationally. A smart city is a connected city, one that uses technology to find efficient solutions and services for its citizens. Everyone is eager to rate these cities against one another and Fast Company is the latest to have its say. The organization has named Toronto one of the 10 smartest cities in North America.

 

In an article that ran earlier this month, Fast Company reported that "by 2050, 70% of the world's population" will live in cities. It cites solutions to growing populations as a key component of the continent's smartest cities. 

 

Six key factors helped decide this year's winners. The study looked at smart people (21st century education, inclusive society, embrace creativity), smart economy (entrepreneurship and innovation, productivity, local and global interconnectedness), smart enviro (green buildings, green energy, green urban planning), smart gov (enabling supply and demand side policy, transparency and open data, ICT and eGov), smart living (healthy, safe, culturally vibrant and happy), and finally, smart mobility (mixed-model access, prioritized clean and non-motorized options, integrated ICT).

 

Here's what they said about Toronto:

 

"…Toronto continues to be a leader in Canada across several fronts. Like other major cities on this list, Toronto has continued its commitment to smart densification with its ongoing transformation of its previously contaminated waterfront area. In collaboration with IBM, Waterfront Toronto has launched phase one of newblueedge.ca to allow residents to have real-time web and mobile access to transit info and traffic congestion reports, public transit information, local weather and news reports as well as, in the near future, energy- and water-consumption data."
 

Seattle and Boston tied this year for the title of North America's smartest city. Seattle's startup scene and Boston's numerous universities were key factors.

 

For the full list of North America's smartest cities, click here. 

Original Source: Fast Company

The year is winding down, so it's no surprise top employer lists are piling in. The Smart Commute awards recognize the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Region's top employers when it comes to implementing smart commute programs. These are employers that demonstrate "exceptional leadership, innovation and success in motivating employees to re-think their commutes," according to the website's criteria. 

 

It recognizes one overall Regional Employer of the Year in addition to individual awards given to organizations based on region. This year's top winner was Mohawk College. Mohawk's sustainability office played a key role in taking the crown as it supporting smart commute options thanks to its Discount Transit Pass program. In addition, the college offers carpool parking and sheltered bike parking, and has made transportation a "key element of their recent sire redevelopment" including new multi-use pathways that connect the campus to local neighbourhoods. 

 

Here is the full list of winners broken down by region:

 

Parsons Brinckerhoff Employee Engagement Award - City of Mississauga

Smart Commute Champion - Sante Esposito

Smart Commute Brampton-Caledon Employer of the Year – Region of Peel

Smart Commute Central York Employer of the Year – Scholastic Canada Ltd. - Newmarket

Smart Commute Durham Employer of the Year – Region of Durham’s Hillsdale Estates & Terraces

Smart Commute Halton Employer of the Year – Halton Region

Smart Commute Hamilton Employer of the Year – Mohawk College

Smart Commute Markham, Richmond Hill Employer of the Year – Town of Richmond Hill

Smart Commute Mississauga Employer of the Year – Hatch Ltd.

Smart Commute Northeast Toronto Employer of the Year – Royal Bank of Canada RBC – York Mills

Smart Commute North Toronto, Vaughan Employer of the Year – PowerStream

Smart Commute Toronto-Central Employer of the Year – Brookfield Properties – Queen’s Quay Terminal

 

To read about why each employer won the award, click here. 

Original Source: SmartCommute.ca 

Toronto is the most youthful city in the world, according to a new report that compares cities globally and ranks them according to the potential for work and play.

 

The Youthful Cities Index rates cities on an annual basis and looks at economic status (high minimum wage, good annual income, affordable housing), political participation (voting age, youth voter turnout, volunteer opportunities), diversity (openness to LGBT communities, immigrants, different religions), employment (youth employment rates, employment rates post-graduation and student debt levels), encouragement of entrepreneurship (startup loans, age to register a business) and dozens more categories, as well as 112 indicators.  

 

In an article that appeared on Global News, Robert Barnard, the co-founder of Youthful Cities, said Toronto is "a city that’s amongst the most diverse in the world. It’s got a great film and music scene and it’s on the leading edge of things like digital access. On an economic standpoint, it’s a pretty good place even up against its American competition."

 

Berlin, New York City, Dallas and Paris followed Toronto in that order. Although Toronto's youth unemployment rate is at a high, when it comes to other aspects of the city Toronto is an international leader. 
 

"The excitement comes from the diversity and the playful aspects of Toronto. And there’s balance to it – overall it seemed to do pretty well in everything," Barnard said.
 

Read full story here. 

Original Source: Global News