Vancouver Island Technology Park

A new dean at Camosun College rings in the new school year.

“I am pleased to announce that Joan Yates accepted the position of Dean of our School of Business, effective August 1, 2009,” says Baldev Pooni, Vice President, Education and Student Services.

Yates holds a Master of Education from the University of Calgary in Adult and Workplace Learning, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Regina, and also has a professional designation from the Canadian Public Relations Society.

Yates has been very involved in educational development at Camosun and across Canada. In addition to faculty responsibilities at Camosun, she has taught marketing, corporate social responsibility, public relations and management courses at the university and college level.

The Canadian province of British Columbia has a simple strategy for becoming a hub of clean technology — be bold. Under its premier Gordon Campbell, the province has established aggressive clean-energy initiatives, including North America’s first carbon tax (see http://tiny.cc/HkvYn) to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to 33% below 2007 levels by 2020. Carbon-based fuels will be taxed at a rate of Can$10/tonne (US$9.28) of carbon emissions now and at Can$30 per tonne by 2012. Campbell’s government has also made reducing carbon emissions part of a wider plan to stimulate job growth in the region, where the traditional natural-resources industries of forestry and fisheries are struggling. From biofuels to wave energy, the province’s government and the Canadian federal government have made sizeable investments in the research, development and commercialization of clean-energy alternatives to fossil fuels.

The plan seems to be paying off. Early-stage companies are getting the funding they need to hire additional staff, and energy-related training opportunities abound. The big challenge, however, will be bringing these technologies to fruition. In the face of an uncertain market and the significant up-front costs of commercializing a new energy technology, British Columbia’s leaders have encouraged investment in clean energy, “The real prize is becoming a ‘go-to’ place to sell technologies to the rest of the world,” says Andrew Walls, director of the British Columbia Innovation Council’s ocean sciences and energy programme.

Winter or summer, Dr. Jody Haddow, president of Immuno Precise at VITP, was readily recognized by his short pants. It was his “go-to-work garb” for more than four years. But, times are a changing. Last week he went out and bought two suits, five shirts and a couple of ties.

His conversion did not take place on the road to Damascus, but not far from there, as he prepared to take on a teaching job half-way around the world from VITP in the Arab Emirates where suit, shirt and tie are mandatory for assistant professors.

While retaining his presidency of Immuno Precise Antibodies at VITP, Haddow, who received his PHD at the University of Victoria, will be teaching biochemistry and doing research at United Arab Emirates University, located at Al Ain, a short distance from Dubai. He expects to be there at least four years, accompanied by his wife and two children.

Vigil Health Solutions Inc. (“Vigil”), is pleased to announce its selection as one of the top 100 fastest-growing companies in B.C. by […]

The University of Victoria has appointed Dr. Thomas Pedersen as director of the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions. Pedersen moves from his current position of dean of science at UVic, which he has held since 2003. His previous positions include director of UVic’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, and associate dean, research, for the faculty of graduate studies at the University of B.C. He holds a degree in geology from UBC and a PhD in marine geochemistry from the University of Edinburgh.

On a mid-May evening, Prime Minister Stephen Harper joined Industry Minister Tony Clement and 15 chief executives from Canada’s largest technology companies for dinner in a private room of the 6th-floor restaurant in Parliament Hill’s Centre Block.

The guests included Nortel Networks Ltd.’s boss, Mike Zafirovski, and Research In Motion Ltd.’s co-chief executive Mike Lazaridis – though there was no talk at the supper table of Nortel’s court-supervised bankruptcy.

Nor was there any mention of RIM’s desire to purchase key Nortel wireless assets, an objective that sparked a nationalist backlash this week after U.S. and Ontario courts approved the sale to Sweden’s Telefon AB LM Ericsson of Nortel’s wireless division for $1.1-billion.

The Vancouver Island Technology Park (VITP) will utilize real-time energy monitoring to increase its energy efficiency thanks to BC Hydro’s new Continuous […]

The Vancouver Island Technology Park (VITP) will utilize real-time energy monitoring to increase its energy efficiency thanks to BC Hydro’s new Continuous Optimization program. The energy management software will be provided by West Vancouver’s Pulse Energy.

Through the program, which aims to improve the operating efficiency of older commercial buildings, the company will also receive a comprehensive energy audit.
“This program will help our facilities reduce energy consumption by an estimated seven per cent,” said Dale Gann, VITP president. “Our goal is to be a leader in energy efficiency and we are pleased to be working towards that goal with help from Pulse Energy, a B.C.-based technology company.”

The Vancouver Island Technology Park (VITP) is pleased to welcome Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd as its newest tenant. Gilkes has opened its first Canadian-based office at VITP to better serve the hydropower markets of North America.

“I would like to congratulate Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd for their efforts in establishing their first Canadian-based office at VITP,” said Dale Gann, President of UVic’s Technology Parks. “This announcement further demonstrates that Victoria can be considered an ideal location for international hi-tech companies to either relocate or expand into.”

Gilkes is considered a world leader in small hydropower systems for the generation of electricity from water. In its 156 year history, Gilkes has supplied over 6500 turbines to over 80 countries. Additionally, Gilkes manufactures a range of sophisticated pumps for the cooling of diesel engines and supply many of the world’s major diesel engine manufacturers. Today, Gilkes employs 130 people in Japan, United States, United Kingdom and Canada.