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The Funding Portal & Weekly Highlights

“All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.”

      – Albert Einstein 

About The Funding Portal

The Funding Portal is an amazing Canadian resource and business  that educates clients on funding opportunities and policy initiatives. I have had the pleasure of meeting the founder and CEO as well as working with several staff on potential projects. They offered very friendly service and more importantly possess the expertise and experience that helps Entrepreneurs navigate the sometimes cloudy world of government funding. The most important and impressive thing about The Funding Portal is how they are organized. The company has created a for profit sustainable business model that is built on value and education.  The future of Canadian business growth and commercialization is in a prosperous and healthy place because of the creation of this portal and network. 

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Ontario’s Clean Technology Commitment

Ontario is rapidly emerging as an international hub for developing innovative clean tech solutions and delivering them to markets worldwide.

Ontario’s Green Energy and Green Economy Act (GEA), passed in 2009, places a priority on establishing Ontario as the North American leader in producing and using clean and renewable sources of energy including wind, water, solar, biomass and biogas power.

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Top Documentary: There’s No Tomorrow

“Energy and persistence conquer all things”.  – Benjamin Franklin

Documentary Summary

This weeks Top Documentary Selection is entitled “There’s No Tomorrow”. It is a half-hour animated documentary about resource depletion, energy and the impossibility of infinite growth on a finite planet.

Inspired by the pro-capitalist cartoons of the 1940s, the film is an introduction to the energy dilemmas facing the world today.

“The average American today has available the energy equivalent of 150 slaves, working 24 hours a day. Materials that store this energy for work are called fuels. Some fuels contain more energy than others. This is called energy density.” Continue reading →

The Energy Sector & Clean Tech Ecosystem

What is the Energy Sector ?

The Energy Sector is a category of stocks that relates to producing or supplying energy. This sector includes companies involvedin the exploration and development of oil or gas reserves, oil and gas drilling, or integrated power firms.

Investopedia explains the ‘Energy Sector’

Performance in the sector is largely driven by the supply and demand for worldwide energy. Energy producers will do very well during times of high oil and gas prices, but will earn less when the value of energy drops. Furthermore, this sector is sensitive to political events, which historically have driven changes in the price of oil.

Courtesy of Investopedia.

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International Women’s Day

“It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union…. Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.”

                                  – Susan B. Anthony

International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies. Today marks the celebration and continuation of a long tradition of International Women’s Day.  It is a day when people across the world celebrate and recognize the contributions and amazing success of women all across the world. While in the office I have taken a moment to observe my surroundings.

Going back in history it was only in 1929 that Canada passed legislation that officially recognized women as equal persons in the name of the law.  So as a man I take pride in celebrating this amazing day. The political, business, and entrepreneurial strength of women have shaped all our lives especially mine and surely that worthy of at least one day of reflection out of 365. Continue reading →

Modern Gender Dynamics & Changing Roles

In recent years have seen an explosion of male joblessness and a steep decline in men’s life prospects that have disrupted the “romantic market” in ways that narrow a marriage-minded woman’s options The Atlantic, November 2011 Cover Story

Click the Image to read the story. All The Single Ladies By: Kate Bolick

The statement above is a bold, honest,and  powerful said with supreme conviction.  And surely this article is empowering for women and maybe even some men who are embracing new roles in society as we continually strive for more fairness and equality.

However in the end this article felt more like a rant without a clear statement. Gender roles and equality is a huge political, legal, and social issue. I am not the best writer nor do I consider myself much of a critic but this is something that is affecting society on a grand scale and deserves thoughtful commentary outside of a 140 character tweet.

Kate decided like many other women to take a different path in life that was liberating and self-fulfilling to her ideology and I commend that. Everyone has a unique situation, circumstance and personality. I don’t believe we should make blanket statements with generalizations about women or men but I will direct my attention and comments to this specific article because she has successfully sparked a great debate.

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A Lunch Inside Parliament Hill

Photo Credits: Ottawa Citizen

I was inspired to write a post about my first ever experience at the Parliament Center Block restaurant. However after doing some quick research for more information on the famous spot I found a person who I thought could do a much better job then me. The person happens to be the chancellor of my university “alma mater” Mount Allison and it just so happens he was inspired the same I was over 8 years ago.

In 2004 Peter Mansbridge wrote an editorial piece for Macleans Magazine. The title of his work was called. Where The Elite Eat: The Parliamentary Restaurant’s mysterious ‘voices’ can reveal secrets. It is a first hand account of the history and background of this majestic and amazing place where the halls leading up the restaurant are aligned one after the other with portraits of the  former Prime Ministers of Canada and of course the current PM Stephen Harper as well. Peter Mansbridge’s editorial captures the essence of what I felt and experienced while on the hill inside the restaurant the first time.

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A Message From Vic Toews Re: Stop Online Spying

Photo Credits Courtesy of CTV News Online.

The following letter below is a email received today from the Minister of Public Safety Vic Towes in regards to Bill C-30 concerns. 

Thank you for contacting my office regarding Bill C-30, the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act.

Canada’s laws currently do not adequately protect Canadians from online exploitation and we think there is widespread agreement that this is a problem. 

We want to update our laws while striking the right balance between combating crime and protecting privacy. 

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An Inspirational Cooking Story: Jeff Henderson Streets to the Stove

Jeff Henderson Bio: Photo Credits The Food Network

This post was inspired because over the last 4 years I have been so deeply involved in business and politics that I have not had the time to make many home cooked meals. This has been tough because I  always wanted to be a chef when I was younger and it is a huge lifestyle uplifter. I can remember back in university I would have ESPN and the Food Network on constantly, however recently that has been replaced with pure CNBC, and BNN. I remember on occasion hosting  big pancake breakfasts and cooking massive dinners enough to feed 10-12 of my football teammates in my basement apartment before entering the working real world.

Well after a few years of retirement from the kitchen I am finally getting back into this long lost hobby and life supporting skill. I was inspired by Robin Burns, a family friend who makes the most incredible Guacamole Recipe you can believe. You can also visit her website at  www.thehungrybirdy.com trust me you will not be disappointed.

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Overcoming Obstacles

Sometimes when you think that you are doing something right and it doesn’t turn out how you anticipated you can get discouraged. But the truth is Overcoming Obstacles is one of the most important characteristic that any successful person can have.  Nobody is immune to not having obstacles it simply a definitive characteristic of life. Making mistakes is part of life and should not be punished. 

Reflecting on my own personal experiences I have made many mistakes over the years, to many to count on one hand. And for each mistake guilt and frustration mounted. Why I am not succeeding? Why am I making so many mistakes? However after a significant amount of time in reflection I finally realized with the help of this quote from Albert Einstein in the image. Continue reading →