search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
Think Bold


and long-term enterprises have been those that saw an op- portunity and seized it. Government needs to get out of the way. It can help by


Power(ful) possibilities for Manitoba W


henever we have started out with the premise that government needs to lure industry to the province, we have ended up losing our shirts. Te successful


removing barriers to investment or by adapting current regu- lations to meet current needs. In that regard, government must be nimble and responsive. It must be ready to act as a facilitator and partner, not as a convenient bank, which only promotes incompetence. Of course, there are times when you are in a bidding situation and the corporate welfare types come begging, but if we create a dynamic atmosphere geared to 21st century needs, that will occur less and less. Let’s take stock of what we have and do a little


stargazing. I am particularly interested in our vast and resource-rich north and in thinking out of the box. For over a century, we have been struggling


with how to connect the south to the north via a feasible transportation system. Te reason we have failed is that, apart from wanting to maintain sovereignty over the northern coast, we don’t have a compelling reason to go there. Even the much-touted tourism industry repre- sents only 3% of the northern GDP. How do we turn our present hydro lemon


now, there is renewed interest in Manitoba’s lithium. If we developed those resources, could our north someday


be the site of one of Elon Musk’s gigafactories producing lithium-ion batteries? Te gigafactory in Nevada is powered by a 70 megawatt solar farm. When Keeyask is completed, it will add 4,400 gigawatt hours to our current supply. We could easily provide the power to run a battery factory with the advantage of a nearby supply of lithium and other needed minerals. Musk expects the demand for batteries to grow not just to power cars, but to power homes and small businesses using his solar-charged battery packs. As these technologies prove themselves, look for demand to explode just as it did for mobile phones. Cryptocurencies like bitcoin


What about using our excess hydro power


Bold Ideas Dorothy Dobbie


into lemonade and go beyond paying down hydro’s debt to something that would power our whole economy? Are there opportunities based on energy to create some-


thing in or from our northern environment that is in demand for domestic or external use? We may have more going for us than we think. Lithium and Gigafactories


In addition to hydro electrical power, our mid-north


is home to several lithium deposits including the active lithium-caesium-tantalum Tanco mine at Cat Lake on the Winnipeg River, where we produce 100% of Canada’s caesium, which is used in some batteries. Tere are several other known lithium deposits around Red Sucker Lake, Red Cross Lake, Gods Lake, Cross Lake and McLaughlin Lake. Deposits have been identified at Wekusko Lake. Of course we already know about our resources of nickel, cobalt, copper, silver, even graphite, all used in some way or another in the production of energy. Due to the demand for lithium for battery production right


to lure cryptocurrency computer farms to the north? Each Bitcoin transaction requires the same amount of energy that it takes to power nine homes. Being able to locate computer farms in a cold climate as well as near the source of full strength hydro energy generation would be a real advantage. As a side benefit, the heat from the computers could be recycled to warm homes and heat greenhouses at a fraction of the cost we are now charging northern consumers. It is not far-fetched to think about this. Mani-


toba and Quebec are being looked at as potential centres for this activity right now due to our low energy costs and our cool climate. And a small bitcoin farm operated by Bruce Hardy in St.


Francis Xavier is recycling its heat to warm water for his fish tank and to grow plants.


Hydrogen Manitoba also has a vast saltwater shoreline in a cold


climate with ample hydro power generation nearby. It’s not hard to imagine hydrogen production occurring near our hydroelectric resources, perhaps combining those with the new nano-technology that efficiently pulls hydrogen from salt water. We could build the compressors needed to reduce the gas to liquid there, and send the condensed product to the world via ship or overland on a new network of roads and rail. Hydrogen production is not a new idea in Manitoba -- it


goes back to the Schreyer days. A committee that examined the feasibility and reported on it in 2003 came to the conclu- sion that if all the potential hydroelectric power of Manitoba was converted to hydrogen we would be able to produce about 2 per cent more power than North America could use to fuel all its automobiles if they all ran on hydrogen fuel cells.


Fifteen years on and the excitement about using hydrogen


power has not materialized. Nor has the auto industry cot- toned on to the idea, but hydrogen is still used as rocket fuel. New technologies


Forbes predicts that battery powered electric cars will win


the power struggle over fuel cells because battery powered cars are faster, cheaper, quieter, simpler and easier, if not faster, to power up because the foundation of needed infra- structure is in place. Te one advantage hydrogen fuel cells have over batteries


is the time it takes to re-power the car, but even that is chang- ing. While right now, battery recharging at the most powerful chargers takes about half an hour, new technologies will soon carve that time to minutes. A company called Store Dot in Israel is working on a nano-


technology using organic materials to make a battery that will recharge in five minutes and produce 300 miles worth of power. Toshiba has introduced a charger that can deliver 200 miles in 6 minutes. Te re-charging issue will be resolved, and we need to be looking at where this is going and how to take advantage of the new technologies. We need to be thinking about the power grid required to supply electric transportation power.


Other ideas In the short-term, we still need to sell our power to other


markets if we can. Te way power is being transmitted is being readdressed.


We are looking for more efficient, less intrusive methods of moving current. Could we use rail lines to provide a pathway from Manitoba to eastern or western markets within Canada? Why not? We have to look at every avenue. It has been shown that the demand for traditional electric


energy will decline in future as new technologies come into play. We need to think ahead and try to position ourselves to meet what demand there is, particularly with regard to finding ways to meet the mobile energy needs that will continue to grow. Why shouldn’t we be developing charging technologies


or delivery methods and sell the power needed to animate those technologies? To conclude, I know that the current habit of thought is to


get government money invested in building infrastructure and luring companies to our province -- incentivizing, I think it’s called. On the other hand, fair tax policies, reasonable regulations, and the removal of systemic barriers to business are better answers. Unleashing the power of creative thinking and personal energy are really the only long-term solutions.


with investments in Winnipeg’s vibrant arts and culture industry. Tey are integral to our quality of life and have many spinoff benefits to our economy. A great recent example is when Ubisoft, one


Technology and the arts lure dollars to the city W


innipeg’s a thriving, diverse, modern city that is well on its way to one million people strong. A key part of supporting our growing city is continuing


since 2007 as a celebration of Winnipeg's artistic achieve- ments and as a way to recognize individuals and partner- ships contributing to Winnipeg’s arts and culture sector. During my address, I highlighted how im-


portant Winnipeg’s thriving arts and culture scene is when attracting talented people to either return or start fresh in Winnipeg. When attracting individuals and busi-


of the world’s premier interactive entertain- ment and gaming companies, announced they’d be opening up shop in Winnipeg with a $35 million investment. A gaming company represents an interesting


cross-section of technology and arts sector jobs where movie production meets the interactivity of the high tech gaming world. Ubisoft was very interested in Winnipeg’s diversity, the pipeline of local talent, and Winnipeg’s position as a growing city. During my recent address to the 12th annual


nesses to Winnipeg, it is important that they can hear the ‘voice’ of Winnipeg and imagine themselves here in our neighbourhoods, in our downtown arts hub, in intimate and unique music venues throughout the city, in concert auditoriums, in small galleries or being part of major cultural events. While the arts and culture industry certainly


State of the City Brian Bowman


Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts and Winnipeg Arts Council Awards in early June, I was happy to express continued support for the arts and culture indus- try and the economic benefits of investing in the industry. The Winnipeg Arts Council has hosted the Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts and Winnipeg Arts Council Awards


contributes to how the world sees Winnipeg, it also provides significant economic benefits estimated to be about one billion dollars annu- ally. For every dollar of municipal investment into arts and culture, it is estimated to attract another $18 in support to local non-profit arts


and cultural organizations from federal and provincial governments, and private sources. Tere were many years prior to 2014 when city grant fund- ing in support of artists was essentially frozen or increased


only marginally. Since 2014, civic funding to the Winnipeg Arts Council has increased by $563,000 and it has resulted in significantly greater direct investment into the arts. Investment in arts and culture does require both public


and private investment. Te recent groundbreaking of the Inuit Art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery is a prime ex- ample of governments partnering with the private sector. Winnipeg will become the best place to celebrate Indig- enous art and culture, but more importantly it will help create a better understanding about truth and reconcilia- tion in our city and beyond. As we move forward, we need to continue involving art-


ists from the ground up as our city grows. As well, one of the key responsibilities of the City’s new Advisory Committee on Heritage, Culture, & the Arts, created this last January as recommended in the Mayor’s Task Force on Heritage, Culture, & the Arts, is to ensure the long-term success of Winnipeg’s vibrant arts, heritage, and cultural industries and make Winnipeg an even better place to live, work, and build a career. We all know Winnipeg artists, musicians, and authors


are among the best in the world. If these people don’t thrive here, we end up borrowing our culture, and we end up borrowing our vision of ourselves. And as Winnipeg’s population grows, we need to ensure our support for this industry is not eroded.


Artificial Intelligence in Human Resources A


rtificial Intelligence (AI) has now be- come a household tool through the use of sys-


tems such as Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa, but it’s impact on the business sector is just beginning to scratch the surface. While Elon Musk’s pre- diction of AI’s world domina- tion has many people skeptical of its effect on the workplace, in the short term, it will lead to many increased efficiencies. Technologies like chatbots,


augmented writing and cogni- tive computing have the poten- tial to revolutionize the field of Human Resources. Human Resources software companies are now even using artificial intelligence to


6 Manitoba Post


enhance the recruitment process through ranking programs and even AI driven scheduling assistants. In recruitment, this tech-


Human Resources Graeme Burke


nology will save time in the selection process while simul- taneously helping companies to make better hiring decisions. Automated candidate ranking systems can save employers a significant amount of time in short-listing candidates and identifying top talent in large talent pools. Scheduling assis- tants can also save recruiters a great amount of time. It can be very time consuming to sched- ule interviews and meetings and this technology can greatly


improve this process. Tese can also be used


to take notes, answer quick questions and keep recruiters, as well as really all employees, organized throughout the day. Onboarding is also beginning to see ben-


efits with the use of chatbots and cognitive computing. Chatbots can be used to interact with new hires and answer common ques- tions while providing a personable experi- ence. Cognitive computing is a self-learning technology that uses data mining, natural language processing, and pattern recognition to imitate human thoughts. Tis can assist employees to solve problems and smooth the new hire experience. For example, quite often in the workforce today, a new employee’s supervisor simply does not have the time to answer all questions that a new hire may have, leaving the new hire struggling and frustrated. Cognitive computing in onboard- ing can be used to provide instruction and


www.manitobapost.com


answer basic questions that a new hire has, specifically tailored to their first assignment. This will lead to reduced turnover and an increased employee onboarding experience. A study through IBM shows that 66% of CEO’s believe cognitive computing can drive signifi- cant value through Human Resources. Artificial intelligence is still far from com-


mon practice in the workplace today. However with companies beginning to realize the po- tential value that this technology can provide, it will likely be seen everywhere in the human resources of tomorrow. Next month I will shift my attention to-


wards the modern candidate, with tips for getting a better response on employment applications. Graeme Burke is Recruitment Consultant


at Te Headhunters.You can contact him at gburke@theheadhunters.ca


July 2018


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16