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C BUSINESS BC FRIDAY, MARCH 28 | 2014 | 604.605.2520 | [email protected] IN SPORTS S & P/TSX 14,178.84 5.26 Dow Jones 16,264.23 4.76 TSX Venture 985.35 17.9 S & P 500 1,849.04 3.52 Dollar 90.65¢ US 0.43 Gold 1,294.70 8.70 Oil 101.28 1.02 Natural Gas 4.58 0.18 Microsoft unveils ▶ Office for iPad Microsoft Corp. chief executive Satya Nadella says he will “hold nothing back” in getting the company’s programs across all devices, in a clear departure from the software maker’s long- time focus on its Windows operating system. At his first public speech since tak- ing the CEO job last month, Nadella unveiled Office software for Apple Inc.’s iPad and said Microsoft’s goal was for subscribers to its Office 365 service to be able to use the programs on any gadget — even if it leads to reduced sales of Windows-based personal com- puters or other products. He also rolled out technology to enable developers to create what he called a “cloud for everyone on every device.” Japanese airline ▶ orders 70 jets ANA is ordering 70 aircraft with a list price of $19 billion US from Boeing Co. and Airbus — the largest order in the Japanese carrier’s history. Thursday’s orders under- line ANA’s ambition to become one of the world’s leading airlines as well as Japan’s tourism drive leading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olym- pics. The country hopes to boost overseas visitors to 20 million a year. Forty of the new orders went to Boeing. But Airbus said its share shows it is making inroads in an important market. The Japanese government and manu- facturers have historically had a close relationship with Boeing, and Europe’s Airbus did not score a major order with ANA rival Japan Airlines until last year. The jets, being delivered over 11 years from 2016, will increase the ANA fleet to 250 aircraft. Oliver to keep hands ▶ off BMO rate cut Finance Minister Joe Oliver says he will keep a close eye on the Canadian housing market after the Bank of Montreal pulled back a key mortgage rate to levels that had left his predecessor feeling uneasy. However, in a scrum later in the day with reporters, the finance minister called the bank’s move a private decision and said he was not going to intervene. Bank of Montreal moved late Wednesday to lower its five-year fixed- rate mortgage to 2.99 per cent, down from 3.49 per cent. Internet providers ▶ get low grades Canada’s Internet service providers are being less than forthcoming about how they handle customer information — including whether they routinely give personal data to spy agencies, says a new report. The report by University of Toronto researchers gives low marks to all 20 providers ranked in 10 categories of transparency. They looked at how much information the com- panies posted on their websites about commit- ment to federal privacy law, how and when they hand personal data to authori- ties, where and how long information is stored, and whether data is routed through the United States. The average grade was 1.5 out of 10, with carrier TekSavvy getting the highest grade of 3.5 points. The report comes amid widespread concern about surveillance by western agencies. But age, new contracts give fans reason for skepticism » C8 STRUGGLING SEDINS NOT GIVING UP DERRICK PENNER VANCOUVER SUN For Vincent Roumeas, a busi- ness development manager for the Paris Region Economic Develop- ment Agency, Vancouver’s Globe conference is something of a hunt- ing trip. He is part of a French delega- tion on the trade-show floor at Globe 2014 looking to find Cana- dian “clean-technology” firms with innovative ideas interested in exploring the French market. “We have a lot of cities, like Paris, that want to welcome French com- panies for sure, but international companies too, interested in test- ing solutions,” Roumeas said, “like (creating) a living laboratory inside the city. “The point today is to meet the most Canadian companies possible (and upon returning home), notify in the Paris-region companies or even universities or R&D labs to see if any connections or partner- ships are possible.” Globe, the biannual conference on sustainable development, is as much about doing business as it is about discussing bright ideas for reducing the impact of industry on the environment. And a new twist for European delegates, such as Roumeas, is the prospect of Canada-Europe free trade. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and European Commission Pres- ident José Manuel Barroso, last October, signed an agreement in principal, which commits the two sides to finalizing a full agreement giving each other tariff-free access to each others’ markets. Roumeas said it is too soon to tell how much of a draw EU free trade will be because he is working on developing immediate prospects within the next 18 months, which would be before any benefits from free trade would kick in, if the deal is concluded. However, his colleague Jeremy Bernard Orawiec, a trade adviser for UbiFrance, does see the agreement as an attraction for French firms interested in the American market. He added that the U.S. is viewed as a tough market to crack, so Canada is looked at as an easier-accessed entry point to all of North America. “It’s really positive to see Canada able to make an agreement before the U.S.,” Orawiec said. “It gives us a time frame so (companies) can come here and explore the whole American market.” The United Kingdom is definitely bullish on the prospects for free trade, with a Globe 2014 delega- tion led by the country’s Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Lord Ian Livingston. “We reckon CETA (the Canada Europe Trade Agreement) should be worth about $12 billion to Can- ada,” Livingston said. To that end, Livingston, on Wednesday, signed a joint state- ment with B.C. Minister of Inter- national Trade Teresa Wat on establishing a framework for trade cooperation between the province and the U.K. And in the spirit of Globe, they did so via video confer- ence with Livingston in Vancouver and Wat in Victoria. Livingston added that the so- called clean-technology sector is a big factor in the U.K. economy, worth some £100 billion per year that supports one million jobs, and it has a lot to offer B.C. as it works to achieve its environmental goals related to developing its proposed liquefied natural gas industry. Livingston noted that the U.K.’s BG Group, which is one of the major proponents looking to develop a project in B.C., has a lot of expertise in the sector. And a U.K. company is working on car- bon-capture technology designed to inject the carbon dioxide from a natural-gas fired power plant into old oil wells in the North Sea that could also be of use here. “Where it comes together with (Globe 2014) is that increased trade relations will help promote sustainable products and ideas par- ticularly as it relates to B.C.,” Liv- ingston said. “That is why I came to Vancouver for it.” He added that free trade even helps in terms of making it easier for universities to work together across continents and travel for trade shows and conferences, such as Globe. “We’re scratching around on both sides of the Atlantic for that extra 0.1-per-cent growth in GDP,” Liv- ingston said. “(Free trade) is going to put money in the economy on both sides of the Atlantic.” [email protected] Twitter.com/derrickpenner GLOBE 2014 JON BENJAMIN PHOTOGRAPHY The trade show explores reducing industry’s impact on the environment. The French delegation is looking to make connections with ‘clean technology’ firms. From left: Vincent Roumeas, business development manager at the Paris Region Economic Development Agency; Jacob Simpson, project manager, international business development, Yveline Conseil General; and Jeremy Bernard Orawiec, trade adviser, energy and environment, UbiFrance North America. Euro delegates look to trade in sustainability Prospect of Canada-Europe free trade entices foreign businesses » LULULEMON LOOKS FORWARD | C3 » GLOBE 2014 COVERAGE | C2
