Canada and Japan are planning a free trade agreement, with the study of the potential for more liberalized trade. International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan intends to push Canada’s plans to boost trade with Japan and trade with India. Canada’s agriculture, natural resources and manufacturing products were listed as three sectors that could gain from reduced barriers with Japan. For its part, Japan is keen to get Canada to ditch the 6% duty added to the $5 billion worth of Japanese-made cars it imports every year.

Read more : Canada looks into launching free trade agreement with Japan

« China may well replace the U.S. within two years as B.C.’s largest market for softwood lumber exports, » Forests Minister Pat Bell said. « I think 2012-2013 is a realistic objective to see China displace the U.S. as the largest importer of our softwood lumber, Bell added. It was noted that in 2005, 70% of B.C. wood went to the U.S. and just 17% to China and Japan. But in December 2010, 47% went to Japan and China and just 36% to the U.S.

Read more : Chinese appetite for B.C. lumber could soon pass U.S.

Societe Generale said that it decided to open a new IT solutions centre in Montreal. Housed in its Montreal’s Canadian headquarters, the IT centre has created more than 50, highly-specialized jobs in the IT sector. Societe Generale chose Montreal for its highly-qualified, bilingual IT workforce.

Read more : Societe Generale chooses Montreal as the site for an IT solutions centre

The Czech ambassador to Canada is looking for partnership opportunities between the businesses and educational institutions of his country, and those of Waterloo, Ontario region. "Waterloo Region is very famous," said the ambassador, Karel Zebrakovsky. Zebrakovsky is attracted to the area’s reputation for innovation and collaboration, and is seeking opportunities for joint research projects and technological innovation, especially in the high technology field.

Read more : Czech ambassador visits Canada to promote partnerships

Two Ontario cities are in line to be named this year’s most intelligent community in the world. Windsor and Stratford both made the seven-city short list of the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), a U.S. think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st century community. The ICF’s top seven city shortlist is comprised of "communities that provide a model of economic and social development in the 21st Century using information and communications technology to power growth, address social challenges and preserve and promote culture."

Read more : Two Ontario cities named among Top 7 Most Intelligent Communities in the world

Boulder-Colorado based Intelligent Office, a virtual, professionally staffed office space for mobile executives and small businesses, announced its latest expansion plan to Canada. The company will add three new offices – in Scarborough, London and Toronto. The addition of the new offices brings the total number of Intelligent Office Canada locations to 10.

Read more : U.S.-based Intelligent Office expands presence in Canada

The government of Ontario has launched its Long Term Energy Plan calling for an increase in renewable energy developments to 10.7GW by 2018, which represents a 450% growth in installed wind capacity in the next seven years, from 1.59GW to 7GW. The new energy plan involves the installation of new transmission system upgrades and is expected to lead to the creation of at least 12,500 new jobs. The plan is also anticipated to lead to more than $12.5 billion in new investment in the province, and $22 million in annual lease payments to landowners.

Read more : Ontario’s commitment to wind energy strengthens investor confidence

Ontario’s film and TV sector racked up $964.3 million in overall production activity in 2010 and B.C. continues to attract the bulk of foreign location shooting and service work nationwide, with Hollywood production in and around Vancouver in 2010 clocking in at $485 million. The Canadians market themselves as a stable and sustainable backlot for Los Angeles, in contrast to the tax credit chill south of the border.

Read more : Vancouver and Toronto gain as Hollywood producers seek tax credit certainty

GE Canada and StandardAero are partnering to build a $50 million aircraft engine research and technology development facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The facility will open with 10 employees and the work force could grow to 50 employees in five years, and eventually up to 200. "GE continues to invest and grow our presence in Canada," said Elyse Allan, president and CEO of GE Canada. "The new test facility will expand our capabilities and industrial footprint in the country."

Read more : GE Canada and StandardAero are investing $50M in Winnipeg

A new seed fund, AmorChem, was recently announced by the Charest government. The $41.25-million fund’s goal isn’t to subsidize new companies, but rather to invest in scientific research, and then to reap the benefits when that research is sold off. The government hopes the investments will boost Quebec’s sagging venture capital industry. AmorChem will follow a new model of funding for biotech ventures. The fund will finance about 40 projects over the next five years.

Read more : Quebec launches AmorChem fund to help bio-tech companies