FIRST TEAM CANADA MISSION TO EUROPE WRAPS UP WITH
OVER HALF A BILLION IN NEW BUSINESS
February 21, 2002
Munich, Germany
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien welcomed today the
success of the first Team Canada mission to Europe, which opened doors for
Canadian business in Russia and promoted science and technology and investment
partnerships with Germany. The mission was led jointly with Canada’s
provincial premiers and territorial leaders.
"The Team Canada 2002 mission has given Canadian companies unprecedented
profile and exposure in Russia at a time when the economy is showing positive
growth and becoming more open and market-driven as a result of historic reforms,"
said the Prime Minister. "Our mission to Germany has positioned Canada as a
technology partner and a strategic investment destination in the minds of
hundreds of German business people."
In a signing ceremony today in Munich, the third and final stop of the
mission after Moscow and Berlin, the Prime Minister and Team Canada witnessed
the signing of 27 new business deals valued at $176.74 million. These deals
include seven contracts valued at $144.24 million, 18 memoranda of understanding
and letters of intent valued at $30.2 million, and two planned investments
valued at $2.3 million. The agreements cover telecommunications, information and
medical technology, food, housing, education, aviation, film, television and
art.
Highlights of the Team Canada 2002 mission include:
- concluding 133 new business deals in Moscow, Berlin and Munich worth
$583.621 million, including 41 contracts worth $312.229 million, 88
memoranda of understanding and letters of intent worth $239.392 million, and
four planned investments worth $32 million. The agreements range from
education and joint research to the supply of housing and entertainment
co-productions.
- promoting the more than 290 Canadian enterprises that participated in
the Team Canada 2002 mission to Russia and Germany. This includes more than
150 small and medium-sized companies, whose marketing and business
development efforts benefit the most from the visibility generated by Team
Canada missions.
- tremendous interest in two investment and three science and
technology seminars in the areas of photonics, biotechnology and technology
transfer held in Berlin and Munich. The seminars attracted more than 900
senior executives from leading conglomerates and Mittelstand
companies — multi-million dollar, small and mid-size firms — the
predominant source of German investment in Canada, which typically involve
capital as well as technology transfer in export-oriented industries.
"The German business community’s response to Team Canada 2002 is a
clear sign of confidence and recognition that Canada offers a cost-effective and
strategic place to do business, given our preferential access to the North
American market, emphasis on education, innovation and skills and the strength
of the Canadian economy," said the Prime Minister.
The Team Canada 2002 mission is the seventh such trade mission led by the
Prime Minister, the provincial premiers and territorial leaders to important
markets for Canadian business. Team Canada visited Beijing, Shanghai and Hong
Kong in 2001, Japan in 1999, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile in 1998, South
Korea, the Philippines and Thailand in 1997, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and
Malaysia in 1996 and China and Hong Kong in 1994.
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CANADA-GERMANY BUSINESS AGREEMENTS
Backgrounder
Agriprogress Inc, Morden, Manitoba
Agriprogress signed a letter of intent with Norddeutsche Pflanzenzucht
Hans-Georg Lembke KG of Holtsee to establish a plant in Morden for the breeding,
production and marketing of new varieties of canola seed. The investment by
Lembke is valued at $1.5 million, all of which is Canadian content.
Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board, Napanee, Ontario
Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board signed a memorandum of
agreement with Carl Duisberg Centrum GmbH of Cologne, establishing a partnership
to provide opportunities for German students to earn an Ontario Secondary School
Diploma in Canada. The agreement is valued at $250,000, all of which is
Canadian content.
Avmax Group Inc., Calgary, Alberta
Avmax Group signed a letter of intent with Rheinland Air Services of
Moenchengladbach to jointly establish a line of regional aircraft and, a heavy
maintenance centre and provide parts distribution services and aircraft
management services throughout Europe.
Avmax Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Lufthansa Consulting
GmbH of Cologne to co-operate in developing aviation opportunities in North
America and Europe. The opportunities include flight operations, maintenance,
training, aircraft management, airport development and aviation management
consulting services.
DECODE Entertainment Inc., Toronto, Ontario
DECODE Entertainment signed a contract with SuperRTL of Cologne to license 39
more episodes of Angela Anaconda, a children’s animated series. The value of
the deal is
$2 million, all of which is Canadian content.
Entrust Technologies Inc., Ottawa, Ontario
Entrust Technologies signed a contract with Siemens AG - ICN ISA to purchase
Entrust licenses for the world-wide sales of key elements of its enhanced
security technology, which provides identification, entitlements, privacy
verification and security management.
German Business Centre North America Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia
German Business Centre signed a contract with Kliniken des Landkreises
Lörrach GmbH of Rheinfelden to provide market and logistics research in
assisting this German orthopedic and sports medicine hospital in entering the
North American market to provide specialized medical services, such as knee and
hip surgery. The contract is valued at $30,000, all of which is Canadian
content.
Government of Yukon, Whitehorse, Yukon
The Government of Yukon signed a memorandum of understanding with Fulda
Reifen GmbH of Fulda to promote the Yukon as a travel destination.
Inuit Art of Canada (L’Art Inuit du Canada), Val David, Quebec
Inuit Art of Canada signed a letter of intent with Fa. Fritz Gareis
Canadische Spezialitäten of Barbing to negotiate a contract to work as partners
to promote and distribute Inuit art and cultural products in Germany. The
project is valued at an estimated $500,000 over three years, all of which is
Canadian content.
Inuit Art of Canada signed a letter of intent with Geronimo of Munich, to
negotiate a partnership to develop the market for Inuit art and cultural
products within the Bavarian region. The project is valued at an estimated
$500,000 over three years, all of which is Canadian content.
JRP Educational Travel Inc., Oakville, Ontario
JRP Educational Travel signed a letter of intent with Reiseservice Junghans
of Spenge to provide English Second Language training to executives and young
adults and to recruit groups of children for summer programs in Canada. The
agreement is valued at $300,000, all of which is Canadian content.
Kivalliq Arctic Foods, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut
Kivalliq Arctic Foods signed a memorandum of understanding with Peter Paulsen
Import-Export GmbH and Handels KG of Hamburg to develop markets in Germany for
the sale of wild caribou meat products from Nunavut.
Mind’s Eye Pictures, Regina, Saskatchewan
Mind’s Eye Pictures signed a memorandum of understanding with H5B5 Media AG
of Munich to produce 22 episodes of the TV series Ice Planet over the
next year. The agreement is valued at $35 million, of which $17.5 million is
Canadian content.
National Research Council, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
National Research Council, on behalf on APACK Canada, signed a joint venture
agreement with APACK AG of Markt Erlbach providing APACK Canada with exclusive
rights to the manufacturing, distribution and sales of all APACK AG products in
Canada, including a new line of biodegradable packaging based on potato and
other starches and plant-fibre. The purchase of the exclusive rights and
equipment is valued at $5 million. The agreement is expected to generate $2.5
million in the first year, all of which is Canadian content.
Northern Digital Inc. (NDI), Waterloo, Ontario
Northern Digital signed a contract with BrainLAB
of Munich to have NDI’s three-dimensional
measurement technology incorporated
into BrainLAB's image guided surgery systems
for minimally-invasive medical procedures.
NDI also signed a memorandum of understanding
to supply measurement systems to BrainLAB. The agreement is valued at $8 million
over two years, all of which is Canadian content.
Nunavut Tourism, Iqaluit, Nunavut
Nunavut Tourism signed a memorandum of understanding with Tango Films of
Munich to work together to explore the possibilities of preparing a travel
documentary on Nunavut.
Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Toronto, Ontario
The Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade signed a letter of
intent with PRIDAT, Mikro und Feinoptik GmbH of Biebertal to establish a
company in Burlington, Ontario, that will manufacture and assemble micro-optic
components for various high-tech applications such as medical equipment. The
investment is valued at $800,000, all of which is Canadian content.
Pioneer Log Homes of British Columbia Ltd., Williams Lake, British Columbia
Pioneer Log Homes signed a contract with Hotel Sonnenhof of Klein Aspach to
build a 22-bedroom log hotel complex complete with a restaurant and meeting
rooms. The project is valued at $1.24 million, all of which is Canadian content.
Polyplan Technologies, Montreal, Quebec
Polyplan Technologies signed a memorandum of understanding with Siemens AG of
Munich to strengthen their ongoing commitment to improving market share in joint
areas of expertise, including e-business and manufacturing know-how management
for the Discrete Manufacturing Industries.
RégeNord, Kedgwick, New Brunswick
RégeNord signed a memorandum of understanding with AAPEQ GmbH of Neumarkt to
work with RégeNord and use its technology to establish a server base for a
communications network in Germany. The agreement is valued at $750,000, all of
which is Canadian content.
River East School Division, Winnipeg, Manitoba
The River East School Division signed a letter of intent with MAP
Sprachreisen GmbH of Munich to establish a relationship to initiate
international educational opportunities for high school students.
S&L Fabricating Inc., Cambridge, Ontario
S&L Fabricating has signed a memorandum of understanding with Babcock
Borsig Power GmbH of Oberhausen to act as a subcontractor for the fabrication of
selected utility boiler components for the Canadian market on a project basis.
The agreement is worth $1 million, all of which is Canadian content.
Skyjack Inc., Guelph, Ontario
Skyjack Inc. signed a letter of intent with Mateco of Stuttgart to supply
Mateco with aerial work platforms for their rental fleet.
Teleglobe Canada, Montréal, Quebec
Teleglobe Canada signed an agreement with Teleglobe Germany, reflecting the
completion of their expansion of Teleglobe’s telecommunications infrastructure
in Germany. This includes the opening of four additional new points of presence,
which are technical locations where customers can access Teleglobe’s worldwide
telecommunications network. The new locations are Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and
Dusseldorf, complementing the existing location in Frankfurt. The expansion of
the network involves an investment of $138.47 million.
UltraDoc Software Inc., Vernon, British Columbia
UltraDoc Software signed a letter of intent with Titan Commerce Continental
Services GmbH of Gießen to represent UltraDoc in Germany and to make its
electronic medical records security software available there.
UltraDoc Software signed a letter of intent to partner with R2R Research to
Rise Informations und Kommunikations AG to bundle UltraDoc software with R2R
training software for physicians in Canada and Germany. The estimated value of
this project in the first year is $1.4 million, all of which is Canadian
content.
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