Is it possible to grow ingredients for beer in a metropolitan area such as Toronto? It is for Bellwoods Brewery co-founded by Michael Clark and Luke Pestl. Over the summer, the owners launched their “City Hops” project, “an experiment in growing hops in eight different locations in downtown Toronto”. These hops are planted on the property of other businesses such as Parts & Labour, a restaurant/bar. By using these underutilized spaces, they gain the benefit of growing hops for themselves while creating partnerships with local businesses.

The idea of urban gardening is still a rather new one, but it is becoming more and more popular for two important reasons. The obvious factor is sustainability and considering the environment in the production of produce, but businesses also benefit financially because they lower their transportation costs once again benefiting the environment.This is just one example of how businesses are finding innovative ways to be environmentally friendly.

Mr. Clark made an interesting comment at the end about how even if the program isn’t successful, “there’s a benefit … to greening of space and having it produce something that connects people to the space”. Rarely does one see profits take second place to the environment in our world.

With the uncertainty in the worldwide economy, it seems like nothing is left untouched including Canada’s two largest railways: The Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP).

The CN and CP both find themselves looking for a way to brace for the economic slowdown that is knocking on the industries door and seem to have found a solution in terms of improving their supply chain.

Trains have long been transporting goods across continents, but there had always been products which have been historically  transported by trucks. This is where CP is partnering up with a trucking firm to broaden their shipments of goods that are readily transferred between trucks and trains. With the help of “flat racks”, CP will transport shipments that are going for longer distances making it more efficient for the companies.

CN is also collaborating with other companies such as Agri-Food Central Ltd by signing a pact to strengthen their delivery schedules which include shipments to Vancouver, Montreal, New Orleans and Mexico. CN also bought insulated containers that “can carry temperature-sensitive products” such as beer which has led to appreciation from Molson Coors.

For the time being, both companies continue to chug right along.

Steve Jobs was one the greatest minds and innovators of our generation, but he left a lot behind when he died on Wednesday— just a day after the unveiling of the iPhone 4S.

Mr. Jobs changed the world in many ways with his ideas and creations, but one of his earliest works is sometimes overshadowed by the increasing popularity of the iPhone and iPad. When it came out almost a decade ago, iTunes wasn’t something new, yet with its simple and 99 cents per song price standard, it has grown into the largest music retailer in the world selling tens of millions of digital tracks per year.

Mr. Jobs always seemed to see an opportunity where no one else could. In the early parts of the 21st century, the World Wide Web was continuing to grow in popularity and an enormous amount of music was being leaked online. Taking this into account, Mr. Jobs used information technology to create iTunes: a cheap, legal and convenient alternative to normal retail stores.

The legal digital market is just one of many creations that can be linked to Steve Jobs and one can only wonder if anyone can replace this amazing man.

David Hahn has been in the spotlight ever since he took the reigns of B.C. Ferries, but not for the right reasons. As Cole Routtenberg alluded to in his blog post, Hahn’s seven figure paycheck along with yearly bonuses has sparked public outrage— especially after the crown corporations continued decline in profits over a large span of years.

I strongly share the views of my colleague on the fact that Hahn has failed to do his job and rewarded himself while the public is unfairly left to deal with the exorbitant sailing costs.

Two weeks later, I wasn’t surprised to learn that Hahn had decided to go into early retirement at the end of the year, but not without his pension package of  $250,000, and possibly more, per year. However, he made it clear he was leaving on his own terms, which is quite a coincidence considering the growing opposition and yet another cost cutting program to decrease the $20 million shortfall.

As Hahn rows away from the sinking ship, I sit here thinking that a captain is supposed to go down with his ship or at least be the last one off. I guess he wasn’t a real captain.

A few years ago, Research In Motion (RIM) was one of the most talked about phone companies in the world—with its wireless e-mail service and Blackberry Messenger—marketed primarily to CEOs and other business people. However, much has changed since then and RIM has been treading rough waters in recent months.

What has led to this downward spiral? Simply put, it has to do with positioning. As mentioned earlier, RIM had focused on marketing and selling to the business community where it became and still is popular because of its many capabilities. Over recent years, RIM expanded to try and gain new consumers; the only problem is that many consumers still think of their products as “corporate and stuffy” mainly due to its earlier focus on positioning their phones as the “must have phone” in the business industry. By doing so, they limited their ability to appeal to consumers outside this niche and in the attempt of expanding, they have left a marketing mess on the canvas that is the world.

As Apple continues to fulfill the desires of their target market with the launch of its iPhone 5, RIM is left lost at the crossroads of marketing.